Rewards For Awards

Optics influence impressions about institutions and even personalities when they are applied sincerely.

Even Führer Adolf Hitler, dictator of the Third Reich in Germany, wanted positive optics for his war efforts hence his bestowal of Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda position upon Dr. Joseph Goebbels to couple the operations on the fronts during WWII. Misinformation and disinformation were fair strategies under Hitler and Dr. Goebbels.

Government ministers and appointees working under a propaganda-driven ambience need positive optics badly to project themselves, especially when the impressions about them are not enthralling, the initial goodwill having dissipated so fast.

News about some government appointees being bestowed with labels such as 'Best Performing' and 'Overall Best Performing' ministers did not make attractive headlines as the revelation that they were paid for by the recipients. This is not what the recipients and the shadowy organisers opted for.

The revelation about the 'awards for sale' was made by a man who heads the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), an entity which ensures the prevalence of good and ethical practices in state enterprises.

Prof. Kpessa-Whyte, from whom the revelation originated, could not have neither spilled the beans mischievously nor ignorantly. That is why the immorality of the action by the appointees demands auditing.

It is embarrassing that ministers of state and CEOs would descend to this level of integrity blemish by succumbing to such cheap image-cleansing ventures, funds from which kitty must be determined.

The now dormant Special Prosecutor will hardly consider it worthy of his action, as he would have in previous times. Perhaps he has decided not to see corruption in the enterprise.

Some of the beneficiaries of the image-brightening venture might argue that they paid from their pockets. Therein lies the need for a probe.

Why would a government appointee pay for recognition on the public space under the aegis of a private and shadowy organisation? Desperation is the answer.

Those who perform admirably do not need to pay to be highlighted. High quality beads are noiseless, an Akan adage states.

We have observed with disdain those whose performance are visibly below average being recognised because, after all, they paid for such exaltation. Even those who have failed to save lives and property from floods are being recognised for excellent performance and others under whose tenure illegal mining has assumed unenviable notoriety. This country, hmm!!

Here is to salute Prof. Kpessa-Whyte for letting out the truth behind the charade, but for which we would have lived with the dust thrown into our eyes.

The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, once upon a time under this second term of President John Mahama launched a beautifully-couched Code of Ethics, the objective of which is to ensure adherence to best practices by government appointees.

Many doubted the ability of the flowery compositions contained in the code to achieve this goal; time has proven them right. Ethical codes mean nothing if they are unable to sanction those who breach the contents.

Here we are witnessing a flagrant violation of the code by appointees, and all we see as a reaction is a lame 'don't patronise private awards in future', that is all.

Such a rare opportunity for the President to deal with wayward appointees is lost. The correspondence from the President's Secretary, Callistus Mahama and not Julius Debrah, the Chief of Staff, containing the STOP directive closes the chapter. Maybe appointees can sponsor government-organised awards activities.

This is an interesting regime under which absurdities occur so rampantly we are unable to keep track of them.

As for Prof. Kpessa-Whyte, he has robbed the recipients of the awards the glory they sought to derive. Instead, they have been smeared with integrity scum regrettably.