"Mills must stop the sermon and act on corruption"

A New Patriotic Party sympathizer, Ursula Owusu is urging President Mills to stop 'his sanctimonious' preaching about corruption and act decisively on the canker.
She said corruption is not fought through the announcement of intent but by proactively working towards rooting out the menace.

Ms Owusu’s comments were in reaction to the president’s statement during unannounced visits to the offices of the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and other revenue collection agencies, that he was appalled at the reports of corruption there.
The president said he had personally seen a video recording in which a CEPS official was gleefully and unpatriotically aiding smuggling and that he would soon take action on the matter.
He admonished CEPS officials to exhibit a high sense of patriotism and work towards raising the needed revenue to fast-track the nation’s development.
But Ms Owusu believes “empty gestures and admonition do not solve the problem [of corruption].”

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Programme, Ursula, who is also the Vice-President of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Ghana), said although gestures such as the surprise visits of the president were commendable, building sustainable institutions with viable structures and a motivated staff were required to effectively fight corruption and increase productivity.
According to her, corruption in CEPS was nothing new, and that a concerted effort backed by proactive punitive measures were needed to stem the tide.
The Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako agreed.
He lauded the president’s move to pay unannounced visits to key state institutions, cautioning against “outright cynicism” about the exercise. He also warned against any exaggeration of the benefits of the visits.

Veering off from that subject, Mr Baako said the failed National Youth Organiser of the ruling NDC who only last weekend called for the replacement of President Mills as the party’s candidate for elections 2012, “was singing the tune of his boss.”
"But who is Ras Mubarak’s boss?", he was asked to which he responded, “Jerry Rawlings of course!"
He maintained that the virulent attacks rained on the president by Ras Mubarak represented the exact views of former president Rawlings who himself has on times without number accused the president of dissipating the goodwill of the party through his government’s poor performance.

Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana