Mahama lacks the temerity to fight corruption

; a sign of presidential complexity?

The forum for progressive Ghana (FPG) wishes to say that the Ghanaian media is virtually awashed with one corruption allegation or the other on daily basis. It is so surprising to know that Ghana is ranked 64th on the same level as Lesotho when it comes to government related corruption.

Ghanaians have begun to wonder if the rate of corruption in the country is a sign of Presidential complexity. If not, then why has the president resort to the setting up of committees and the issuance of lame presidential instructions that yield no results.

With factual examples of corruptible acts such as the payment of over GHC 600million in dubious gargantuan judgement debts,the GHC 45million SADA guinea fowl and tree planting project, the GHC 960million fake GYEEDA module scandal through to the GHC144million Ghana Revenue Authority/SUBAH debacles, all culminate into the create, loot and share.

The plight of Ghanaians is to have working institutions to fight corruption to its minimum level. Surprisingly, the mahama led NDC government is doing very little to help stop the legendary corruption in government. It is most acceptable that the president lacks temerity, boldness and the commitment to fight the pervasive corruption that has plagued the country under his watch.

The FPG and many well meaning Ghanaians have been extremely traumatised by the unprecedented dissipation of state resources under the prseidency of John Dramani Mahama. What happened to the Freedom to Information Bill and the Whistle Blower’s Act which saw some pragmatism in passage from John Mahama prior to the 2012 elections? Were they just to score political points?

The FPG believes the current Attorney General's Department has done little to curb corruption as evidenced by a statement from one of our noble supreme court Justice Jones Dotse JSC in one of his judgement about a corrupt case involving the NDC government; Justice Jones Dotsedescribed

the €40million judgment debt paid to Waterville Holdings Ltd and the GH¢51.2million paid to

businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, as a carefully orchestrated plan by some individuals, companies and lawyers, whom he tagged as a “brigade” formed to loot the country. “The create,

Loot, and Share". The people of Ghana deserve much better than we are being served on the table now by the President Mahama administration.

The FPG is by this statement asking the government to:

1. Ensure swiftness and seriousness in the passage of the freedom to Information Bill.

2. Call on parliament to act swiftly in the passage of the whistle Blower Act.

3. The separation of the Attorney General's department from the Ministry of Justice.

4. Provide neccessary steps to motivate and sensitize state lawyers to be morally and principally responsible in defending the government in cases of corruption at the law court.

The FPG is calling on all civil society organisations, religious bodies, chiefs and traditional rulers and all well meaning citizens of Ghana to join the fight to register our displeasure and alert the president to apply the law to the latter, if he is not complicit with these corruption scandals.