Strengthen laws to fight corruption - Batidam

Agona Swedru, Sept. 8, GNA - Mr Daniel Batidam, Executive Secretary of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), has urged the government to strengthen existing laws to include the imposition of stiffer punishment including long prison terms for perpetrators of corruption. He said Parliament should as a matter of priority enact the Freedom of Information Bill to compliment the Whistle Blowers Act, to allow greater access to public information to expose wrongdoing in public offices.

Mr Batidam said this at a two-day workshop on fighting corruption, organized jointly by the Ghana Integrity Initiative and the Agona District branch of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) at Agona Swedru.

He urged the government, Trades Union Congress (TUC) Employers' Association and other stakeholders to take steps to organize a national debate on the income policy as a matter of urgency, since low incomes and poverty-related issues were among the root causes of bribery and corruption.

Mr Batidam cautioned against vote buying, abuse of incumbency on the part of some candidates and misuse of state resources, which would undermine the process of forthcoming district level and unit committee elections.

Mr Frank Adoba, Central Regional Director of the NCCE, stated that efforts made by both previous and present governments to curb bribery and corruption had failed due to the lack of political will.

He said the canker of corruption in the society had led to serious impoverishment and high levels of poverty in communities and asked the stakeholders to adopt pragmatic policies to eradicate it.

Mr Adoba suggested that activities on anti-corruption should be extended to basic schools where adulthood begins and urged the governments not to pay mere lip-service to curbing the canker. Mr Akwasi Assuman, Agona District Director of the NCCE in a welcoming address called for the principle of probity and accountability on government and its agencies to run through state institutions to make them transparent for scrutiny by all citizens.

He stated that slogans such as "house clearing, probity, accountability, integrity and zero tolerance for corruption had all been methods to halt corruption, but today "come and see the speed at which the national canker is moving".