Ghanaians asked to fight corruption

Accra, (Greater Accra Region) 7 Oct. 1998 Ghanaians asked to wage a relentless war against bribery and corruption in order to uproot it from the society. The Right-Reverend Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, Catholic Bishop of Koforidua who made the call, said it would be wrong for anyone to point accusing fingers at only those holding political offices. He was speaking on the topic: "Bribery and corruption: How wide is it?", at the first in a series of this year's "William Ofori-Atta Memorial Lectures" in Accra. The lectures were instituted in 1990 by the National Association of Evangelicals of Ghana (NAEG) in honour of the late William Ofori-Atta, a lawyer, politician and a devoted Christian. Affectionately called "Paa Willie", Mr Ofori-Atta was one of the original "Big Six" who struggled for political independence of Ghana. Bishop Palmer-Buckle said, when examined critically, there has not been any change in the magnitude of bribery and corruption that faced Ghana some 25 years ago.

He quoted sections of the Justice P.D. Anin Commission's report on bribery and corruption in the country to buttress his claim, and said corruption according to the report is "a deadly virus that has found its way into the body politics".

"This social canker has become so endemic that it has even eaten into the cultural practices of most Ghanaians", he said. The Bishop urged Ghanaian to "keep it on the agenda and nip it in the bud if our dear nation is to see development and progress". GRi