<<Print>>

President John Dramani Mahama has come under a myriad of criticisms following his equivocal answers to questions posed by a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist on the issue of bribery.

President John Mahama was asked by Peter Okwoche whether he had taken bribe before and according to him, although any individual could be lured to take bribe, it is important for individuals to put themselves in position to resist it.

“Any human being in the world would have encountered corruption one way or the other, either being offered a bribe or a bribe being demanded from you. What you need to do is to put yourself in a position to (resist it)..,”

When BBC’s Peter Okwoche, asked him directly if he has taken bribe, President Mahama responded, “no, I haven’t taken bribe before”.

His comment has sparked debate as to whether the President was truthful or played politics with the question.

Some opposition members have slammed him (President Mahama) for failing to answer the questions directly. They wanted a Yes or No answer from the President but he failed to honour the expectations of the opposition.

Addressing the issue on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, Fred Agbenyo, the Deputy Communications Director of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) was disgusted by the demands of members of the opposition party.

He wondered why they expected the President to answer a Yes or No to the bribery question, especially when he cannot absolutely oversee all corruptible practices that go on in his government.

He pointed out that President Mahama is not a "magician" to know everything that unfolds in his government.

That's why he has government appointees to supervise and ensure that they check corruption, Fred Agbenyo added.

To him, Ghana's democracy has grown and there is rule of law which points out that everyone should be tried in the court of law before proven guilty.

“Has Mahama turned into a Judge? Is he a member of the judicial service?” he asked critics.