Ghanaians asked to eschew undemocratic tendencies

...in up-coming DA election

Wenchi (B/A), Aug. 9, GNA - Mr Daniel Batidam, Executive Secretary of Ghana Integrity Initiative, an NGO, on Tuesday admonished Ghanaians to eschew undemocratic practices in the upcoming district assembly elections.

He expressed concern about vote buying, misuse of state resources, incumbency on the part of some candidates and partisan campaigns by some people.

Mr Batidam gave the advice in a speech read for him at the opening of a two-day workshop on Democracy and Good Governance at Wenchi in Brong-Ahafo.

The theme for the workshop, "Fighting Corruption - an Agenda for Democracy and Good Governance", was jointly organised by the NGO and the Wenchi District Directorate of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE).

Mr Batidam emphasised that corruption undermined human rights, democracy and good governance, economic progress and private sector development and stressed the need to combat the canker to ensure rapid development of the country.

He called on the government to strengthen existing laws to include the imposition of stiffer punishment for perpetrators of corruption and a strong code of conduct for civil and public servants, as well as political appointees.

The Executive Secretary said there was the need to make the country corruption-free in all spheres of human endeavour, where people and institutions would act with integrity, accountability and transparency.

Mr Michael Amponsah, Deputy Regional Director of NCCE, expressed concern about the current state of affairs, where corruption was condoned, tolerated and even glorified and celebrated among segments of the people in the country.

He called for transparency in government decision-making, decentralisation of responsibilities and observance of civil rights in the fight against corruption to consolidate the country's infant democracy.

Mr Amponsah stressed that the issue of fighting corruption must be anchored in good governance, a dispassionate and impartial manner in the promotion of high integrity throughout society and well-considered political, social and economic development agenda. Hajia Bintu Farizana Ibrahim, Wenchi District Chief Executive mentioned loss of development funds, retardation of economic growth, flight of capital and the inflation of administrative costs, as some effects of corruption.

She explained that the government had put a lot of measures such as establishment of financial intelligence unit, introduction of forensic audit, and the whistle-blowing bill, among others, to check corrupt practices. The DCE urged the participants to brainstorm and come out with new strategies to combat corruption. Mr J. A. Bediako, Wenchi District Director of NCCE, noted with concern that, poverty, disease, rancour and hunger had been the bane of almost all African countries, as a result of corruption, adding, corruption was eroding and derailing the modest economic gains made by the country. 9 Aug. 06