‘Corruption is not just typical to Ghana, I believe it’s all over the world’ – Former NPP Chairman
Freddie Blay, a former National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), has recognized the harmful impact of corruption on the economy.
He did, however, state that it is a worldwide phenomena and that Ghana is not an exception.
“I did say that corruption is a canker, it eats. Corruption is so pervasive and so harmful to our economy. About the third of whatever our GDP is, is lost to corruption. People could lose confidence in their own economy, that the only way to go about it is to find a very bad way of circumventing system, avoiding to pay taxes and so forth. It is not good. It distorts the economy. Corruption is not just typical to Ghana, I believe it’s all over the world and moreso, we the developing countries,” he said on Hot Issues with Keminni Amanor on January 14.
Mr. Blay was replying to a comment made by previous Electoral Commission Chairman Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan.
Dr. Afari-Gyan stated during a Constitution Day governmental Lecture hosted by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA) Law School and the One Ghana Movement that governmental institutions responsible with fighting corruption are not doing enough.
“Over the years, we have become poorer as a nation and as a people, mainly due to pervasive corruption, particularly in the public sector. Unfortunately, some of our key public institutions are becoming institutions of dubious integrity. Increasingly, candidates who lose elections are alleging manipulations and refusing to accept the results,” Dr Afari-Gyan said.
As a result, he advocated for legislation to address the problem.
Mr. Freddie Blay, on the other hand, stated that, while corruption must be reduced, Ghana cannot be considered poorer because of corruption.
“That’s what Afari-Gyan has said. Corruption is a canker that we must all fight, but I disagree with him that we have become poorer. This country has not gone poorer. We are not rich, we are inching towards a middle income country among the comity of nations. So, in the first place he is wrong that this country has become poorer. We are not rich like the Singaporeans, we are not rich like the South Koreans or some other countries that you can mention, but we are definitely not poorer,” he stressed.
The current Chairman of the Board of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) praised the Akufo-Addo administration’s efforts to combat corruption.
He stated that, while Ghana, like many other nations, suffers from the impacts of corruption, the present administration has been effective in employing measures to combat the disease.
“The government of Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, so far as I am concerned, has put in more efforts under the third and fourth republic, to fight corruption than any other government that I can think of. I am being sincere. How do you fight corruption? It’s not vowing to be a saint as an individual and therefore let people follow your examples. It is important for you as an individual, to set a good example, but the kind of institutions you put in place, the kind of policies you put in place. The policies, with emphasis, will fight corruption for you. Digitalization is one of them. The police have been empowered, the Judiciary has been empowered to the extent that they give them everything that they need,” he explained.