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The President’s Special Advisor on Governance and Corruption, Daniel Batidam is insisting that he is still an anti-corruption crusader only that, his approach to fighting the canker has changed.

He said it would be inappropriate to “stand outside and be shouting [at government] the same way as I would have done from Civil Society. It will be unprofessional. It’s not the way to work so I am not surprised if people think I am not as noisy as I was.

“I have not changed, principles don’t change…I will never deny anything I have said in the past on the basis of principles,” he stressed.

The President of Central University College, Professor Kwesi Yankah on Tuesday listed some anti-corruption campaigners including Batidam, who grew quiet after they were appointed to serve in government.

He questioned their commitment to the fight against corruption and asked why their principles “suddenly evaporate into thin air when they are appointed to work at the Presidency.”

In his defence, however, Batidam argued that “principles don’t change and Daniel Batidam is upholding his principles the same way as he has done over the past decade and more.”

Batidam expressed disappointment at Prof. Yankah for accusing him of losing his principles with no evidence to back his claims.

“This is a sad story…what is his evidence that people lose their principles when they go into government? People like Professor Yankah and the rest can say what they think; they don’t have evidence,” he said.

He admonished critics of the government “get more object and more serious because if we are going to shift the post at every turn, we are not going to get anywhere. We have to be consistent.”

Batidam further accused Prof Yankah of being intellectually dishonest because according to him, the Professor based his assessment of the Mahama government and he, Batidam’s performance on newspaper headlines.

I am working

The president’s special advisor disclosed that the national anti-corruption action plan which was launched by President Mahama in December last year is being implemented “and that is part of my main remit at the Presidency.”

He said a high level committee has been put in place and it’s being chaired by the Chief of Staff.

The committee has been tasked to see to the implementation of the plan.