A private legal practitioner Clara Kasser-Tee, wants a review of the country’s legal and constitutional framework to strengthen public accountability.
The call comes on the back of the several cases of corruption reported in the public sector.
[contextly_sidebar id=”sBwLWwu2AUrOvohbfcY4HGBSEyn2zgND”] Speaking as a panellist at an anti-corruption forum in Accra, the lawyer explained that the review of the 1992 constitution will empower the ordinary Ghanaian to properly hold public institutions accountable for their actions.
“Sovereignty resides in the people. All public institutions must exercise their powers for the welfare of the people. That is what the constitution says but if you go into practice, we are a really a powerless and helpless people. If public institutions don’t serve the public well, politicians should be able to do something about it because of how we have fashioned our laws.”
“Now, it is about time we take another look of the 1992 constitution. It has served us well, it is what has made us who we are but that legal framework needs to be revisited. This is because when it comes to real accountability, power and capability of citizens to hold public officers accountable –that’s not there. So, I think we need to rework the accountability bit because our democracy has to go with accountability “, she added.
2018 special Auditor General’s report
The latest special audit report by the Auditor General revealed major infractions undertaken by some of the state institutions in the country.
In the report, the Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) has been queried over an amount of GH¢192,000 it reportedly expended on honorarium, courtesies and protocols, special and sitting allowances.
Whilst, the University of Ghana’s high indebtedness has been attributed to unauthorized borrowing and weak financial systems, the National Communications Authority (NCA) paid GH¢12,931,594.73 for consultancy services in 2016 without following proper procurement procedures.
Lost corruption fight?
Stakeholders have constantly called for collective action and sustained coordination of efforts, as well as the judicious application of resources to combat corruption.
The absence of a benchmark to assess the performance of stakeholders, especially the government, in the fight against corruption is also lacking,
Although Ghana has made strides with its corruption index in recent times, it seems much has not been done to prevent, sensitize the citizenry and even enforce the appropriate laws for the fight against corruption.
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