Editor of the NewsCenta newspaper, Elvis Darko, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to take decisive steps toward institutionalising ethical governance by ensuring the long-awaited Code of Conduct for public officers is passed into law.
His remarks follow President Mahama’s recent decision not to pursue further disciplinary action against the acting CEO of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, after a viral video showed him handing over an undisclosed amount of U.S. dollars to evangelist Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, popularly known as Nana Agradaa.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, May 15, Mr. Darko acknowledged the President’s efforts to instill accountability among public appointees, but warned that such initiatives could fall short without enforceable legislation.
“The president has shown a commitment to making appointees behave in a certain manner, but I think if we leave it in the realm of a Code of Conduct, which is not enforceable because it is a government policy, it could backfire,” he stated.
He emphasised that without legal authority, repeated misconduct by public officials could harm the administration’s image and erode public trust.
“If the president is not careful and his appointees begin to misbehave, and then the action that the president will take also becomes a source of controversy, the government will risk losing public trust,” he cautioned.
Elvis Darko, therefore, urged President Mahama to move beyond reliance on non-binding codes and activate the legislative process to pass the Conduct of Public Officers Bill, which has long been pending at the Attorney General’s Department.
“I will urge President Mahama that instead of this code, which is not backed by law, the best thing is to send the bill to Parliament to be passed. Whatever credibility deficit that could affect him if this continues for a long time, this bill can help prevent it,” he said.
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