Regional News of Thursday, 28 September 2006

Source: GNA

Ghanaians urged to expose persons with questionable character

Busua (W/R), Sept. 28, GNA - Mr Kwesi Biney, Ahanta West District Chief Executive, has said Ghanaians should be bold to expose people with questionable behaviours for the law to deal with them. He said even though Ghanaians demand accountability from politicians; they are unable to question the behaviour of citizens who lead flamboyant lifestyles that are clearly beyond their means. Mr Biney said these at the opening of a day's training-of-trainers workshop for community leaders drawn from the Western, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra and Volta regions at Busua in the Ahanta West District on Thursday.

It was organised by the National African Peer Review Mechanism Governing Council (NAPRM-GC).

Individual Ghanaians, he said must review themselves while the attitudes of their neighbours must also be scrutinised. "If the alleged drug barons had been reviewed by their peers in their communities, the nation would have been saved the present embarrassment", Mr. Biney said.

"We must try to find out their sources of income, the types of jobs or business they do and not keep mute while evil flourishes in the country", he added.

Mr Biney said the searchlight on corruption was always on politicians, Managing Directors, Heads of Department and other individuals, while businessmen and women, traders and the affluent in society were ignored.

The DCE said the exaltation of people with riches in society must change to make the peer review programme relevant to all. "Every individual whose activity impacts negatively on society must be reviewed and accountability demanded from them, we must not sit down and allow a few to siphon millions of cedis at our expense". Professor Samuel K Agyepong, Chairman of the NAPRM-GC, said Africa's increasing poverty and famine, needs to be addressed. He said this could be done if alternative strategies were found for the economic, political, social and democratic institutions of African countries.

Prof Agyepong said the programmes of action of the NAPRM must be implemented to reverse the negative images and living standards of the people.

He said civil society must ensure that all outlines of the NAPRM were implemented and where necessary reviews made to suit the prevailing circumstances.