All must join hands to fight against corruption

Kpando (V/R), March 31, GNA - Mr Paul Adanuty, the Kpando District Chief Executive, has said if Ghana was to attain its vision of becoming a middle-income nation by 2015, then all must join the fight against corruption.

He said there were numerous examples of acts of corruption like the issuance of road worthy certificates to un-roadworthy vehicles that had negative results and slowed down the clock of progress. Mr Adanuty said this when he addressed the opening of a two-day workshop organized by Ghana Integrity International, a local chapter of Transparency International in collaboration with National Centre for Civic Education (NCCE) for 70 participants drawn from the Kpando District at Kpando on Thursday.

It was under the theme "Fighting corruption - An Agenda for Democracy and Good Governance".

Mr Adanuty said "good governance and democracy can only thrive in a corruption free society", adding that it was therefore the aim of the government to eliminate all forms of corruption so that the country could move forward and progress.

Mr Batidam, the Executive Director of GII, said a survey conducted by Transparency International indicated that as much as 18 per cent of resources allocated to district assemblies leaked before reaching its destination.

He said the survey also ranked the Police Service as the most corrupt institution in the country followed by Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Judiciary.

Mr Batidam said his organization would soon embark on a nationwide membership drive as part of efforts to fight corruption and entrench good governance and democracy.

He appealed to the participants to help in their own small ways at their workplaces to fight corruption and entrench democracy and good governance.

Mr F.M. Amdson, NCCE District Director for Kpando, said those who always think of how to "chop the nation small or big" should think of the consequences of their actions on the development of the nation. Mr G.J. Bissi, Headmaster of Kpando Secondary School, who chaired the function, said as democracy starts from the home, it was dependent on the participants to help entrench democracy from that level.

In an open forum, the participants alleged that it was only few people in authority that enjoyed the national cake at the expense of the larger community and called on agencies and organizations set up to fight corruption in the country to live up to expectation. 31 March 06