Sandema (U/E), July 26, GNA - The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) on Tuesday called on the government to institute a strong code of conduct for civil/public servants, political appointees especially those in positions to hire, fire and influence resource allocation. "Such a code of conduct, when systematically and vigorously enforced would help reduce the rate of corruption in the system," Mrs Linda Ofori-Kwafo, Acting Executive Secretary of GII, said. She made the call during a workshop on democracy and good governance organised for Builsa Assembly members and civil/public servants at Sandema.

She appealed to Parliament to, as a matter of priority, pass the Whistle Blower Bill and the Freedom of Information Bill to encourage exposure of wrong doing in the workplace and foster transparency in governance and public administration.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo said various studies carried out by the GII last year showed that corruption was endemic in the Ghanaian society and called for stiffer punishment such as longer prison terms for perpetrators of corruption and a reward system for those who exhibit high standards of performance and commitment to duty. "Civic education should be increased to educate and sensitise Ghanaians on the harmful effects of corruption. We must learn to be loyal to the state rather than to friends, relatives and members of our ethnic groups."

This calls for a change of attitude and a system of democratic practice where all citizens are equal before the law and where meritocracy rules over and above all other considerations," she said.

Mrs Ofori-Kwafo said it was very important that Ghanaians join hands to combat corruption as it could undermine human rights, democracy and good governance.

The GII is the local chapter of Transparency International (TI) and is a non-partisan, non-profit civil empowerment organisation, focused on the delivery of essential themes necessary for the creation of a national integrity system.

Its vision is to make Ghana a corruption-free country in all spheres of human endeavour where people and institutions act with integrity, accountability and transparency.

It aims at creating awareness about the negative effects of corruption, to empower citizens to demand what is right. To achieve this, the GII has since 2004 been organising workshops to educate assembly members and the general public.