Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has issued a scathing call for the fight against corruption to stop fixating solely on politicians and instead confront the pervasive rot across Ghanaian society.
He argued that the narrow obsession with the political class distorts the broader reality of corruption and shields other culprits from scrutiny.
“Why do we keep pinning corruption on politicians alone, as if it’s not woven into the fabric of our entire society?” he challenged, questioning the selective outrage that spares business moguls, bureaucrats, and everyday citizens.
Speaking at the 2025 Constitution Day Public Lecture in Accra on Friday, February 28, Afenyo-Markin stressed that governance is a tangled web involving the private sector, where accusations of corruption often stem from sour grapes rather than systemic flaws.
“From 2013 to 2016, in opposition, I saw it firsthand—businessmen handed me documents to rant about corruption on air. But it was the ones who lost contracts who cried foul, while the winners praised God in church,” he revealed.
Corruption and the Ghanaian culture
He laid bare a harsh truth: Ghanaian culture itself sets politicians up to fail. Afenyo-Markin described the relentless demands from constituents, traditional leaders, and pastors, who expect handouts far beyond his official earnings.
“When a chief visits, he doesn’t care about my salary—he wants something. A pastor, a voter—they all demand I ‘do something,’” he said, exposing how these pressures push politicians into murky waters to satisfy a greedy society.
The Minority Leader didn’t spare his peers but insisted the blame must be shared. He warned that focusing solely on politicians while ignoring the complicity of corporate players, foreign entities, and even ordinary Ghanaians dooms the anti-corruption crusade to failure.
“Civil society and the media must stop this lopsided game. If we don’t hold everyone accountable, we’re just pretending to fight,” he charged.
Afenyo-Markin demanded a ruthless, all-encompassing crackdown, urging Ghanaians to ditch selective justice and confront the ugly truth.
“Keep the heat on politicians, yes—but don’t let the rest of the corruption chain slink away. If we do, this scourge will choke us all,” he warned.
Osumanu Al-Hassan/thenewsbulletin24.com