General News of Friday, 4 July 2014

Source: tv3network.com

Parliament approves anti-corruption plan

Parliament on Thursday, July 3 adopted a National Anti-Corruption Action Plan to guide national discourse on corruption.

A motion was moved on the floor by the Member for Offinso South Constituency, Ben Abdallah Bandah, lamenting the ineffectiveness of various anti-corruption legislations in tackling the canker.

He cited the Public Procurement’s Act, the Whistle Blowers’ Act and the Financial Administration Act, among others, as not achieving the necessary result since “in spite of all these, corruption appears to be on the astronomical rise”.

He postulated that for government to attract more donor support, corruption needs to be tackled head-on.

Other Members contributed to the debate.

“We have to avoid politicizing words like corruption,” suggested Joseph Yieleh Chireh, MP for Wa West Constituency.

“I am urging this House to be less protective of each other when it comes to corrupt practices,” he added.

MP for Bekwai Constituency Joseph Osei-Owusu was concerned there was no anti-corruption culture in the country, creating fodder for the thriving of the canker.

But they approved the Plan in a unanimous decision to stem the canker.