A group calling itself Concerned Citizens of Ghana (CCG) yesterday threatened to stage a massive demonstration in protest against widespread corruption at the passport office.
The demonstration dubbed �The March Against Corruption�, according to the group had no political party affiliation.
�Corruption in our country�s passport office is a pandemic which threatens the credibility of institution and the entire democratic system,� the group noted.
The group told The Clock Newspaper that the acquisition of passports in Ghana today has been characterized by unpalatable circumstances for some time now adding that after paying the monies at the banks to acquire passport forms, applicants are asked to forward their completed forms to the Passports Office in Accra with the assurance that the processing would be done smoothly.
The Clock Newspaper gathered that after submitting the forms at the passports Office, the applicants find themselves in a totally different world; �hell�, the group proclaimed.
It alleged that errand boys also known as connection agents at the passport office who connive with some of the officials have invaded the Passports Office and are being used by the officials to assist passport applicants to fill their passport forms for them. This is because the applicants are afraid of committing in filling the passport forms. Such connection agents or errand boys charge a fee ranging from GH�100 to GH�500 with promises that they will get the passports within three or five working days.
The Clock gathered that officials at the Passport Office cannot put a stop to corruption going on there because they are seriously involved and they earn so much that they pay some of the errand boy monthly.
One of the group leaders who spoke to The Clock on anonymity disclosed that many applicants for a Ghanaian passport get frustrated in attempt to collect their passports and this has become a norm that one must know someone before one gets easy access to the office, otherwise one has to pay extra to get things done smoothly.
One big question that lingers on the minds of many is why it has become an acceptable norm that in Ghana you either know somebody or be prepared to pay extra for a service such as acquiring a Ghanaian passport.
Systemic corruption is corruption which is primarily due to weaknesses of an organization or a process. It can be contrasted with individual officials or agents who act corruptly within the system.
Specific acts of corruption include bribery, extortion, and embezzlement in a system where corruption becomes the rule rather than the exception.
In Ghana, it seems that corruption is fast becoming the rule rather than an exception. It actually seems unbelievable if one meets somebody who is ready to help without having the intention of receiving something extra apart from what he or she is due. People experience these frustrations in almost every office that one requires a service.
Many persons responsible for providing government official services use their office to intimidate people requiring their services or extort monies from them even for doing their legitimate and expected work schedule for which they get paid by the tax payer at the end of the month.
<<Print>>