No Word On Accountability Office

Officials at the Office of the President and the Information Ministry have been unwilling to answer questions since the Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpianim announced the establishment of the Office of Accountability last week.

JOY FM enquiries and follow-ups on the matter yielded little or no response from officials who either displayed little knowledge about the office or simply refused to offer any information. But JOY FM has now received a draft document from aides at the Office of the President detailing the purpose of the office, chaired by Mrs. Florence Sai.

President Kufuor promised the establishment of the Office of Accountability in his inaugural speech in January 7th 2001. But very little was heard of it until a statement was issued by the Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpianim last Thursday.

The announcement said the three-member Accountability Office would be chaired by Mrs Florence A. Sai, an expert in consumer economics and public policy. The other members of the office are Professor Yaw Twumasi, a political scientist and Alhaji Sumaila Abdul Wahab, Chief Executive of the Muslim Relief Association (MRA).

The draft of the Accountability Office says its establishment is a key act to give meaning and assurance to the public that fighting corruption and ensuring good governance are serious priorities of the President. It will act as an internal self-correcting mechanism of government.

But it is not intended to usurp the functions of the existing institutions that make up the anti-corruption infrastructure, namely the police, judiciary, SFO, CHRAJ or the Auditor General?s department.

The draft says government?s intention is for the Accountability Office, to complement the work of these institutions and also lead by example. The office, according to the draft document, will act as an internal ?conscience keeper? of the Kufuor government, create and administer a code of conduct within the government.

The code will establish guiding principles bordering on selflessness, honesty, accountability, transparency, fairness and leadership by example. Political appointees will be expected to live within the guidelines of the code of conduct. Apparently, the ability of government to perform what is being described as internal auto-criticism through the Office of Accountability is expected to help identify and solve potential areas of corruption indeed or as perceived.

The draft says another agency - an Apex Unit-will be added in the near future to oversee the internal auditing of the central government machinery on a day-to-day basis.