NDC government warned against selective justice as calls for accountability grow

Nobody is telling the current NDC government not to investigate corruption or pursue individuals suspected of wrongdoing under the previous NPP administration. No well-meaning Ghanaian should oppose genuine efforts to promote accountability.

If anyone, regardless of political affiliation, caused financial loss to the state, stole public funds, abused public office or engaged in criminal conduct, the law must take its course. That is what the rule of law demands, and that is what Ghanaians expect from any government entrusted with the management of the country’s resources.

Ghanaians voted for accountability, and they deserve to see it.

But accountability must never become an excuse for political persecution.

Corruption Has No Political Colour

If Ghana is genuinely serious about fighting corruption, then the principle must be universal and applied without fear or favour.

Anyone who is corrupt must face the law.

It does not matter whether the person is a member of the NDC, the NPP or any other political party. It does not matter whether the person is a former minister, a current government appointee, a Member of Parliament, a businessman or an ordinary public official.

Corruption has no political colour.

A thief is a thief, whether they wear green, black, red or white.

The fight against corruption cannot be credible if governments pursue only the political opponents of the day while protecting their own people. Such an approach does not strengthen democracy. It weakens public confidence in the institutions responsible for justice and accountability.

Ghanaians do not want a system where you are prosecuted because you belong to the opposition but protected because you belong to the governing party.

That is not justice.

That is selective justice.

And selective justice eventually becomes political witch-hunting.

The Danger of Selective Justice

Witch-hunting does not build a nation. It deepens political divisions and creates a dangerous cycle in which every new government feels entitled to use state institutions to pursue members of the previous administration.

Today, one political party may be in government and investigating its opponents. Tomorrow, the political tables will turn.

The same institutions that are used against political opponents today may be used against today’s government officials tomorrow.

That is why Ghana needs a system of accountability that is stronger than political parties and more permanent than individual governments.

The law must not change depending on who occupies the presidency.

If corruption is wrong under one government, it must remain wrong under another.

If stealing public money is a crime today, it must still be a crime tomorrow.

If abusing public office is unacceptable when committed by an opposition politician, it must be equally unacceptable when committed by a member of the governing party.

That is the only way to build a culture of accountability that Ghanaians can trust.

Go After the Corrupt, But Follow Due Process

The message should therefore be clear: Go after the corrupt.

Retrieve the looted funds.

Prosecute those who deserve to be prosecuted.

Jail those who are found guilty.

But do it with clean hands.

Do it through due process.

Do it on the basis of credible evidence, not political propaganda.

And, most importantly, apply the same standards to members of your own government.

The credibility of any anti-corruption campaign is measured not only by how aggressively it pursues political opponents, but also by how willing it is to investigate and punish wrongdoing within its own ranks.

A government that truly believes in accountability must be prepared to hold its own people accountable.

That is how it earns the respect of the people.

A Warning to Government Appointees

Let this therefore serve as a clear and unmistakable warning to every National Democratic Congress appointee occupying public office today.

Power is temporary.

Political office does not last forever.

The authority you wield today is not your personal property. It is a public trust given to you by the people of Ghana.

You are in office to serve, not to enrich yourself.

You are there to protect the public purse, not to treat it as your private bank account.

You are there to uphold the law, not to manipulate state institutions for personal or political gain.

Any act of corruption, criminality, abuse of office or looting of state resources will eventually have consequences.

Ghanaians are watching.

The public is paying attention.

Every questionable contract, every inflated procurement arrangement, every alleged misuse of public funds, every abuse of authority and every attempt to take advantage of the state is being observed and documented.

Do not be deceived by the praise singers around you.

Do not allow political power to create the illusion that you are untouchable.

History has repeatedly shown that political power is temporary. Governments change. Presidents leave office. Ministers lose their positions. Parliamentarians return to private life.

But the decisions made while in office can follow people for many years.

Power Does Not Last Forever

Those who occupied powerful positions before you once believed they would remain powerful forever.

Many believed their political connections would protect them.

Many assumed that the institutions of the state could never turn against them.

Many thought that once they left office, the public would forget.

But history has shown otherwise.

Those who allegedly abused their positions before you are now facing investigations, prosecutions, court cases or public scrutiny.

Those who once believed themselves untouchable have discovered that political power has an expiry date.

The same can happen to anyone in government today.

That is why every public official should remember one simple truth: the office you occupy today will eventually belong to someone else.

The privileges you enjoy today will eventually end.

The decisions you make today, however, may remain on record long after you have left office.

Serve Ghana, Don’t Exploit Ghana

If you are in public office to serve, then serve with honesty, humility and integrity.

Use your position to improve the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.

Protect public resources.

Respect the institutions of the state.

Listen to the people.

Leave behind a legacy that your family and future generations can be proud of.

But if you are in office to enrich yourself, punish political opponents, manipulate state institutions or loot resources belonging to all Ghanaians, then understand that power will not protect you forever.

Your political connections will not last forever.

Your position will not last forever.

Your praise singers will not always be around.

And when the political winds change, you may find yourself facing the very system you once believed you controlled.

The warning is therefore not directed only at today’s government.

It applies to every government, every political party and every public official.

Accountability must be blind to political colour.

Justice must not be selective.

The fight against corruption must not be a weapon for settling political scores.

Ghana deserves better.

Go after corruption wherever it exists. Recover stolen public resources. Prosecute wrongdoing. Punish those who are found guilty.

But do so fairly.

Do so transparently.

Do so within the law.

And apply the same standard to everyone.

Because power is transient, but the consequences of how you use it can last a lifetime.

Your day of reckoning may not come today.

It may not come tomorrow.

But if you abuse the trust placed in you by the people of Ghana, never assume that it will never come.

Be warned.