Africa-Press – Ghana. A senior political science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has asserted that leadership in Ghana only engages in rhetoric but less action, describing it as a “nation of talkers.”
He further described Ghana as a ‘no action, talk only’ (NATO) nation.
The political science lecturer’s comments come on the back of senior presidential advisor Yaw Osafo-Maafo’s remarks about Ghana’s asset declaration regime, indicating that the current law is not transparent.
Speaking on The Key Points on Saturday, Prof. Gyampo criticised the political class for their lack of interest in addressing pertinent issues in fighting corruption.
He noted that as far back as 1992, the various political leaderships had identified the “weaknesses in our asset declaration regime.”
“All eminent statesmen and women, politicians in power, politicians out of power, have spoken against the current [asset declaration] regime that we have because it does not help in the fight against corruption.
“I do not think that we will strengthen it,” he added, arguing that, “In strengthening it, it would help fight against corruption but politicians do not want any fight against their corrupt practices.”
Furthermore, Prof. Gyampo bemoaned the lack of political will to fully implement the various laws in our statute books.
He said the politicians in Ghana have a penchant for borrowing laws from other countries just to render them toothless.
“We borrow things from developed countries and introduce them among our fold just to defeather them or render them toothless, that is who we are. We will easily go and copy something and then when it comes to implementing it, we would defeather or render it toothless,” he emphasised.
Prof. Gyampo stressed that the idea of the traditional council of elders to check chiefs that birthed the current Council of State in the governance architecture has not lived up to expectations.
“In traditional times, the chief had no hand in selecting members of his council of elders and the failure of a chief to go by the advice of the council of elders led to his destoolment or removal.
“We borrowed the idea of the Council of Elders and changed it into the Council of State, the president is directly or indirectly appointing his Council of State members. The advice of the council of state is not binding on the president,” he explained.
In addition, Prof. Gyampo noted that the asset declaration law, which was borrowed from “history and best practices” from other countries, has been rendered toothless.
He therefore called on Mr. Osafo-Maafo to act towards ensuring the loopholes in the law are addressed rather than rehashing the weaknesses.
Corruption in Ghana involves the public sector and private people alike.
For this reason, since the 1970s, Ghana has adopted a declaration of assets and liabilities by public office holders as the “more potent tool, among other strategies, in fighting corruption in the public sector.”
Moreover, two main laws have regulated asset declaration: Article 286(1) of the 1992 Constitution and the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998 (Act 550).
Act 550 provides the framework and guidelines for asset declaration in Ghana as a tool to “combat corruption among public office holders.”
The asset declaration process involves the public official declaring his or her assets, income, and liabilities on assumption of office.
The process is repeated every four years and also upon ending the term of office.
Source: 3News
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