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Corruption: A Norm Or A Curse In Africa, Ghana In Perspective

Feature Article Corruption: A Norm Or A Curse In Africa, Ghana In Perspective
JUN 3, 2017 LISTEN

In too many countries, people are deprived of their most basic needs and go to bed hungry every night because of corruption, while the powerful and corrupt enjoy lavish lifestyles with impunity.” – José Ugaz, Chair of Transparency International.

The elections held across Africa in 2016 provide a good reflection of corruption trends in the region. In countries like Ghana, which is the second worst decliner in the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index in the region, the dissatisfaction of citizens with the government’s corruption record was reflected in their voting at the polls. South Africa, has witnessed the same. Joseph Kabila’s Democratic Republic of Congo and Yahya Jammeh’s Gambia, which both declined, demonstrate how electoral democracy is tremendously challenged in African countries because of corruption ( Paul Banoba).

Corruption is a common term that our ears are attuned to. No topic has gained much currency in recent times than the issue of corruption. Corruption is a curse that afflicts many countries, but in most developing countries like Ghana corruption is now a norm. Everybody is doing it, and it's seen as normal, from the church to government officials. No wonder Judas who was with Jesus Christ was corrupt minded. And in any administration, there is a Judas. Put money in front of an African, and he is betraying, cheating, blackmailing, killing and doing the unthinkable. Selfishness and greed is what triggers the act. corruption is ubiquitous in the Ghanaian society though sometimes hard to substantiate. What is killing the Ghanaian economy is not malaria, neither is it illiteracy nor any form of physical attack but polluted corruption.

Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual, the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country ( Karl Kraus).

People believe that there is corruption in the system and must therefore give out something whether in cash or goat, cattle, and suchlike , even if they are not invited to do so. It has become a lifestyle, a habit, an everyday thing that we do to get favor.

At the transport sector, there are instances where the bus conductor will tell passengers the bus has reached its capacity when only few people in the queue got tickets.

Candidates rather engages the West African Examination Council officials, the examiners, invigilators, among others to accept bribes in order to release papers.

At the health insurance centre, those who are able to pay five or ten Ghana cedis are the ones to be served first, whilst the poor pregnant woman who went at dawn is left to her fate. Our system is structured to support corruption because when people are clustered at a particular place, it means not everybody can be served. So why don't we create sub branches that are easily accessible? Imagine the waiting time before you are being attended to. We continue to wallow in poverty because we don't have value for time.

Another act of corruption in Ghana is National Service personnel "connection". That is pay as we post. And usually those people target high profile areas like Parliament, Cocoabod, Harbor, etc. What it means is that, those who don't pay are the ones sent to impoverished communities. Their slogan is special posting.

The institutions are weak, and our efforts are not enough. At the university, corruption is a language to some lecturers. That is, use what you have to get what you want. In the church, consultation fee is higher than what you can imagine. Meanwhile, there is no fee payment at the heaven gate.

Corruption is like a curse inflicted on us that is difficult to heal. We heard about the issue of corruption since the 80s but the situation keep on worsening. Maybe is in our genes and we therefore need "genetic cleansing". Corruption has affected our water bodies, climate, education and every aspect of human life. It has been the major cause of our underdevelopment, with majority of the population wallowing in abject poverty.

During interviews, the interviewer is only interested in the family you belong to, where you come from, who endorsed your form, and who sent you. It is also a corrupt practice that job qualification requires five years working experience. It just means a cyclical shift of already working class or to create room for pensioners.

The resources are there. It is for us to marshal them in the active service of our people. Unless we do this by our concerted efforts, within the framework of our combined planning, we shall not progress at the tempo demanded by today’s events and the mood of our people. The symptoms of our troubles will grow, and the troubles themselves become chronic (Dr. Kwame Nkrumah). I wish he is alive to see how the resources he envisaged has become a curse, the incessant exploitation of the forest and minerals and the polluted water bodies. There is no reason for Ghanaians to be poor. This is because there are countries that have attained high standard of living without abundant resources. Their development was not a miracle or spontaneous, but as a result of proper planning, dedication and commitment of their leaders. Politicians instead of using the resources to develop the region, rather think of amassing wealth for themselves- oestentatious display of wealth and the grandiose lifestyles.

The funniest of the issue of corruption is the one in which those entrusted to fight the canker are the causative agents themselves. Under what circumstances should a judge collect a goat, cattle or any material thing and fold justice in his arms. I always say the problem we face in society today is not the prostitute on the street, not the illiterate, neither is it the mad man on the street nor witches and wizards, but is because the justifiers themselves are not just. The enforcers and lawmakers have turned out to be corrupt. "Our public institutions like the police and Judiciary are not trustworthy and out of order, bribe them and they will act like a beast to their fellow human being, but alert them on a crime case and they will toot horns to cause the bandits to disappear. Some people are locked behind bars with no offense, but just because a rich man has bribe someone to torment the innocent.

The use of prepaid meters where people pay the same amount of money but get different energy amount depending on the day is the highest form of corruption. The manipulations are too much in the system. There should be equal share irrespective of the day because the value is the same. No wonder on 1st of every month, prepaid offices are always choked.

whenever corruption takes place whether in the form of swindling of funds, misclassification, misappropriation, the flying away of guinea fowls or the disappearance of fertilizers into thin air, means that the taxpayers money has not been used prudently. The poor man makes the rich man richer and the rich man intend make the poor man poorer. Until we get a God sent man to salvage them from their woes, then the poor will continue to be poorer.

The currency to corruption is voting, but if you vote for a corrupt leader because he champions your race or religion, then you are left with no option than to watch being bamboozled. Once you give your integrity to a conman, you almost never get it back. And if you know your party you support is corrupt but willing to defend, then you are part of the problem. We have lost our virtues, by compromising integrity and reputation. we are no longer interested in finding out the truth .

The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything ( Albert Einstein). We can talk as many times as we can, but if our actions don't change, corruption will gradually lead us into war. Corruption is one of the intractable problems facing Ghana today and to circumvent these challenges, the following measures must be taken into consideration.

Auditors should be visiting facilities on regular basis to check compliance and accountability. We should not sit comfortably at our zones for corruption to take place before we set up a committee. There should be stringent enforcement of laws. In Ghana,the impunities and peddling influences are too much. Also, punishment for corrupt officials are not punitive enough. What makes corruption convoluted to deal with is the problem of favoritism and nepotism. Even though he is wrong, but i can not watch them prosecute my brother or sister. There is a need for an independent and effective court of Justice established in Africa to deal with cases of corruption .

Moreover, reformation of the system is very critical. The system reformation, based on learning from the past and observing the current

should confirm to the nature and the people's will in order to accord with our destiny. Changes should be made at the various sectors to ensure objectivity in their day to day operations.

The solution also lies in the individual level of consciousness, that is, a change in mental attitude whilst transparency is key. Let us all come on board to contribute towards the foundation of an informed society.

Thank You.
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