Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah, a former UN senior governance advisor, has criticized Ghana’s political landscape, noting that politicians often exhibit critical thinking only when out of power.
In an interview with Citi Eyewitness News on April 23, he observed that politicians tend to be more perceptive of the flaws in the ruling party when they are in opposition, but fail to practice what they preach when they assume power.
This phenomenon, he believes, is a tragic reality for Ghana. His comments come amid concerns raised by Senior Presidential Advisor, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, regarding the lack of transparency in asset declarations by public office holders.
Osafo-Maafo expressed reservations about the confidentiality surrounding asset declarations under the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act, 1998, highlighting the challenges in verifying the authenticity of these declarations due to the lack of transparency.
“What I don’t like personally about this law is that after you have declared your assets, everything is kept confidential between the Auditor General and yourself, and therefore it becomes very difficult for anybody to challenge the authenticity of your declaration,” Osafo-Maafo noted.
This lack of transparency raises concerns about accountability and the effectiveness of the law in promoting transparency in governance.
