Be transparent, accountable to public - Second Deputy Speaker to leaders
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Andrew Amoako Asiamah, has urged people in positions of authority to be transparent and accountable to members of the public.
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He said the use of public office for parochial interests was unacceptable as it tended to deprive citizens of their rights to critical services.
Mr Asiamah, who is the Chairman of the Committee of Parliament Members Holding Office of Profit, made the call at a three-day workshop organised by the Committee of Members Holding Office of Profit of Parliament held in Accra.
He observed that conflict of interest and abuse of power in the public sector eroded the confidence of the citizens.
Building trust
In that regard, Mr Asiamah, who is also an Independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Fomena in Ashanti Region, underscored the need for public officials to build trust, maintain integrity and ensure that the decisions they made were in the best interests of the general public.
He also urged MPs to be committed to their core parliamentary duties instead of prioritising personal businesses “because conflict of interest arises when a public officer compromises the parliamentary works for personal gains”.
The Deputy Speaker added that the new standing order of Parliament empowered the committee to recommend to the Speaker to grant certificates to members holding office of profit and to monitor their operations to ensure that they did not abuse their privileges.
Concerted efforts
For his part, the New Patriotic Party MP for Asante Akim North, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, said addressing conflict of interest was a process that required concerted efforts and not a one-time solution.
He said reducing conflict of interest and abuse of power among public officials required a multi-pronged approach targeting both prevention and mitigating strategies.
The legislator also said professionals such as lawyers, accountants, doctors and lecturers were the most prone to indulging in abuse of power.
The Dean of the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS), Prof. Justice Bawole, and the Dean of University of Professional Studies (UPSA) Law School, Prof, Ernest Kofi Abotsi, made presentations at the workshop and emphasised the need for appropriate steps to be taken to ensure that public officers did not abuse their positions.
