MP ‘cornered’ in corruption debate

Hon. Derek Oduro The Member of Parliament for Nkoranza North on Thursday boxed himself into a hilarious defense of parliamentarians not being corrupt, moments after he had accused virtually the entire society of being corrupt. Derek Oduro was on Adom FM commenting on Mr. Kwame Pianim’s endorsement Monday of President Mills as not being corrupt, a claim he supported with an assertion that he had seen President Mills reject ‘envelopes’ on two occasions. The MP said while it is no crime to bear good witness for another, it was improper to infer that others were corrupt without providing any proof, insisting that the fact that he had seen the president refuse ‘envelopes’ alone does not make him incorrupt. Derek Oduro insisted that bribes are not given or received in the open but under cover, challenging his host on Dwaso Nsem, Ekuorba Gyasi, to name even one institution that is not corrupt in Ghana. When the host mentioned the police as having been cited in reports as corrupt, Derek Oduro said the police have now renamed bribes as “ex-gratia,” and explained that it is the strengths of national institutions and laws and how well they function such as the National Procurement Act that determine the national resolve to fight the corruption canker. He said the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice has even acknowledged that in the civil service, “weighted envelopes” which constitute bribery are offered to facilitate processes. Asked if MP’s also take bribes, Derek Oduro said it is not so but they rather give ‘something’ (to constituents). Asked again if they rather give bribes, the MP had a torrid time explaining that in the case of the MP’s he was not talking about bribery, eliciting a jibe from his colleague MP and co-panelist, Sampson Ahi, (MP for Juabeso) why he was bearing such a heavy cross for himself. The jibe sent host and panelists all laughing their hearts out. Listen to the attached audio. Story by Isaac YeboahMyjoyonline.com/Ghana