The Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Suleman Braimah has called on parliamentarians to refrain from taking money from event organizers before showing up for programmes.
[contextly_sidebar id=”TO8gkaewNCGynuX29cHNbl5CRAOmZWyu”]According to him, most of the Parliamentarians demand money for transportation from event organisers before honouring their invitation, an act he describes as inappropriate.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Suleman Braimah condemned the act, saying “If you are an MP I don’t think that I should be told to pay something. I think it is absolutely wrong.”
He believes that if individuals in the society perceive ‘soli'[a term used to describe monies that are given to journalists after covering events, ostensibly to cater for their transportation] in journalism to be corruptible, “then an MP getting something for being invited is also corruptible”
Corruption prevalent within arms of gov’t – Lawyer
Meanwhile a private legal practitioner, Anthony Akoto Ampaw has bemoaned the level of corruption in the country especially within the arms of government.
According to him, “a major crisis of our constitutional, political architecture has to do with the excessive dominance of the appointing powers of the executive,almost dictatorial”
This, he believes affects Ghanaians from all walks of life.
Mr. Ampaw who was speaking at a STAR-Ghana end of programme convention in Accra today argued that the appointing powers of the executive arm of government gives the president too much power, making it an almost dictatorial government.
He therefore suggested that the president should be stripped of some of his powers whilst parliament is allowed to play its watch dog role as stipulated in the constitution.
He argued that this social ill can be curbed if Civil Society Organisations lead the anti-corruption crusade.
“There is a deep seated and pervasive culture of corruption and impunity in our society today. I believe civil society organisations can play an important role in contributing to the development of a social movement to protest against and bring an end to this two debilitating crisis.”
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah