The Korle Klottey MP, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has questioned the justice system, contrasting the harsh punishment meted out to petty offenders with the impunity enjoyed by politicians who mismanage state resources.
Speaking on JoyNews’ podcast Talk No Dey Cook Rice, she recalled a trader who was jailed for two years for damaging part of an overpass, asking why politicians who commit far worse offences walk free.
“Is it too harsh? I’m not going to comment on that, but are we going to be able to do that to a public servant, a politician, who does the equivalent of damaging that where a road should have been built and it wasn’t done, it’s full of potholes?
“They got the money. We can’t account for how the money translated into a road being built, but they are walking free because maybe they supported someone’s campaign,” she said.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings warned that such double standards weaken democracy and fuel public disillusionment.
“You can’t expect that the citizens should do the right thing. And yet, those who are given higher levels of responsibility and greater access to the nation’s wealth are held to a different standard,” she argued.
The lawmaker also pointed to poor infrastructure projects funded with public money but unfit for use.
She cited a recently handed-over building at the Adabraka Polyclinic by the Coastal Development Agency.
“Have a look at it and tell me whether that is a building that should have been handed over to the clinic without even the involvement of the medical staff, who could at least have advised whether it was fit for purpose.
“Money was spent on that building, even the painting job. I think that some kid in class one would have done a better painting job than what I saw there.”
She linked these failures to a wider culture of irresponsibility among both leaders and citizens.
“When you don’t have leadership that is willing to bring the people along as well and expect more of people, you create a feeling of, well, what difference does it make anyway?” she said.
For Dr Agyeman-Rawlings, true governance requires discipline, integrity, and tough decisions. She contrasted Ghana’s lax systems with countries like Rwanda and Singapore.
“You cannot take plastics into Rwanda. Simple as that. You are not allowed to chew gum in Singapore, whether you’re a visitor or a VIP, no exceptions. There are certain tough decisions you have to take in order to have governance be good, because you can have bad governance.”
She stressed that good governance is not just about elections but about delivering dignity, safety, and accountability to citizens.
“What are the things that you’re doing for the people; that is you’re delivering on time, you’re making sure that the dignity of their citizen is respected, you’re making sure that working conditions are good enough, you’re looking at the roads and making sure that the number of people who are dying in road traffic accidents, is no more than the number of people who are dying of disease in hospital, because then you have a problem,” she said.
Calling for higher standards in leadership, she insisted that those who fail to serve with integrity must be removed.
“We have to, at some point, draw the line and do what is right for the people of Ghana.”
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