The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes that Ghana is experiencing a crisis of corruption, nepotism and abuse of power due to the lack of what he terms as the spirit of positive defiance among the citizenry.
He said citizens who are conscious of their allegiance to the state of Ghana and not a government or political figure, will not yield to the will of leaders who seek to use their position for selfish gains.
Speaking at a special vigil at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra to honour the memory of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, Asiedu Nketia said the ex-President embodied the concept of positive defiance and acted against corruption.
“What is missing in our democracy which is creating problems of corruption, nepotism, and lack of transparency is the lack of the spirit of positive defiance. We have all the institutions which are designed to check the abuse of power, [but] our problem is the attitude of the people who complain to the institutions.”
“If politicians order security men to turn the guns they have been armed with to protect citizens into suppressing citizens they are to protect, we expect that professional security men and women will say ‘No sir. We have sworn to defend the citizens, so we are on the side of citizens against the reins of power’. How many of our security men can do that?” the opposition scribe asked.
“If public servants are impressed upon by politicians to create opportunities for the politicians to loot state resources, with the spirit of positive defiance we expect the chief directors, directors and other public servants to say ‘No sir,” Asiedu Nketia added.
He said recent happenings in Ghana show worse levels of corruption and nepotism than seen in the 70’s which caused ex-President Rawlings to rise against the military regime of 1979.
He further called on the public to imbibe in themselves the spirit of positive defiance and pledge to live by those principles by standing up against leaders who act against the interest of the state.
“What is happening today? The nepotism we are seeing, the corruption we are seeing, which in several ways can be said to be worse than what prevailed before the June 4 [revolution]. It is happening because we have abandoned the important principles of positive defiance. The best way for us to remember President Rawlings is to go back that principle and pledge to live by them,” Asiedu Nketia said.
Some may suffer but eventually, they will
Source: citinewsroom.com
