|
Transparency International:
Investigate credible allegations of corruption
Accra, Dec. 6, Ghanadot/GNA - Ahead of the World
Anti-corruption Day to be marked on Sunday the Ghana
Integrity Initiative, Local Chapter of Transparency
International, is calling on the government to promptly
order investigations into “credible allegations of
corruption” to give credence to the policy of zero tolerance
of corruption.
In a statement released on Thursday, the anti-corruption
agency, also requested government to fast-track the passage
of a credible Freedom of Information Act and ensure a
thorough review of the Assets Declaration and Public
Procurement Acts to help reduce corruption.
The GII recommendations come in the wake of the release of
the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB 2007), which is a
public opinion survey on corruption.
This year’s survey covered 63,199 respondents in 60
countries, including five African countries: Ghana, Senegal,
Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa.
The GCB 2007 offers a broad spectrum of data on common
experiences of corruption, including which institutions most
frequently demand bribes, where citizens see the greatest
degree of corruption, and how they see both the future
development of corruption and their governments’ efforts to
eradicate it.
The Ghanaian respondents surveyed for the GCB 2007 ranked
the Police first with a score of 4.6 (out of a maximum score
of 5 for very corrupt) as the institution that was most
impacted by corruption.
The legal system/judiciary came second with a score of 3.7;
political parties scored 3.6 and were closely followed by
the Legislature, Registry and Permit Systems as well as
Revenue authorities (3.4).
The utilities providers, the education system, the
business/private sector and the media (with the Medical
system) scored 3.3, 3.2, 3.0 and 2.8, respectively.
The Military scored 2.4 while the NGOs and religious bodies
scored the lowest (2.2).
GII says there is the need to increase efforts to curb
corruption in service delivery, especially in the education
and health sectors if the country hoped to achieve the MDGs
by 2015.
The statement further asked government to address the
weaknesses in the Whistle Blower Act, 2007 (Act 720) to
enable the ordinary citizens to take advantage of the law
and help expose bribery and corruption.
In addition, government must provide adequate resources to
the accountability institutions, such as the Electoral
Commission, the Judiciary and CHRAJ and to promptly address
the problems of the Police and the Judiciary, including
adjusting pay levels and other conditions of service as a
way of curbing corruption in these institutions.
In contrast to many other countries, 62% of the respondents
in Ghana were optimistic that levels of corruption in the
country are likely to decrease in the coming years.
Similarly, 67% of the respondents felt that government
efforts to fight corruption were quite effective.
The GCB said the poor were most often confronted with
requests for bribes and so bribe paying and corruption posed
a serious challenge to poverty reduction and the achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) in Ghana and
Africa.
"In Ghana, it impacts negatively on government's efforts to
make education and health service more accessible through
policies such as the Capitation Grant, the School Feeding
Programme and the National Health Insurance Scheme and would
definitely reverse efforts at achieving the MDGs."
The report puts the onus on politicians, political parties
and Parliaments in Africa to do everything possible to
disabuse the minds of citizens that they are the worst
institutions that are tainted by corruption.
Although there is a need for concerted action from all
stakeholders, governments must provide the necessary
leadership to bring an end to corruption and its terrible
cost. This also requires effective checks and balances that
will make corruption a "high-risk" and "low-return" venture,
the report added.
GNA
|
