The Coalition for Democratic Accountability and Inclusive Governance, a newly established non-partisan Coalition has placed before government some demands in its fight against public corruption in the country.
Among the demands by the Coalition area call on the Auditor General to issue surcharges on officers cited for various irregularities and direct public officers who had defaulted to declare their assets under Article 286 (1) of the Constitution and the Public Office Holder Act 1998 (Act 550).
Others include the passage of the Conduct of Public Officers Bill, adequate resourcing of the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) to enhance its independent operations, public inquiry into government policy in returning lands to previous owners, suspension of all steps of implementing the Agyapa Royalties Agreement for a thorough public scrutiny, conduct of a forensic audit of the COVID-19 Fund and the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.
These demands were made at a press conference by the Coalition in Accra yesterday.
Speaking on the demands, a leader of the Coalition, Mrs Nana AsantewaaAfadzenu, explained that the failure by successive governments to put in place proper measures had contributed to the current economic problems faced by the country.
According to her, unregulated party campaign financing, luxurious lifestyle by political actors and the control by the media by successive governments were many of the few contributors to the current state of the country’s socio-economic situation.
While admitting the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia- Ukraine war globally, Mrs Afadzenu said that was not an excuse for the government in addressing the current socio-economic situation of the country.
“Admittedly, our economic challenges have clearly been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia/Ukraine war. But the problems go much deeper than these two factors. The underlining causes of these problems relate in the way in which over the last three decades, successive governments and bureaucracy have run the country and managed the economy, without any coherent planning,” Mrs Afadzenu said.
She further indicated that the fight against corruption was a collective responsibility, and therefore called on all individuals and stakeholders, especially, the media to join the fight against public corruption and demand accountability from government.
The Coalition is made up of 34 different Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and 10 individuals which harnesses democratic process of mass education and mobilisation to stem dangerous trend and assure democratic renewal, economic and social justice.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
