Empower State Institutions To Check Corruption - MP

Ghana�s Parliament on Tuesday threw the searchlight on itself, on how it has so far dealt with corruption, with the observation that Ghana had performed much better than several other African countries. Among countries that Ghana has a better rating than are South Africa, Senegal and Tunisia. �Mr Speaker, corruption in developing countries continue to be one of the greatest factors of poverty, although these countries are endowed with priced natural resources, yet they continue to struggle and scramble for positions in the lower ranking of the United Nations Index on Corruption, �Mr David Tetteh-Assumeng, Member of Parliament (MP) for Shai Osudoku said in a statement. The statement, made on the floor of the House, was to commemorate the United Nations World Anti-Corruption Day. This year�s celebration was on the theme: �Break the Corruption Chain.� The day is used to raise awareness of corruption and of the role of the convention in combating and preventing it. With several definitions of corruption, the MP exposed the ills of corruption as undermining democratic institutions, slowing economic development, and contributing to governmental instability. "Corruption also attacks the foundation of democratic institutions, by distorting electoral processes and perverting the rule of law,� the MP said. He informed the House that Ghana scored 48 points to place 61 out of 175 countries in the 2014 Corruption Perception Index, and � the score and the rank of Ghana shows that the country performed much better than several other African countries, including South Africa, Senegal and Tunisia. �Mr Speaker, these notwithstanding, Ghana scored below 50 on the scale of 0-100. Ghana has taken a number of steps to prevent corruption in public places of work. These include the setting up of anti-corruption agencies such as the Economic and Organized Crime Office, and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, among others.� There are also Legislations like the Financial Administration Act, Internal Audit Agency Act and Public Procurement Act, all aimed at accountability, value for money, transparency and efficiency in the use of public resources. The MP called for the fight against corruption to involve all society and the law to deter both the giver and receiver of bribes. Mr Isaac Osei, MP for Subin, asked colleagues to check on the behaviour of members and public office holders for transparency. Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bandua, MP for Biakoye, called for the making of the systems to check corruption work. Members were unanimous in their contributions in creating a better image for the institution of Parliament and its members.