The Convention People’s Party (CPP) is proposing a unique approach to tackle corruption among political leaders: swearing to a deity. The party believes that making traditional oath swearing mandatory for all public office holders, especially political leaders, will effectively address the rampant corruption plaguing the nation.
Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Kumankumah, the National Chairperson of the CPP, argues that political leaders have often hidden behind the Bible and the Quran when assuming office, only to engage in corrupt practices at the expense of ordinary citizens. To check this trend, Nana Akosua Kumankumah led some party members in pouring libation at the Independence Square to invoke the spirit of Ghana’s Founder and first President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. This symbolic act aims to instill a sense of patriotism among all Ghanaians, coinciding with the country’s 67th Independence Anniversary.
“Before the colonial invaders took hold of our land, we had African systems of upholding integrity and they worked. Our leaders now use the Bible and the Quran to swear oath when taking up public offices and only end up in corrupt practices knowing there’re no immediate consequences leaving the citizens destitute. If you cannot swear by the African system, there is no place for you in a CPP government,” the CPP Chairperson asserts.
According to the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023 released on January 30, 2024, by Transparency International (TI), Ghana has once again scored zero in its fight against corruption for the fourth consecutive year.
The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International, reported that Ghana attained a score of 43 out of a possible 100, placing it 70th out of 180 countries and territories surveyed in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2023. This marks the fourth successive year of stagnation in Ghana’s anti-corruption endeavors, as highlighted by the CPI.
Against this backdrop, the CPP believes that integrating traditional oath swearing will be instrumental in combating corruption.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM/Calvin Powell
