Political Scientist and Director of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante, has lamented the flouting of laws when it comes to matters of procurements meant for institutions in the country.
Dr Asah-Asante indicated that breaching of such rules do not augur well for the country. He disclosed that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament’s referral of more than 100 public institutions in six regions to the Ghana Police Service for investigations over some breaches with procurement is disquieting. Considering this, he stated that for the nation to build a formidable system of democracy, it is hinged on the adherence to rules of laws governing the operation of institutions in the country. As such, it is ill-fated that the very people who are supposed to help are instead grounding efforts.
“It’s very unfortunate because we as a people want to build a democracy, but democracy is supported by institutions and we keep on breaking institutions with impunity. I don’t see how we can build a solid democracy if we are not prepared to build a very solid institution that will stand the test of time. We need to be careful about this because time and again we talk about Public Accounts Committee reports. When I was a reporter in parliament, there were a lot of such reports but it ended nowhere. But we must be bold and face it and people who have crossed the line, apply sanctions to them. That is the only way we can salvage this democracy and deepen it so it can stand the test of time; otherwise, it will be a mere rhetoric and mere exercise which will end up in futility.”
Dr Kwame Asah-Asante
Dr Asah-Asante expressed that, as a nation, the state ought to be careful if it desires to consolidate democracy and fight issues such as corruption and waste. He explained that if steps are not taken to resolve issues of such nature, it will be detrimental to the country.
It will be recalled that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on referring the matter on some 100 public institutions in six regions in the country to Ghana Police Service for investigations towards prosecution, stated that the institutions had breached some procurement laws flagged by the 2018 Auditor-General’s report.
The institutions included universities and district and municipal assemblies in the Bono, Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper West and Upper East regions.
At the opening of the committee’s sitting in Sunyani in the Bono Region on April 19, 2022, the Chairman of PAC, Dr James Klutse Avedzi, revealed that he was determined to refer institutions for prosecution, especially when it came to procurement irregularities.
Judgement on review application of Deputy Speaker’s voting rights
Commenting on the verdict by the Supreme Court on the review application filed by lawyer Justice Abdulai on the voting rights of Deputy Speakers in parliament, Dr Asah-Asante indicated that he was not surprised about the outcome because some lawyers had noted it was a very “tall order” for Justice Abdulai to be successful in his review application. He expressed that the judgement of the case bodes well for democracy in the country because anytime the court interprets the law, it broadens the frontiers of democracy, strengthens the institutions and makes things clearer.
“Before this time, we saw the difficulty with which we had the system in parliament regarding who should preside as a deputy speaker… Now, it is clear and we are going to proceed with business in a very clear manner. I am very happy that the court has spoken… We will take it and move on and if there is anything that needs to be said, again, I think the court is a forum for people to make their case.”
Dr Kwame Asah-Asante
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