Are Ghanaian Leaders Desirous of Fighting Corruption in Ghana?

Abuse of power, bribery, extortion and availing yourself of things you normally do not have right to are corruption. Corruption is the bane of the socio-politico-economic emancipation of Ghana in particular, and Africa in general. Until we fight to uproot the cancerous corruption in orchestration by our Ghanaian leaders, politicians, Civil Service heads and all those in whose hands we entrust our welfare, Ghana will continually suffer a poverty circle with criminals conspicuously conducting their trade with impunity to dent Ghana's image in the eyes of her international partners.

It is a well noted culture among Ghanaians, especially the peasant farmers, to offer the best of their farm produce, plantain, cocoyam, yams, cassava, chicken, sheep, goat, etc., as gift to important persons, or to those that have helped them in a way or the other while they eat the inferior or rotten ones themselves. I may not be in a position to fault them on this attitude of theirs since it may have its roots in the bible. Genesis 4:3-7 – "Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering, 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favour. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”

It is understood that while Abel slaughtered the fattest and best of his sheep to sacrifice to God, Cain brought the rotten fruits or farm produce to offer to God as burnt offering. God rejected Cain's rotten farm produce. Therefore, it is just right that the best of things are offered as gifts to others.

However, with Ghana noted to be stagnating, if not retrogressing, because of the love of corruption by our leaders, any serious-minded leader or person seeking to declare war on corruption to help put Ghana on a sound economic footing or pedestal will count greatly on the support, participation and dedication of honest persons. Am I right?

Why then are the best and honest ones among our teeming corrupt judges transferred outside the country to help other sister African countries? Is there any logic in it? Or, is it because our leaders whose stench of corruption reaches to the higher firmaments, cannot stand honest, professional and God-fearing judges who determine cases brought before them on the merit of the credibility, permissibility and acceptability of the evidence and facts but not on any financial inducements, pleadings and promises hence sending them far away?

I am presently withholding the name or names of certain judges who had vowed to base their judgments on nothing but the absolute truth, and as a result have been transferred outside the country or to other regions far away from their courts to only be replaced by corrupt, dishonest, unprofessional and unethical ones. Are we serious as a nation willing to prosper to guarantee majority of the citizens a better life if we act, sorry to say, in this irresponsible manner? No!

Why can't we have incorruptible judges to help curb the spate of crimes in the country? Should our judges be honest, deciding cases brought before them on the credible evidence made available to them but not on any stupid reasons, crime will be abated to spur foreign investments into the country to create jobs for the teeming jobless Ghanaians. From the way justice is delivered in the country, selling justice to the highest bidder or deciding cases in favour of the most influential, educated and elevated traditional overlords, foreign investors will think several times over before bringing their money to invest in Ghana. Are we helping ourselves and the nation by this abysmally corrupt and uncivilized attitude of ours?

Honest judges should stay in the country to help administer justice fairly to ultimately reduce, if not eliminate, the corrupt practices that are detrimental to the development of the people and the nation.

I disagree with whichever body or President that authorises the transfer of good judges to other regions or outside the country to prevent them from fairly determining cases they have before them. They only end up replacing them with dodgy judges. This behaviour is not farsightedness but typical corrupt Ghanaian- mindedness. We had better stop it! It is disgraceful!

With God we are victorious!
Rockson Adofo
Thursday, 2 January 2020