Best cure for corruption is exposure – Minister

The Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, has said the best treatment for corruption is the exposure of culprits; therefore, every citizen must be involved in the process to deal with the vice.

He proposed appropriate rewards for those whose exposure of offenders yield positive results.

Alhaji Sulemana was addressing government officials and district chief executives of the municipal and district assemblies, district coordinating directors and a cross section of the public at a regional dialogue on National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP) in Wa.

The forum was to introduce the NACAP to all stakeholders involved in Local Governance in the region, including the Media, and to provide a platform to discuss the President’s directives on the implementation of NACAP to help achieve a corruption-free society.

Alhaji Sulemana said there was so much public concern about corruption in Ghana and how it affected the total development of Ghana, noting: “Whether it is a perception or reality, we need to sit up and make it unattractive”.

He said Ghanaians had come to agree that corruption was a cancer that needed to be eradicated to pave the way for a better use of national resources for the benefit of the people.

The adverse effects of corruption had long been recognised, and several nations were tackling the menace with all the seriousness it deserved, and Ghana was no exception, he said.

The Regional Minister said governments over the years had strengthened and continued to strengthen the legislative framework, undertaken various public sector reforms and other strategies to fight corruption.

That is why, he said, Parliament unanimously adopted the 10-year NACAP as a non-partisan document to become a blueprint for fighting corruption.

It contains specified and concrete actions to deal with corruption in a more holistic and coordinated manner.

Alhaji Sulemana suggested that preventive measures, public education and awareness creation programmes with the enforcement of laws be utilised in the fight against corrupt practices.

Those approaches, he noted, would ensure that systems were put in place to seal the loopholes that made corruption attractive and tolerable.

Alhaji Sulemana urged faith-based organisations, civil society organisations and the media to publicly speak against corruption and condemn it outright to curb the menace.

“Not only should we name and shame all those who are found to be corrupt in society, but we should also make them face the full rigours of the law.”

Mr. Daniel Batidam, an Adviser on Governance at the Office of the President, said if Ghana was to succeed in the fight against corruption, all must be involved while the targets should not be politicians and political appointees alone.

“Some people think that corruption is centralised in Ghana and it is only the heads who are corrupt, forgetting that there are others who play a role in promoting corrupt practices other than the heads,” he explained.

Mr. Batidam said it was a backward approach to start chasing political opponents for corrupt actions, saying that exposing corrupt practices irrespective of who the offenders are, is the best way to fight corruption.

The Governance Adviser said President John Dramani Mahama had vowed that he would not protect any appointee found to be involved corruption, especially in this year, which was an election year.