Politicians Are So Corrupt These Days, Why?

Everybody in a similar way are denouncing or complaining bitterly about corrupt politicians nowadays. They spew, throw never-ending poisonous dirt at their opponents, do all manner of dishonest things and try to get away with it, associate with lobbyists, and provide special favors to their political friends. When elections are due, contenders' not in governance at all times promise to end the corruption that is within and to bring about a genuine beginning that will end corrupt practices. Again and again, the very same thing turns up one or two years later on. One must be worried and concerned about these happenings, Politicians Are So Corrupt These Days, Why? And why are our politicians so ferociously corrupt?”

Political Corruption is not only misappropriation of public funds but any action that seeks to give undue dishonest advantage to those in power and their cronies or public officials.

It is convincing to reasonably think that, today's politicians in the country are corrupt in an unprecedented and boundless proportional manner, and we ought to seek, find the right mind to explain it. The reasons or factors could be the result of our collective moral deterioration and apathy to national issues. Or possibly, it could be because it is easiest way to enrich oneself at the expense of the people they represent; that are vulnerable and victims at the whims and becks of these educated-hawks that claim to have their interest at heart.

There might be specific factors and causes leading to modern corruption, but I just want to point out for the sake of perspective that this is nothing new. Kwame Nkrumah's inability to curb corruption within the CPP, Party Functionaries and various electoral fraud of his time eventually ushered in the 1966 ousting of his Government. Lt General JA Ankrah was cited for corruption and was forced to resign as the Chairman of the NLC.

Dr. Busia's politics of fraud, coupled with the “No Court” and the well-known “Apollo 568” decision. Once in office, Busia wielded strong executive powers. He instituted a stringent austerity program. The chief question that was posed by the election and Busia's years in power was whether this once reluctant politician was sufficiently in control of his own party, increasingly dominated by little-known but strong-willed younger men, and whether he was sufficiently farsighted to lead Ghana out of its economic troubles and its tribal and political bitterness.

Although his commitment to a parliamentary system was nowhere in question, he authorized some actions and tolerated others that gave rise to the old doubts and some new ones as well. The defeated opposition was further enfeebled by the successful barring of Gbedemah even from membership in the new Assembly; a seat he had overwhelmingly won in his district.

We must not forget also, the corrupt military/civilians corruption that engulfed the Supreme Military Council I & II. The AFRC and Account 48 unresolved issue including jail-breaks.

Dr. Hilla Liman's PNP and the Nana Okutwer Bekoe and the Gold saga. Jerry John Rawlings' PNDC and the divestiture program which was saddled with corrupt practice and corruptions. The Ohene Agyekums, Col Osei Wusu and others debacle during NDC I & II under Rawlings, reminds of corrupt officials. The Government White Paper undoing the CHRAJ findings. Haruna Esseku and the Castle hullaballoo of Kuffour government are issues deserving attention.

However, the unprecedented corruption under the watch of Fifi Ata-Mills, such the Woyomegate scandal and others that are evolving are all factors leading to this modern corruption under guise of judgment debt. It smells horrible! It is apparently an exploitation! And these are just very recent events.

Time and space constraint won't permit a long list of past government political scandals going all the way back to the British era. It is on record that the Aboriginal administration was impossible to disentangle from the corruption that pervaded its ranks, of which John Mensah Sarbah had complained about.

The Notorious Judgment Debt Cartel of our day, full of bribes and kickbacks, has resulted in many out-of-court settlements causing huge financial problems for the country. The list of Judgment Debt is full of suspicious behavior, outrageous conspiracy, and out-and-out fraud. It is true that the list gets notably longer every passing day under this administration. We must as a people are aware and not hard to know if politicians are more corrupt or rather it is just easier to keep track of them these days. In both instances the citizenry are wide awake, demanding accountable governance from those they have mandated to manage the National Purse. No matter how we view the issues, successive Governments certainly have a long history of corruption.

What's more, it is not only at the national level where corruption exists in Ghana political system. Just look at regions and districts. Mr. Stephen S. Nanyina, Northern Regional Minister was sack as a result of financial misappropriation. Mr. Mahmood Khalid - Upper West Regional Minister was sacked as a result of corruption allegations. That is nothing new either – The Nation's archive is replete with state and local political scandals and the list is even longer. And don't forget about the corruption in small towns that eludes national news. How many local officials in my city, the Kumasi Metropolitan alone, who might have padded or padding their pockets with a few hundred GHC (Ghana Cedis) respectively from local businessmen who are not so reliable? I entreat you; multiply that by number of towns and cities all over the country. It will shock you to the bone as to the quantum of siphoning going-on.

In spite of this, not only is corruption in politics not limited to any level of government in Ghana and neither is it limited to the Ghana.

However, why are African politicians so brutally and ferociously corrupt? In the recent World Map Index of perception of corruption, Ghana dropped seven places on the annual corruption list by the watchdog, worsening the country's reputation.

At the present, it is unmistakably possible that, politicians are more corrupt than ever before. Parliamentarians approval ratings are at new all-time low and the lobbying groups of big business to government can be unthinkably malicious and powerful. What I am driving at is that, it is not only worse, but it is not beyond doubt that it had been bad for a long time. It has been bad at all stratum of Ghana government for a long time. Likewise, it has been bad across the entire world for a long time, and it is much worse in many other places in the world.

It is more or less as if there is a worldwide code, that humans in seeking power, discover they like power, attain the power and embark on to do disgusting things and to try to keep to power. I believe that it is evidence of man's inherent wicked and immoral nature. If, in spite of everything all that I have stated you do not believe my pious supposition, at least, have the courage to think hard about the perception that man is inherently good. Of which I sincerely do not accept wholly. Yes indeed, there were and are benevolent people written in our history books, but man's innate disposition is largely immoral and damning.

That is why our government system has its formalities of checks and balances. Even if the new leaders always seem to get as corrupt as the old ones, they can't do whatever things they want, and at least we can replace them every four years. We still have the ability to root out corruption. When politicians are found susceptible of fraudulent activities; to a great degree at least we convicted them. Once in a while we chance upon electing integrity-filled citizens like “Citizen-Vigilante” who work very hard to hold back those dangerous attractions of power,

Nevertheless that is not the norm, and it never will be. That is why we must be always suspicious about conceding more power to elected – or worse, appointed – officials. A good number of people, time and again think governments need more power to deal with certain problems, but they also should think about what harms those wielding political might be able to create.

Definitely we should ask ourselves, who watches the watchmen, and all of that. Man is not inherently good as most of us presume, and as power will always corrupt.

As a result let us always keep that in mind when we have a discussion about today's corrupt politicians and what to do about them.