The decay of the Ghanaian conscience

It seems Ghana has gotten to a precarious point where urgent redemption is needed. We are about tripping from the tip of a mountain if the necessary steps are not taken to avert this fatal calamity. We have reached a point where vice has become the best form of virtue whereas virtue has become the worst form of vice. And we have officialdom and responsible individuals seemingly endorsing these irregularities in perfect silence other than naming and shunning nation wreckers. All these corrupt tendencies have taken deep roots in the Ghanaian scheme of things because some of us have seared and corrupted our conscience.

Recent events in the country give credence to the fact that our right sense of judgment has given way to greed, petty political propaganda and the bad old figure called corruption. For Mr Martin Amidu to have championed a relentless crusade to retrieve the money paid to Waterville under dubious circumstances clearly shows the crass corruption has crept into the country. If comrade Martin Amidu had not taken up the challenge to respond to his conscience, I wonder who would have taken up the task of reclaiming the nation’s money from the hands of corrupt men.

There are certain questions that demand answers. What were the learned lawyers at the Attorney General’s Department doing when they were confronted with this huge and dubious judgment debt? Why was Martin Amidu dismissed from office when he openly opposed this fraudulent payment? Was the government uncomfortable with Martin Amidu’s positive actions? Did the legal luminaries and financial experts at the ministry of finance do due diligence in ascertaining whether there was parliamentary endorsement of the payment?

Apart from Martin Amidu, there were other voices like comrade Kwaku Baako and other key members of the opposition NPP who fiercely and copiously maintained that Waterville and for that matter Alfred Woyome had no valid contract with the government of Ghana. We had government officials who supported and upheld that Waterville had a valid contract with government which they claim was illegally abrogated by the NPP government.

It seems to me that state officers and institutions are powerless to correct anomalies and prosecute persons who perpetrate corrupt acts. Because corrupt and greedy bastards put on political colours, whenever they loot state funds, the government and state institutions like EOCO are rendered powerless because they cannot punish their very own. By the way who did not know that Alfred Woyome was a known figure in the NDC and a financier of the party?

As it stands, it will only take individuals with conscience like Martin Amidu and other anti corruption agencies in the country to expose corrupt individuals and concocted contracts that are aimed at fleecing the country of its scarce resources. Anas Aremeyaw’s startling revelations of the level of corruption at our ports buttresses a recent report that points to the high level of fraud at the Tema port which causes the nation to lose about $100 millions monthly. ( See Fraud at Tema Port; Ghana loses $100 million monthly-ghanaweb.com). Can you imagine the amount of revenue that will accrue annually to the nation if this waste is checked?

As a result of our lack of prudence in managing the nation’s finances, we have turned into affluent beggars. You have the government of the day still day-dreaming of receiving a three billion dollar loan facility from China to develop certain key sectors of the economy. It is as if nothing moves in this country without donors’ assistance or loans. Meanwhile corruption has been institutionalised in this country and spearheaded by our wise and beloved leaders and prominent individuals who should know better.

In most of our state institutions, if you want something legally done for you and you do not add ‘weight’ to your application, bear in mind you are likely not to have your request worked on. Try processing your salary at the Controller and Accountant General Department and forget or refuse to add ‘Kola’ or ‘weight’ to your documents, you will either have your name on the pay roll in two years and over or your documents will be kept somewhere safe unattended to.

Even to get a contract in this country, aside you having the requisite documents and equipment, there is the need to pay your way through or must be a card bearing member who is in the good books of the political party in power. At the moment, a simple process of renewing or obtaining a driver’s licence has become a burden. You must give someone something in order to get a fast track service although it is our taxes that are used to pay these corrupt officers.

Corruption has become so endemic to the extent that you have greedy party functionaries and District Chief Executives cited in illegal mining activities and taking bribes to facilitate and protect unscrupulous individuals who are bent on destroying our resources. With the Inter Ministerial Task force in place to tackle illegal mining, there are constant reports of some influential individuals shielding some illegal miners for the sake of their parochial political interest.

Without doubt, bribery and corruption have become a lucrative business in this country. Roads that are constructed today become death traps in two or three months after several rainfalls. Schools buildings that are funded by the government are poorly constructed and within months, you see cracks developing in these structures.

From my observation, African politicians love to annex power for the sake of it and do not see power as an avenue to radically and positively transform the livelihood of the citizenry. They love titles and would want to be adressed in a lofty manner at the expense of discharging their duties to their people. I wonder if they feel uncomfortable or learn lessons whenever they visit countries that they beg from although we have what it takes to be self sufficient.

Our consciences are so corrupt to the extent that our attitudes have also been affected. Ghana has reached the stage where because of the ineffectiveness of previous and present governments, state resources have found their way into the pockets of few individuals. Social democrats are now becoming the nouveaux riches in this country. They are afraid to even declare their assets. Garrulous and empty barrels are awarded with appointments for their empty rhetoric. It is no longer competence in this country; it is all about party faithfulness that matters. Allegiance to Ghana is now a taboo; you must be a political animal first, a tribalist second before you assume your Ghanaian status.

In fact, we must learn to do the right things for the sake of our national unity and development. If we trade our conscience to enrich ourselves, we endanger our very existence. It would not take long for aggrieved men and women to unleash their frustrations in a deadly manner. Verbal commitment on the part of government to develop the nation is not enough. Our leaders must be fair to their conscience if they have any and fast forward our development beyond our present predicaments.

SOURCE: OKOFO-DARTEY SAMUEL

E-MAIL: sodesq2000@yahoo.com