More Opulence, Corruption In The Air

All too soon, the Akufo-Addo government, and the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) seem to be overlooking what the power of perception can do to a ruling government. They have forgotten that most of the ‘protest votes’ former President John Mahama got in the 2016 general election were as a result of perception.

Barely three years into office, it is becoming increasingly clear that NPP is taking for granted the fact that the actions and lifestyles of people can send signals to the electorate, and for that matter influence elections.

This paper has information that a recent research conducted at the instance of government has revealed that, even though the NPP could win the 2020 election, voters and party faithful are concerned about the wanton display of opulence, size of presidential convoys, profligate usage of security cars by party apparatchiks, and the failure to prosecute corrupt people.

It is in this light that THE NEW PUBLISHER finds it strange that people connected to government appear not sensitive to the tales of opulence and corruption in the air.

A recent call by a freight forwarder that the Auditor-General should not blame officials of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) for the missing 1,000 auctioned vehicles because most of them were doled out to members of the NPP (FOR FREE) is disturbing.

Mr. Serebour Boateng, who works at the harbour, where confiscated vehicles are kept, said on radio: “The auctioned cars are with NPP boys. The Auditor-General should not bother coming to the post. He should go to the NPP headquarters. Corruption at the port under the NPP is worse off; it is a whole syndicate.”

To buttress his point, he cited how a female Customs officer, who was in charge of auction cars at the port, was transferred for refusing to give party boys auctioned vehicles.

This paper is also reliably informed of how a government appointee created a scene at the CEPS HQ because officials wouldn’t allow him to clear 145 cars. We are informed that the officer, who stood between the party boy and corruption, was later removed.

It’d been three long weeks since Boateng spewed the allegations that NPP boys had been sharing cars at the ports like groundnuts, but official sources are yet to respond.

The PDS saga, which also smells of fraud (according to Energy Minister John Peter Amewu) is still keeping the nation in limbo. Then bam, the rot at the Public Procurement Authority was uncovered, following the ‘Contract For Sale’ documentary by freelance investigative journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, in which the PPA boss was seen allegedly selling government contracts through his own private company, Talent Discovery Limited (TDL).

Even though President Akufo-Addo has suspended Mr. Agyenim Boateng Adjei, and reported him to the Office of Special Prosecution and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) the perception is that this is one instance out of many.

People are talking about the Boakye Agyarko AMERI deal issue, the Australia visa saga, and the rots at BOST and Ghana Maritime.

While we may call them perceptions, they will be relevant in 2020. As a media house, can’t do more than reminding the government.