Every gov't appointee in Ghana is a thief until… - Adu Asare

Former Member of Parliament for Adenta, Kojo Adu-Asare, has cautioned Ghanaians not to refer to every public servant as a "thief".

Hon. Adu-Asare was worried that the general public tend to create the impression that every government appointee is embezzling funds from State coffers.

According to him, such lack of trust in government officials must come to an end because if a person is in public service, it doesn't mean he or she is criminal.

Hon. Kojo Adu-Asare said this on Peace FM's flagship programme "Kokrokoo" in reference to numerous comments passed about the conduct of the Youth and Sports Minister Mahama Ayariga prior to and after the just-ended 2015 African Nations Cup (AFCON).

“If you look at the impression we have created including some of the cartoons that people have made and what it depicts; it appears we have already found the person guilty in the eyes of the people. Some people claim that he has indiscriminately squandered monies and the use of unprintable words…just because somebody has devoted himself to the service of his country.

“Does it mean that everything you’ll do is criminal?...For me, we’re getting to that point where we don’t trust anybody again in our country but we cannot also employ Angels to serve this country. We surely will entrust human beings to do our work," he said.

He therefore expressed disappointment in the critics who have made it their hobby to denigrate the Sports Minister. To Hon. Adu-Asare, the Minister deserves commendation for the job he is performing at the Sports Ministry and the role he played at the just-ended AFCON.

Addressing the issue further, he noted that it appears in Ghana "everybody is a thief until proven innocent instead of the other way round.”