In light of the recent Southwark Crown Court ruling, it leaves one to wonder who, and which of the two main political parties can be trusted. The NPP faithful are claiming that Rawlings and the NDC party are corrupt therefore not fit to govern. The NDC faithful is also claiming that the NPP under the Kufuor administration was corrupt therefore has no moral grounds to accuse the NDC and the Mills administration of corruption. Now that both sides are blaming and accusing each other of corruption, the question is who is telling the truth? And which party should we believe?

Let’s be honest here, there is reasonable evidence to suggest that when Kufuor was in office, he and his ministers used their positions to amass wealth at the expense of Ghana. It is equally true that when Rawlings was in office he and his ministers used their positions to amass wealth at the expense of Ghana, the Southwark Crown Court rulings confirmed this.

Now that it is obvious that there is corruption within the ranks of both parties, who then can govern Ghana without corruption. As an independent, it is interesting to note the retribution and recrimination from both camps, each camp attempting to shout louder than the other. There is an article almost every week from either the NPP or the NDC supporters accusing each other of something or the other. What is wrong with us? Why are we so corrupt? Can anything good ever come out of Africa? If it is not tribalism and civil war, it is corruption at the highest level. Are we to assume then, that we are not capable of basic honesty? Are we incapable of ensuring rule of law? Are we to assume and accept the fact that we are second class and sub-human in our make up? Or is it some kind of divine curse upon us? We just don’t seem to be able to get it together. May be the Europeans should come back and take over the administration of Africa. Almost every African country is in a mess after independence. May be democracy and rule of law, and all that comes with it is not for Africans. There is corruption at every level in African society, and it makes one wonder, when will it stop? And who can stop it? Our politicians are selfish, greedy, and inward looking, always putting their own interest first before the interest of their respective countries and the people they represent. What puzzles me most is that, all these people are highly educated, except Rawlings of course. How can a college graduate not know that corruption is morally wrong? How can we ensure that corruption is eradicated forever? Should our future generation be injected with some sort of anti-corruption medicine to protect and prevent them from being corrupt? These are issues we ought to be thinking about and seeking solutions for. Ghana and Africa will forever remain under developed as long as there is corruption, tribalism, civil war and regional conflicts. We need leaders like the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who placed love of country first before any and everything else. We need leaders who are not motivated by selfishness and greed. We need leaders who are forward thinking and not just thinking of how to swindle the nation. We need leaders who will look out for the interest of our nation and the people they represent. We need leaders who will build the nation first before building their own mansions. We need leaders who will sacrifice their lives in serving Ghana without expecting anything in return. We need leaders who will not see a political office as a means to amass wealth in order to live a luxurious life while the masses live in poor conditions. We must not condone corruption in any form or shape, and our leaders must be held accountable irrespective of who they are.

In conclusion, I say to both the NPP and the NDC to clean house, educate their leading members to avoid corruption and govern Ghana with integrity so that Ghana our beloved country does not turn into a banana republic. President Obama’s recent visit has placed Ghana on the radial and the world is watching, and the last thing we want is to turn Ghana into a banana republic. You know as well I do, that there is no place for a banana republic on the international seen. I would like to challenge every Ghanaian to find a solution to the corruption problem we have. I challenge every Ghanaian to refrain from corrupt practices and be part of the solution and not the problem. We should all do our part in the fight against corruption in order to build a better Ghana for all.

Long live Ghana, and God bless Ghana our homeland.

Komla, The self proclaimed Peace Broker