GII calls for abolition of "Soli"

Accra, June 15, GNA - Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), on Tuesday called for the abolition of presentation of "Soli", envelopes containing cash, ostensibly to cover travel costs, to journalists after covering functions to influence them to produce favourable stories.

"Media houses have a responsibility to provide their reporters and television crew with adequate logistics, particularly transport, to carry

out their assignments. "Reporters must not be left begging for money to cover transport cos ts from event organizers, a situation that puts them in seemingly conflict o f interest situations," Mr Vitus A. Azeem, GII Executive Secretary, said at a public forum on Tuesday in Accra.

The public forum that was organized by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Science (GAAS) was on the general theme: "Governance in Ghana; Challenges to Administrative Justice, Anti-Corruption and Access to Justice". Mr. Azeem called on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) to fight against corrupt practices in the

media, especially in cases where directors and owners of media houses pay

themselves outrageous salaries and allowances while the "foot soldiers" wallow in poverty. Speaking on "The Role of Civil Society and Private Institutions in Fighting Corruption," the GII Executive Secretary said it was important f or the media to be assertive about societal interests in enhancing the scale of public awareness of the costs of corruption. He expressed concern about personal and industry integrity and the l ack of a proper understanding of the purpose and dimensions of the fight agai nst corruption by the media. Mr Azeem challenged the GJA and the various media houses to show commitment to the fight against corruption by supporting journalists to improve their performance, "develop capacity to resist corrupting influen ces from the supply side of corruption, primarily politicians, the business community and troubled government officials". He also urged Civil Society Organizations (CSO) and the media to undertake effective housekeeping measures."if they are seen as agents of integrity, it will be easier for the populace and the private sector to collaborate with them in the struggle for a just and incorruptible societ y. "A CSO or media house that is corrupt cannot fight corruption, unfortunately, the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) 2009 and several med ia reports cite a growing trend of corruption in the media, non-governmental

organizations and even religious bodies". He said the GCB 2009 survey showed that the private sector scored 3.3

out of maximum points of five, and ranked fourth after the public and civ il servants, the Judiciary and political parties. Parliament and the Media w ere perceived in a much better light than the private sector. Mr Azeem said that the survey revealed that most citizens were not empowered to fight corruption and were not also satisfied with the governments' efforts in fighting corruption. He tasked the media to continue to investigate allegations of corruption and expose corrupt officials and businesses, whilst challengin g CSOs to advocate policy reforms to redress the situation. GII Executive Secretary, however, commended civil society and the me dia for been dynamic and playing a critical watchdog role over government policies and action. However, they have not been satisfactorily vigilant, looking out for

individuals, who engage in corrupt acts, blowing the whistle on them or taking joint action to bring pressure to bear on government to take appropriate action on the culprits. The forum was chaired by Professor Lawrence A. Boadi, Vice President of GAAS, and attended by officials of Ghana Immigration Service, Academia, Students, Anti-Corruption Officials and cross section of the public. 15 June 10