Dr Ken Agyemang Attafuah, a Director at the Commission on Human right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on Monday said the basic cause of corruption in Ghana was lack of comprehensive national programme by past governments to check the practice.
Attempts to combat corruption had been superficial, giving rise to public perception that nothing could be done to check the situation, he noted, adding that this had promoted mediocrity and inefficiency especially in public sector.
Dr Agyemang-Attafuah was speaking at symposium on the topic "zero tolerant for corruption, myth or reality" at the 53rd annual New Year School underway at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The school is been organised by the Institute of Adult Education on the theme "good governance and sustainable national development.
Increasing lawlessness and the pendant of Ghanaians to support lawlessness promote corruption, he said.
Dr Agyemang-Attafuah said such lawlessness especially on the road had resulted in many fatal motor accidents ranking Ghana as one of the countries with the highest record of accidents.
He said nepotism, favouritism, abuse of public office and fictitious per-diem claims were some of the prevailing corrupt practices in the country.
Corruption he said, violated civil and political right and retard economic and social development. He called for stiffer punishment against offenders and prosecution of public officials who are corrupt.
Corruption, he said, could be controlled through better policing and timely exposure of offenders.
Dr Agyemang-Attafuah said people should be paid living wages and provided with enough logistic support for front-line agencies such as the police and the judiciary.
Mr Yaw Boateng-Asamoah, Executive Secretary of the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition said Ghanaians must support measures being taken by the government to ensure zero tolerance.
Professor Kwesi Yankah, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Ghana, gave an overview of attempts by successive government to tackle corruption since independence.
He said the main cause of corruption had been sighted as political instability saying there had been no government in Ghana, which had not been accused of the practice. Prof. Yankah called for realistic measures to check the practice.
