Senior Lecturer and Head of the Centre for European Studies at the University of Ghana Dr. Kwame Asah Asante, has expressed strong support for the proposed policy initiative by the incoming government to implement “Operation Recover All Loot” (ORAL) within the first 120 days of its tenure.
Speaking on the subject, Dr. Asah Asante articulated the importance of the policy.
He noted that any initiative aimed at recovering looted state assets aligns with constitutional principles and global governance standards. He stated;
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“I think is a good thing. Political offices are given to people with the trust that they will come and manage affairs on our behalf. And it is normal if you read our constitution, which we have appended our signature to, that we believe in a lot of principles including probity, accountability, and the rest of them.”
Dr. Kwame Asah Asante Senior Lecturer University of Ghana
He further highlighted Ghana’s commitment to World Bank policies on good governance, which necessitate adherence to principles such as transparency, among others. He remarked;
“These are the canons by which you can measure any government, worth the title, or any government operating under the umbrella of good governance. So, on that score, I would urge the government to go ahead and then begin to look at various acts of maleficence, and let’s begin to call people to answer questions.”
Dr. Kwame Asah Asante Senior Lecturer University of Ghana
He lauded the proposed initiative as a significant step towards addressing corruption and enhancing trust in the country’s governance framework.
He cited recent investigative reports as a valuable resource in understanding financial irregularities tied to the project. He urged the incoming administration to prioritize this matter, stating;
“A good starting point should be the cathedral. In recent times the CHRAJ has done beautiful work on it. You can run with it, and for us to know where we went wrong so that we’ll be able to strengthen the frontiers of our democracy and the governance system that we have in this country. This is a simple message for the incoming government.”
Dr. Kwame Asah Asante Senior Lecturer University of Ghana
The Public’s Perspective on Recovery Efforts
Dr. Asah Asante acknowledged the growing public demand for accountability. Moreover, within the public outcry, some people expressed their satisfaction with the policy indicating that they don’t even care about culprits going to jail. Though both can happen—prison terms and recovery of sums lost to the state.
Albeit, the majority of Ghanaians are more interested in those sums being recovered and then used practically for the general good.
Dr. Asah Asante asserted that initiatives like ORAL would help to address most of the corruption concerns effectively.
Meanwhile, not yet been confirmed, but many equally bemoaned images purporting that some 17 caches and boxes of gold were attempted to be smuggled out of the country. And that, supposedly some team from the NDC had stopped them. This all makes interesting times ahead, as the story develops in the coming days.
However, President-Elect John Dramani Mahama, affirmed that honest political officeholders have no reason to fear the recovery exercise. This was also reiterated by the NDC National Deputy Communications Officer Malik Basintale.
The proposed “Operation Recover All Loot” policy has received a strong endorsement from Dr. Asah Asante although an academic, he believes it represents a crucial step in the democratic dispensation and that the NDC is laying the inestimable paradigms for other government regimes to emulate.
By seeking to address corruption and recovering state assets, the incoming Mahama administration has regained Ghanaians’ trust and their prayers for a successful regime.
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