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The Executive Director of Media Foundation for West Africa, Suleman
Braimah has called on parliamentarians to refrain from taking money from
event organizers before showing up for programmes.
According to him, most Parliamentarians demand money for transportation
from event organisers before honouring their invitation, an act he
describes as inappropriate.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Suleman Braimah condemned the act, saying
“If you are an MP, I don’t think that I should be told to pay something.
I think it is absolutely wrong.”
He believes that if individuals in the society perceive ‘soli'[a term
used to describe monies that are given to journalists after covering
events, ostensibly to cater for their transportation] in journalism to
be corruptible, “then an MP getting something for being invited is also
corruptible”
Meanwhile, a private legal practitioner, Anthony Akoto Ampaw has
bemoaned the level of corruption in the country, especially within the
arms of government.
According to him, “a major crisis of our constitutional, political
architecture has to do with the excessive dominance of the appointing
powers of the executive, almost dictatorial”
This he believes affects Ghanaians from all walks of life.
Mr. Ampaw, who was speaking at a STAR-Ghana end of programme convention
in Accra on Thursday, argued that the appointing powers of the
executive arm of government gives the president too much power, making
it an almost dictatorial government.
He therefore suggested that the president should be stripped of some of
his powers whilst parliament is allowed to play its watchdog role as
stipulated in the constitution.
He argued that this social ill can be curbed if Civil Society Organisations lead the anti-corruption crusade.
“There is a deep-seated and pervasive culture of corruption and
impunity in our society today. I believe civil society organisations can
play an important role in contributing to the development of a social
movement to protest against and bring an end to this two debilitating
crisis.”
Credit: Citifmonline.com
