In one of his boldest step yet towards addressing the worrying level of corruption in the country, President Akufo-Addo has signed into law the Special Prosecutor’s Office.
It has been a long and tortuous journey to this stage; the segments of the trip fraught with deliberate challenges created by those who see the law as a witch-hunting mechanism targeted at them, not so anyway.
Not doing anything about reversing the current disturbing tag hanging around the nation’s neck like an albatross cannot be an option.
When the then Candidate Akufo-Addo hinted his intention to set up the Special Prosecutor’s Office to deal with the endemic challenge of corruption, some cynics described it as hot air – a political talk, which for them, would not see the light of day.
Today, after a lot of efforts, it has come to pass – another feather in the President’s cap. It is not normal for many politicians in our hemisphere to make good their promises – the pledges often ignored no sooner than the mantle of leadership is attained.
A university don has described the President as a man who abides by his promises. And what better attribute of a gentleman.
The corruption label must be quickly removed so that we can join the comity of civilized nations where corruption is highly despised and therefore aberration.
It would appear that in Ghana, as in other African countries, where corruption is endemic those who abuse their public offices to amass wealth for themselves and their families are not chastised let alone jailed for being financially irresponsible.
It is shameful that the country has lost so much money to the thieving attitude of government appointees and public servants yet many a regime have not been able to take any drastic action towards reversing the regrettable trend in our body politics. Amassing wealth overnight and nefariously has become a norm in local politics and public service.
It is ironic that while those who snatch handbags or even go on nightly armed robbery missions are despised and even lynched in some instances, politicians and public servants who steal from state coffers are regarded as prosperous.
Let us all join hands in ensuring the success of the newly established office and the law it is charged to apply. We cannot afford to allow the Office to fail because it represents a giant step in our efforts as a people to restore financial sanity and sincerity in the manner we manage the offices entrusted into our hands.
For those who find themselves in the fold of government today let them appreciate the transience of such offices and therefore perform their roles with sincerity and bereft of graft. Such persons should appreciate the fact that they would one day be summoned to give account of the offices they held.
Whoever is bestowed the task of running the new Office and his or her staff should live up to the expectations of their compatriots especially the President who has his heart in the project.