A constitutional lawyer, Professor Henry Kwasi Prempeh has described politics in Ghana as a low risk, high reward project.
This, he said is due to the high tolerance of citizens for corruption.
He observed that democracy is rapidly creating the biggest opportunity for corruption in the nation.
“Politics in Ghana has become low risk, high reward project. It beats many, many investment; it has a very quick pay back period; you only need to get into office for a few months and many of your immediate material needs and concerns will be solved while the people’s business remain unsolved,” he said.
[contextly_sidebar id=”SbStjLAkAicpxDbwj0NBZojQUtGzqYyz”]He made these remarks at a forum organized by pressure group, OccupyGhana aimed at demanding accountability from government and also to help fight corruption in the country.
The nation has been grappling with a number of high profile cases of corruption in recent years; a situation many concerned citizens have described as worrying.
The law Professor complained that despite the upsurge in religiosity in the nation, Ghanaians “show little social disapproval when persons in authority and of influence come by sudden unexplained wealth.”
According to him, every Ghanaian has contributed to the creation of a moral atmosphere which is conducive for corruption to thrive.
“We have become collectively and morally culpable in what it is that has become a scourge in our land,” he added.
Professor Prempeh pointed out that instead of Ghanaians to stigmatize the corrupt, they have rather lowered the moral bar “and in some cases, turned it upside by actually mocking those who forsake corruption and thus do not appear to be making it.”
He asked, “how can we take our Sunday church and our Friday Mosque, our Hajj pilgrimages and our all night services so seriously and yet be so engulfed in corruption?”
Professor Prempeh criticized the general public for questioning the sanity or intelligence of people in well placed positions who appear not to have taken advantage of their position to enrich themselves.
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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