Yaw Acheampong Boafo, GBA President
THE GHANA Bar Association (GBA) has lamented the seeming lack of commitment and efforts by government in the fight against corruption as well as other social vices that plague the nation, and called on President Akufo-Addo to step up efforts in stemming them.
At a press conference addressed by its President, Yaw Acheampong Boafo, in Accra yesterday following its annual General Conference held in Cape Coast last month, the GBA bemoaned how corruption and other vices like illegal mining, popularly known as ‘galamsey’ has marred the country’s reputation on the global stage and their consequences on the socioeconomic development of the nation.
“We cannot be proud and satisfied with how Ghana has recently ranked on the Transparency International Corruption Index and the Index of Public Integrity. We cannot continue like this. Things must change,” Mr. Boafo asserted.
The Association therefore, called for the swift passage of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill, which they believe would ensure and instill “a culture of accountability and integrity” amongst public officers, saying: “Enough of the lip service!”
In drumming home their message, the GBA went on to remind President Akufo-Addo of his public undertaking in December 2016 following his election in which he is quoted to have said that: “If your goal in coming into government is to enrich yourself, then don’t come. Go to the private sector. Public service is going to be exactly that – public service.”
This undertaking, the GBA intimated, gave hope to Ghanaians of the emergence of a new dawn of politics.
“However, it is our respectful view that the several reported corruption-related incidents involving some of the appointees and also amongst some public officers under the current administration and the largely lethargic manner with which they are dealt with and even defended and protected, leaves much to be desired.
“It must be stressed that as president, the painful truth is that, the buck stops with him. It is enough to say that it will be a sad period for our democratic governance if such a public undertaking that gave millions of Ghanaians hope ends up as a usual campaign rhetoric by a politician,” stated Mr. Boafo.
On galamsey, the GBA underscored that despite the efforts and assurances of the government to deal with the menace, there appears to be a general consensus that the government has not done much to effectively and roundly deal with it.
“The GBA holds the view that a lot more can still be done to effectively deal with the menace that poses a severe threat to our survival, especially in this period of climate change concerns. We call on government, political leadership and key stakeholders to show more political will and integrity in decisively dealing with the galamsey menace.
“This can be done if the ‘real powers’ behind the galamsey menace are identified and dealt with in accordance with the law,” the GBA President stressed.
BY Nii Adjei Mensahfio