MPs must keep private friendships to themselves

I have for a long time wondered if corruption can ever be managed or controlled, let alone eradicated. In all my adult life and before, politicians of all kinds including the self-imposed ones, military juntas had preached about the need to fight corruption with every might and by any means possible but all whatever has been done has come to not much success to report about. It is said that 'Talk is Cheap' and so we've become accustomed to the regular orchestrated mantra from various politicians in various times, the octave crescendo messaging aimed at reassuring citizens of a new and genuine chapter has begun for cleaning up the system. All this has remained and will remain forever a periodic empty disconcerting and deafening boasts that has achieved nothing.

Now, what at all is corruption
A cursory check of the word corruption in every dictionary of every language will point to similar explanations. It will come up with words like illegal, bad, dishonesty, dishonest dealings, dishonest behaviour. So without getting into the legal, social, political, and technical meaning, corruption in all terms and purposes explains itself in the negative. Bad, wrong, unsavoury, sinful, etc and etc. That being the case, why is corruption so widespread that a system of political chicanery and corruption exists even at the highest level of public office, ie, the parliament and at the seat of governance as has been revealed and still being revealed by some members of parliament.

Sad but the realisation of the existence of a situation which suggest that parliament, for example has been turned into a mini kejetia, kortorkoraba, salaga, malata market where our elected MPs indulge in a brisk horse 🐎 trading of divide and share. Its all about live and let's live within themselves in that parliament where laws requiring us all of good behaviour are made. What a shame!

So, to expand and to understand the point, if government is to employ fifteen thousand Ghanaians to work in the security agencies, and about half the people to be recruited are to be provided by members of parliament via an underhand system known as recruitment protocols. Can this system be said to be honest dealings or dishonest dealings. A system which allows the MP to present their people of choice to be pushed ahead of the rest in society who would be forced to fight it out among the unchosen ones. Is this fair. Is this dishonest or honest dealings. Is this not corruption.

The cutting of deals on the floor and in corridors of the parliament as Afenyo Markins has shamelessly elaborated. Those persons we vote into the bossom of power, the people who are supposed to seek our interest, if all they've become interested in is to cut deals all round, can this not be said to be corruption. Then while they, MPs try to defend their integrity against a wild allegations of money changing hands by one Oliver, in come Joe Wise from nowhere to announce that the Chief of Staff would bring cash to the vetting committee, this apparently to help smooth their work. We Ghanaians would've thought that MPs are paid for all the work they do, including sitting for long hours to vett their colleagues.

Are such direct payments recorded in their parliamentary official books. What are such payments titled, ie, allowances, bonuses, taxable, non-taxable. Were they paid in cheques, electronic payments or cash-in-hand. Are there any available documents that legitimises such money handouts, in parliament, to parliamentarians. The whole atmosphere and attitudes in the corridors of power, especially in our parliament stinks of nepotism and cronyism that is guaranteed to favour paddies, chums, and acquaintances(me, myself and I syndrome). Is this really the democracy pacesetters we are touting ourselves to be. How can some of our parliamentarians be so naive as to discuss and disclose discredited modus operandi as though such activities are normal, legal, and legitimate.

Whenever our politicians are on public platforms for a debate they'll make an announcement explaining their relationship with a person who's matter is the topic for discussion on the day as if that information is what the listening or viewing public wants. Information about who is who's friend sometimes become a mini topic of its own. Two adversaries would sit on TV debate and the first many minutes would be devoted to friends and affiliates. About who attended the same school or university with whom. Who mentored who. Who lectured who. Who meets who at the fufu joint. Who paid for who's tuition fees. Why should anyone sit on a public discussion forum to lament unnecessarily about his or her private affliations with persons who may be part of a specific issue that needs deliberating on.

This attitude in itself demonstrates lack of discipline. That's why a politician would boldly come out to tell us about the deal-cutting arrangements that takes centre stage in parliament as if that is normal thing to do. This behaviour is very rear in UK political scene. The UK political elites are too clever for that. The number of times I've heard a politician in the UK talk about their friendships and affliations on national radio or television can be counted on one hand. In Ghana this is the norm. Cronyism has become so engrossed in our physical, emotional and mental psyche that now even on ministerial vetting panels one will begin their line of questioning by reassuring the nominee that he or she is a good friend, a good mate and a good buddy buddy(oye me chocho mu cho- akan expression).

The application of proper civic attitudes in formal and public settings should be a topic of study in schools

This behaviour is very inappropriate but most of our politicians have become oblivious to such which can equate to, or that resembling sentiments bordering on Cronyism, a cahracter weakness on display all round. In Ghana there was a time when correct attitudinal display was valued. Let me share my own experience of what happened in 1974 at Arakan Barracks middle school. This is how the story goes. Our Form 3 teacher who happened to be the headteacher of the school used the exercise of selecting a class prefect to impart into us the need to desist from any attitudes that will or can promote cronyism leading to favouritism and then to corruption. The school policy was that the Form3 class prefect goes on to become overall school prefect the following year. So it was a big deal. The teacher's method was for the class to form 4 groups of five students in a group.

The a group leader will be selected and the whole group will quietly name who they think should be made the class prefect. So when all was done and ready, they will come out with their choice of classmate who they believe is of good standing to become the prefect for this year and next year. Luckily mansa musa was chosen by one group. The teacher then asked we the nominees to stand in front of the blackboard. He then asked the leader of each group to explain in short words why their nominee should be the prefect. As fate will have it was my buddy buddy, Danso, who was called to answer why he thought mamsa musa should be the class prefect. I thought he, Danso was going to profess on my prowess in english grammar, instead he blurted out "please sir, I've chosen mansa musa because he is my friend." There and there, it was my fait acompli. My fait was sealed.

The teacher took out a big white chalk and with it, cancelled out mansa musa. That clever teacher used that occasion, that incident to teach us about cronyism, nepotism and favouritism. It was the first time some of us did hear those words. The teacher taught us the correct and proper civic attitude he hoped should carry us along to the next stage. Watch the American senators gather to vett or probe a colleague or any public office holder, the atmosphere is very official, very formal and very businesslike. No heavy, vigorous handshakes or close quarter embraces. There will be no mention of friendships or affliations unless its relevance is required or solicitated within a context of the ongoing discussions.

They may go to a bar afterwards for a drink or to a nearby cafeteria for a bite together, if they have friendships amongst themselves. In Ghana when MPs and office holders sit to hold other stakeholders accountable, the atmosphere is all about friendships. So in the end, the resulting outcomes in reality turn to manifest in an unwitten non-binding episode where nobody is expected to regard those expensive public enquiries or probes with the slightest seriousness it deserves. And this is mostly due to this tradition or culture of 'menimnu fri tete', 'obiyonko obiyonko,' 'buddy buddy' hand go hand come, grease my elbow I grease your elbow practices. Until we change those loose attitudes/behaviours to a serious and a more profound formal disposition during official public engagements, the anticipated outcomes needed to help repair and restore the equilibrium of the porous state structures which will then mend society's wounds will forever elude us. Corruption have space to grow much much stronger leading to the destruction of our socio-economic and political order.

For a real cleanup to happen, a certain caliber of leaderships is needed to stand up, to stand out and be upfront against this social ailment that is corruption. Mahama's government, from the top to bottom must exhibit a strong willingness, a robust desire to engage in the fight against corruption.To succeed in this fight, the government will have to start by abolishing all forms of undocumented freebies offered to office holders, either in kind or in cash. A strict adherence to probity, accountability and transparency in public office should be the binding parameters by which office holders should be made to operate.

If every employment or recruitment activity is published for every citizen to apply for. If parliamentarians are made to publish their wealth with the appropriate public authorities. If all suspicious and or alleged suspected corruption issues attributed to office holders are dealt with properly and in a transparent manner, followed by appropriate consequence being brought to bear upon culprits, then the cure for addressing issues of corruption would have been found. Until that cure is found, our broken and dysfunctional society will exist for eternity.

I end. Mansa Musa is a writer, a presenter, a broadcasting guru at Voice of London Radio and volunteer adviser from afar.