Police march against corruption
Personnel of the Ghana Police Service on Saturday poured onto the principal streets of the Cape Coast Metropolis and educated the citizenry on the need to support the national fight against corruption.
The march, which started from the Siwdu Sports stadium, saw the personnel marched through the principal streets and ended at Pedu new market.
It formed part of series of activities that marked the United Nations (UN) International Anti-Corruption Day celebrations which commenced from Wednesday, 4th to Saturday, 9th December, 2017.
They distributed flyers and held placards some of which read “report corrupt practices,” “we must say no to bribes,” “corruption hurt all of us,” “demand accountability from elected officials,” and “refuse to be bribed”.
The march on the theme “NACC: Strengthening Public-Private Partnership and Civil Society Partnership in the Fight against Corruption,” aimed at consciously increasing national awareness by sensitising the public on the cost of corruption as well as mobilizing citizens to support the fight against it.
It was organised by the Ghana Anti-Corruption Campaign (GACC), in collaboration with the Ghana Police Service, Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF), Open Society Initiatives for West Africa (OSIWA), and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).
Addressing the people after the exercise, Ms Baaba Fleischer, Central Regional Focal Person for GACC, called on all stakeholders in the fight against corruption to step-up efforts and constantly engage the public to desist from the act.
“Corruption has eaten deep into the social fibre of the Ghanaian society and it would take conscious efforts by mandated institutions, CSOs and the citizenry to reverse the practice, which had become pervasive in recent times,” she said.
She said the menace had drastically drained the nation of numerous resources and stifled socio-economic development to the benefit of few self-seeking individuals.
She noted that corruption also aided unfair decision making, and affected investor confidence in systems and public institutions, and therefore urged Ghanaians to eschew all forms of corruption pointing out that “until Ghanaians make a conscious effort to join in the fight, it will be difficult for non-governmental organisations to uproot corruption in Ghana.”
Ms Sandra Ofosu, Executive Member, Ghana of Human Service Trust (HST), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), reminded the public that corruption negatively affected state revenue needed for social amenities for deprived areas.
Source: GNA