An International consultant and Activist for Social and Political Transformation(SJC), Dr. Nicholas Atampugre has urged Government to as a matter of urgency institute a National Integrity Award Scheme to help fight corruption in the country.
Whilst acknowledging the government’s efforts of instituting measures including the Court systems , National Anti-Corruption Plan(NACAP), the proposed Special Prosecutor among others to deal with the menace, Dr. Atampugre explained that, there was the need to reward public servants who demonstrated beyond all doubts that they were not corrupt in public office.
“Of course many of you might say such individuals are yet to be born. But you will never know what is in the water until you throw in a bait.
I know of some public servants who have retired to their villages penniless with nothing to show for decades of impeccable service with integrity. There are many who have become laughing stocks. it is difficult these days to convince the youth that you can become successful and a secured livelihood without being corrupt”, he stressed.
Dr. Atampugre made the call at a program organized by the Social Justice CLUB(SJC) in Bolgatanga, when he delivered a lecture on the topic” “the Significance of this Ghana’s Republic Day and Thereafter.”
He stated that corruption is both an individual and collective canker and attributed the phenomenon to greed, stating that a well packaged National Award Scheme for Integrity would significantly contribute to the reduction of corruption in Ghana.
Dr. Atampugre explained state capture goes beyond corruption referring to it as, “large-scale looting of state resources which involved individuals with international collaborators in very sophisticated manner to create a continuous source of self-enrichment and funding for powerful political elites and their patronage networks”
He stated that in such instances political institutions and government agencies become so compromised that they are directly manipulated by a small group of people to loot in a large scale.
He admitted that although Ghana as a country had not gotten to that stage yet, there was the fear that it would reach such stage if only punitive measures alone are used to deter corrupt practices.
Mr. Yen Nyeya, a member of the SJC who chaired the function explained that among the aims of the movement is to bring people together to engage with both the political and economic processes in Ghana in order to help transform the country.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)