Moral Foundation to Fight Corruption: Lacking in the National Democratic Congress (NDC)

Corruption is one of the key problems affecting Ghana's growth and development; therefore, the ability to fight corruption is a key determinant for voters to make a choice. Ghanaian voters will vote for a party that can fight corruption. Ghana has two major political parties in the Fourth Republic: the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). They have both been in power, and they will be seeking to rule Ghana again in 2024. 

This article highlights the party that is capable of fighting corruption as well as the party that has a track record of punishing corrupt politicians, which is why I title my article The Moral Foundation of Corruption. 

The moral foundation of fighting corruption was a key determinant in the 2016 election results and will also be a key determinant in winning the 2024 elections and beyond. I know many Ghanaians hate corruption and corruption activities in Ghana. But fighting corruption is a very difficult task and will take a committed political party that has the people and the nation at heart.

 

Interestingly, the two leading political parties in Ghana have all been in power in the fourth Republic of Ghana; the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has ruled Ghana for 16 years, and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is currently ruling Ghana for 15 years. Comparing the two political parties, the NPP is far ahead of the NDC when it comes to fighting corruption and protecting the public purse.

 

I will be pointing out the fact that the NPP is able to fight and manage corruption effectively, while the NDC has poorly managed corruption and the public purse. 

To further explain the reason in details, I want to start with the NDC.

The founder of the NDC, Rawlings, came to power on June 4, 1979, by riding on corruption to overthrow the SMC government. The regime started a "house cleaning" exercise against corruption. Three former military leaders of Ghana, Lt. Gen. Afrifa, Gen. Acheampong, and Lt. Gen. Akuffo, were all executed together with five other senior officers deemed to have been corrupt by the special courts set up by the government. Take note: people were killed because of corruption allegations. 

 

Rawlings used accountability as a pretext to remove Liman government. According to renowned political scientist Joseph R. A. Ayee's published paper in 1994, “This paper explores public accountability under the PNDC government. The paper found that accountability was undermined by several factors, namely, the ineffectiveness of the appraisal and sanctioning institutions created by the PNDC government, the authoritarian nature of the PNDC itself, and the lack of transparency and candour on the part of the government”. Ayee concluded that the PNDC failed in its corruption fight as a military government.

In 1992, the PNDC metamorphosed into the NDC. From 1992 to 2000, Rawlings was the president of Ghana. After his term, the NDC lost the election to the NPP. When the NPP came to power, they held corrupt NDC appointees accountable for their corrupt deeds.

 

Under the NPP government from 2000–2008, many NDC appointees were jailed for corruption. This proves that the NPP has a moral foundation to fight corruption. 

 

From 2009 to 2016, when the NDC was in power under Atta Mills and John Mahama, not a single NPP was found to be corrupt. Rather, NDC prosecuted their own party appointee, just to mention one, Abuga Pele, who was prosecuted under NDC. This speaks volumes about the corruption of the NDC. 

 

From 2017- to date, under the Nana Akuffo Addo government, he has prosecuted NDC corrupt former appointees, and some are currently standing trials, including the minority leader, Dr. Ato Forson, for causing financial loss to the state.

 

The NPP has also set up a special institution to fight corruption, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP). It is interesting to know that the first special prosecutor was a former presidential candidate for the opposition party NDC, Martin Amidu. When he assumed office, his first case was against an NDC member who was a former minister, Mahama Ayariga. 

Martin Amidu could only manage to resign as an option for fighting corruption. From these facts, NDC does not have a moral foundation of corruption; he resigned as special prosecutor without prosecuting an ant. 

Based on this empirical evidence, NDC does not have a moral foundation to fight corruption. The NPP has a moral foundation for fighting corruption. 

I will list names of former appointees of NDC jailed, and I will challenge NDC to mention just one NPP member who is a former appointee who has been jailed or standing trial for corruption. 

My humble appeal to the people of Ghana is that it will be good to vote for the NPP to continue to fight corruption because they have a moral foundation for corruption.

Below is the challenge: NDC appointees that were found guilty and jailed for corruption:

Abuga Pele (Youth employment money)  Youth Employment Agency (YEA); who was

jailed in 2018 in connection with the GHC 4.1 million.

Philip Akpeena Assibit was also jailed 12 years in 2018

Dan Abodakpi or Dan Akpodakpi, was given the maximum sentence after he was

convicted for conspiring, defrauding and willfully causing financial loss of $400,000 U.S

Kwame Peprah, a former finance minister, spent four years in prison in 2003 for his role in the Quality Grain scandal.

Victor Selormey

 

Ibrahim Adam, former agriculture minister under Rawlings.

Mr. Eugene Baffoe-Bonnie, a former board chairman of the NCA, was jailed for causing a $4 million financial loss to the state.

Mr. William Tetteh-Tevie, the immediate past Director General of the NCA

Alhaji Osman Limuna, a board member of NCA

Seidu Agongo 

Sandra Christine Tamakloe Masloc was jailed for 10 years in absentia and is currently hiding in the USA.

Alfred Woyome was asked to refund money he had wrongly paid

I put it to you to mention one NPP member and an appointee that was jailed because of corruption.

JUST ONE.