Renowned Ghanaian businessman and Economist, Dr Ishmael Evans Yamson has stated that President Akufo-Addo has failed to tackle the canker of corruption.
Speaking to Evans Mensah on a yet-to-be-aired episode of PM Express on Joy News today, Tuesday, November 7, Dr Yamson, who was speaking on the subject of corruption following allegations of vote-buying during the just-ended presidential primaries of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), only singled out Ghana’s first President as one that stood against corruption.
He noted that since then, all successive leaders and the incumbent President, have failed woefully, leaving the country bankrupt after their tenures.
“Every leader in this country, by the time he leaves office, Ghana is bankrupt because the leader has been very corrupt. And I am not afraid to talk about this because it’s the reality.”
The Octogenarian particularly condemned the vote-buying phenomenon in Ghana’s politics and warned that there is no way Ghana would change for the better if that act is encouraged and emboldened as was exhibited during the NPP’s presidential primaries.
Helping others to buy our votes will not in any way change Ghana. It will not change this country” he stressed angrily.
The man, who has been credited for his massive contributions to the growth of Ghana’s private sector, also blamed the role political party financing plays in the pervasive corruption in Ghana.
“This country, for as long as we have leaders who have come into office indebted to people and they have to pay them back, Evans I am sorry. I am painting too bleak a picture, but it’s the reality” he told the host.
When the host, Evans Mensah asked about his view of President Akufo-Addo in the fight against corruption, he responded, “If I mark him [Akufo-Addo] with the same scheme, probably it will be four out of 10.”
When the host retorted ‘That’s a fail’, “Dr Yamson responded, “Oh yes, because even if you yourself as an individual have not dipped your hands into the state coffers, what about all your followers and what have you done about them?”
Like many others, the 81-year-old businessman with an enviable experience in business and economic issues, also condemned the President’s posture when the case involving the former Sanitation Minister Cecilia Dapaah came up regarding how she had stashed millions of cedis in her home.
“My greatest disappointment was when recently we had a case about a Minister who had so much money in her home, and the President said he hoped her integrity would be proven in the end. Why would the President even get involved in this when there are state agencies handling the matter?”
If you are our leader and you say you trust the person, how do you expect the people following you to go and say the person cannot be trusted; it’s not possible. I don’t think he [President Akufo-Addo] has been able to stamp down corruption in this country; he hasn’t. Because if he has, then all the scandals that come up day after day, why hasn’t he taken firm action to deal with all those things and stop them? Why isn’t any of his people who have been found culpable not in jail?” he asked.