……A commentary from the Ghanaian Observer Newspaper
Just imagine a rural farmer who wakes up at dawn at Kokofu, a cocoa growing community in the Ashanti Region working so hard to pay his national obligations and to raise his or her family in addition getting to know that his tax which could have enabled the government to pay for his National Health Insurance has been squandered by one official of government.
Not only will the hearing of this issue discourage such a farmer but the farmer would undoubtedly feel let down by the very government which he had paid this tax to.
This narration, the paper feels was a typical situation that was witnessed by the Ghanaian public in the just ended administration of the National Democratic Congress.
However, the paper is comforted in the resolve of this current New Patriotic Party government which has indicated its readiness to prosecute all public officials who are found to have embezzled funds.
It is also gratifying that this same government has promised to retrieve all monies fraudulently spent by the outgoing government officials through the setting up of a special prosecutorial outfit outside the remit of the Attorney General’s department.
In this enterprise we hope that due processes are used to retrieve all questionable judgment debts paid to former officials of government as well as assigns.
And while at it the paper also cautions this new government and its officials to stand up to the high standards they promised during the recent electioneering period because same fate which befell the now opposition NDC will befall them if they fail to own up to the commitments they made to the people of Ghana.
We also remind those who may be occupying public offices to do so with efficiency and humility being mindful too that the prying eyes of the public and the media will be on them to ensure they protect the public purse and provide proper accounts on their stewardship to the State.
