NDC is being overly defensive on Yankah's corruption comments
Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper says government communicators are being "overly defensive" in their reaction to issues raised at the Institute of Economic Affairs' Corruption conference.
According to Kweku Baako, there was no need to attack speakers at the conference, especially President of the Central University College (CUC) Prof Kwasi Yankah for the comments they made.
The communicators and sympatisers of the NDC are unhappy with Prof. Yankah for his no-holes-barred comments which criticised the commitment of this government and others before it in the fight against corruption.
Yankah questioned the enthusiasm of the Presidential Advisor on Corruption Daniel Batidam in the fight against corruption.
He said Batidam, NPP's Yaw Buabeng Asamoah and other anti-corruption campaigners lose their zeal to fight corruption once they are appointed into government.
Discussing the matter, Mr Baako was surprised at the attacks being hurled at Prof Yankah. He said “it was unfortunate that it is Prof Yankah’s presentation that has taken the front burner because what the other speakers said were critical”.
He said he does not see anything wrong with what the professor said especially when he was addressing the issue from a holistic manner.
“I do not see why anybody should be worried about Prof Yankah. He did not focus only on one government, “ he said adding “he attempted a certain scrutiny of governments in general”.
That in his view is “unavoidable” if one is commenting on issues concerning corruption and governments commitment towards its fight.
He said Yankah could not have discussed corruption issues without making reference to the government in power.
Mr Baako believes that instead of attacking Prof Yankah, the issues he raised should rather be scrutinised and interrogated.
He said the mention of Daniel Batidam and the other issues he raised about the fact that corruption reports are left on shelves to gather dust are predictable but “the truth of the matter is that we must ask if the points he made lacks merit or not”.
“The specifics must be interrogated and where we can prove that he [Prof Yankah] was wrong we must be bold enough to say that he is [wrong]”, he added.
According to him, issues concerning corruption should not be covered up but rather be discussed publicly.
Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Naa Sakwaba Akwa | faustine.akwa@myjoyonline.com