Be careful how you open your mouth - Batidam warns critics

To critics who say he has grown cold on the fight against corruption since joining Government, the anti-corruption advisor to President Mahama has warned against loose talk.

Daniel Batidam told Joy News that he had remained consistent in his fight against corruption within and outside Government.

He was reacting to comments by academician and president of Central University College Prof. Kwesi Yankah who has publicly expressed his disappointment in Batidam’s “lame” posture in tackling corruption.

Batidam who has extensive background in the work of civil societies says corruption could be more pervasive in CSOs and in academia than in government if closer attention was paid to these organizations.

“People should be careful when they open their mouths” he emphasized.

Batidam was appointed in 2014 as anti-corruption advisor to the President. He had earlier been Executive Director of the African Parliamentarians' Network Against Corruption (APNAC).

However Batidam believes his anti-corruption chorus has not changed its tune. For him, he has always said in the past that corruption can be dealt with by putting in place systems, not by attacking personalities.

This is how he has also been advising the President.

He is proud of the opportunity given him through his appointment to the presidency, which brings him closer to realizing his dream of an effective system of fighting corruption.

The National Anti-corruption Action Plan is one such policy which can help fight corruption if it is taken seriously, he argued.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline|Edwin Appiah|[email protected]