Public servants asked to imbibe principles of integrity to fight corruption

Wa, May 27, GNA - The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has asked public office holders and institutions to imbibe the values and principles of integrity, accountability, independence, transparency and commitment to make Ghana a corruption free country.

'All public duty bearers and private sector should imbibe… the qualities and values of integrity, accountability and transparency.

'Our institutions must also act accountably, transparently and with integrity to fight corruption at work places and promote integrity and good governance by forging strong, trust and effective partnerships', the GII advocated.

Madam Mary Awelana Addah, Programmes Manager of GII, said promoting accountability meant that duty bearers must first of all let the citizenry know what they were doing at their work places to ensure transparency.

She said it was pathetic and ridiculous that in Ghana persons who showed some characteristics of integrity were rather victimised at work places while the corrupted ones were glorified as 'smartest and heroes'.

'If we fail to show values and principles of integrity, transparency and accountability now, we will have no moral rights to demand such qualities from the children we are bringing up,' she said.

Madam Addah was addressing members of Social Auditing Clubs and Officials of the National Commission for Civic Education at a day's capacity building workshop in Wa.

The GII, a local chapter of Transparency International (IT) in collaboration with Wa Municipal Office of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) organised the workshop to provide members with the necessary technical support to enable them to track project implementation and service delivery in their communities.

Members of the clubs were also reintroduced to new leadership roles at the local level to help strengthen their capacities to achieve the objectives of the project, which is effectively engaging with governance institutions at the local level and to hold duty bearers accountable in the implementation of their mandates.

Madam Addah noted that corruption in Ghana was fuelled by business persons at the informal sector who she described as suppliers and promoters of corruption to the formal sector.

'The informal business persons are willing to pay to the formal sector officials to motivate them have their work done quickly and faster.

'If we don't stop now, we will have no moral rights to demand such qualities from the children we are bringing up to take over the reign of the country tomorrow,' she said.

The GII Programmes Manager, noted that the over politicisation of issues of corruption was a bane to fighting the canker.

She explained that because of political expediency some people consider the pursuance of corrupt persons as 'witch hunting'.

Madam Addah said the establishment of civic education clubs in schools was the best way to inculcate the principles and values of integrity, accountability, independence transparency and commitment in them.

She said the revamping of Social Auditing Clubs in the metropolitan, municipal and districts was necessary to empower citizens to demand accountability and report corruption.

GNA

By Bajin D. Pobia, GNA