Ignominious Ranking

The confusion over the ownership of the $20 million unfurling mansion said to belong to the ruling NDC, against the backdrop of Ghana�s ignominious new ranking on the corruption table, almost simultaneously strikes a chord. The release of the ranking, which has expectedly attracted remarks from the ruling party�s human hounds, presents adequate food for thought for those who care about the regression of the previous order. We are not surprised at the rubbishing of the findings but worried about the state of denial in which the government is in. In this state of denial, corruption will persist in as long as the NDC remains in power since they do not agree it exists, let alone taking it on headlong. It is only when there is admission of the existence of an anomaly that a solution can be sought. Many, when they heard about the ranking and the subsequent response from the government propaganda machine, as sadly represented by the Information Ministry, easily recalled the campaign time treatment of corruption by President Mills. The Transparency International Corruption Perception Index Report, according to Okudzeto Ablakwa, has broken the heart of his boss- the President- having done all that he can to fight the aberration, ostensibly anyway. He points at a certain exemplary performance by President Mills which, by inference, should have placed the country in a better ranking he posited. The deputy minister sounded funny when he tried futilely to whitewash the tenure of his boss which is riddled with sufficient corruption shortcomings to push the country to the level posted by Transparency International. President Mills has failed to make good his pledge to act swiftly when his appointees are caught in any web of corruption as he promised to do when he was seeking the mandate of Ghanaians to be president. Even before he mastered the ropes of the presidency, one of his ministers was entangled in a sleazy corruption case, yet Muntaka Mubaraka had the president supporting him with the infamous remark of �was he the first minister to travel outside the country with his girlfriend?� A Mills appointee allegedly implicated in a case of impropriety and compelled to leave office has been placated with the headship of a petroleum-related company on the authority of the President. Institutions established statutorily to fight graft have been denied adequate resources to perform their roles. President Mills�s visit to the Tema Port, where he complained about Customs officers who were able to build houses within three years of being employed in the revenue collection agency, falls flat in the face of the wealth his appointees have amassed in less than four years of being in office. The commitment of government to fight corruption, to be necessarily blunt, is non-existent, evidence of which lies in the massive instances of malfeasance by political appointees. DCEs and others in their categories demand percentages from contractors before signing their contract certificates to enable them to draw what is due them from government kitty. The Right To Information Bill is still in the legislative process even as the STX one passed with relatively little sweat. And discredited propagandists want us to believe in government commitment to fight graft. We are light years away from witnessing sincerity on the part of government to fight the cankerworm. Who is doubting our ranking on the corruption perception chart?