By Mavis Paintsil, Accra
Mr Solomon Owusu, Director of Communications of the United Party (UP), has read the keynote statement on behalf of Democracy In Progress at its ORAL Accountability Demonstration in Accra.
Reading on behalf of fellow conveners Emmanuel Kotin, Andrew Appiah-Danquah and Ebo Buckman, Mr Owusu said the movement had not come to attack Ghana’s democracy but to defend it.
“We have not come here today to attack our democracy. We have come to defend it. We believe that Ghana’s democracy must mean more than joining a queue every four years to thumbprint a ballot paper,” Mr Owusu read.
“Democracy must be about the people. Democracy must be about responsible leadership. Democracy must be about the prudent management of resources. And above all, democracy must be about accountability.”
Silence Must Never Be Price Of Citizenship
Mr Owusu said under the theme “Accountability Must Become A Democratic Culture,” the group believes silence must never be the price of citizenship.
“Asking questions is not rebellion. Demanding accountability is not an attack on democracy. Insisting that public money be properly accounted for is not partisan politics. It is democracy at work,” he stated.
He said sixty-nine years after independence, Ghana cannot accept poverty, corruption and underdevelopment as permanent features.
Ghana Blessed But Institutions And Accountability Matter
“Ghana is blessed with gold, bauxite, manganese, oil, fertile land and, above all, talented people. But natural resources alone do not make a nation prosperous. Institutions matter. Leadership matters. The prudent use of public resources matters. Accountability matters,” Mr Owusu read.
He said when public resources are lost through corruption, waste, abuse or criminal conduct, it is the ordinary Ghanaian — the trader, farmer, teacher, nurse, driver, unemployed graduate — who pays.
“Accountability is an economic issue. It is a development issue. It is a poverty issue. It is a generational issue.”
Constitution Gives Roadmap
Citing the 1992 Constitution, Mr Owusu said Ghana does not need to invent a new path. The Preamble commits to Freedom, Justice, Probity and Accountability.
Article 1(1) declares sovereignty resides in the people, Article 35(1) affirms Ghana as a democratic State, and Article 35(8) directs the State to eradicate corrupt practices.
“Government does not own Ghana. Politicians do not own Ghana. Political parties do not own Ghana. Sovereignty belongs to the people. Nobody is above the law. Political office must never become a shield against accountability,” he said.
No Political Colour For Accountability – Ofori-Atta Must Face Justice At Home
Mr Owusu, reading on behalf of the group, said accountability has no political colour.
“We reject the notion that accountability should depend on which party is in power. No fear. No favour. No selective justice,” he declared.
He specifically raised the case of former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who managed the nation’s purse for seven years and is cousin to former President Nana Akufo-Addo, and who has been declared a fugitive from justice by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.
“How can we call ourselves a nation of accountability when a former Minister for Finance has been declared a fugitive and remains outside the country while charges await him at home?” Mr Owusu queried.
“It is even more disheartening that instead of urging him to come home, some voices within his own political camp have encouraged him to stay away.”
He added: “Mr Ofori-Atta, like every citizen, is presumed innocent until proven guilty. But the place to establish that innocence is before the courts of the Republic he served, not from abroad. Seven years of service should make the duty to account more compelling, not less. Service to Ghana is an honour. It is not a licence for immunity.”
Recover The Loot
The UP Communications Director further called for recovery of diverted funds.
“Where public resources have been unlawfully diverted, let the State recover them. Where assets acquired through unlawful conduct are identified, let the proper legal processes retrieve them,” he read.
He cited Article 41(f) which enjoins every citizen to protect public property and expose misuse of public funds, and Article 296 on fair exercise of discretionary power.
ORAL Must Live
Concluding the speech on behalf of Democracy In Progress, Mr Solomon Owusu called for a shift from personality-based accountability to law-based accountability.
“We must move from ‘Who is in power?’ to ‘What does the law require?’ From ‘Is he one of us?’ to ‘What does the evidence show?’ From ‘Which party does he belong to?’ to ‘What happened to the people’s money?'”
“ORAL MUST LIVE! ORAL MUST WORK! ORAL MUST SUCCEED! It must live beyond any one government and beyond any one political party. That Ghana is possible, but it requires citizens who refuse to give up,” Mr Owusu declared.
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