<<Print>>

The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) claims a recent survey it conducted has shown that majority of Ghanaians have lost confidence in public institutions, with the Police Service and the Office of the President seen as the MOST CORRUPT Institutions in the country. 

This is the result of a public perception survey conducted by the IEA to solicit the views of the citizenry by assessing the impact that the current economic situation has on them.

"The purpose of the survey is to solicit and provide information on Ghanaians' perceptions on a whole range of subjects, including: economic and living conditions, public safety and security, media freedom and abuse, discrimination and relations between ethnic groups factors which influence elections, trust in institutions, important problems confronting the country, government performance, corruption, bribery, access to public services," Dr. Ransford Gyampo, a Researcher (Governance Unit) at the Institute said at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday.

The survey, which saw The Office of the President being ranked second most corrupt among top ten institutions in the country with the Police Service occupying the top spot, was conducted in all the ten regions of the country.

With a sample size of 1,200 households, 23 per cent of the respondents, said to be 18 years and above, considered that nearly all police officials are corrupt.

For the Office of the President, 19.2% of the respondents think the office is equally as corrupt with Tax Officials and Members of Parliament receiving 15.4 and 15 per cent respectively.

Others are government officials generally (13.9%) District Chief Executives (13.3%) judges and magistrates (13.1%), Assembly men and women (11.9%) Immigration (10.4%) and the Army (7.0%).

"The services which people had to pay bribes etc from the most likely to the least likely are avoiding  a problem with the police, like passing a check point or avoiding a fine or arrest (6.7%) getting electricity connection,  (6.6%) getting a document or permit (6.3%) getting treatment in a local hospital  (5.1%) and finally getting a place in government SHS for a child (5.1%)," Ransford Gyampo stated.

Addressing a section of the media at the press conference, he noted that by the survey findings, the citizenry seems to have deformed imagery about Public/State institutions particularly with regard to country's tax system.

"Out of 11 institutions studied, 37.4 percent of the people said they do not at all trust the Tax Department. This is followed closely by the Electoral Commission (35.8%). The Ruling Party (35.6%), the Police (35.1%), the Metropolitan/Municipal/District Assemblies (33.9%), the Office of the President (33.8%) and Parliament (33.1%).

"...Without public confidence and goodwill towards State institutions, the citizenry would evade their obligations towards them and would find their own ways of taking the laws into their own hands without recourse to due process. Unfortunately, the survey results show that many Ghanaians have a very weak image of several State institutions," he disclosed.

This situation has arisen due to the inability of State institutions to deliver effectively on their mandates.

The Institute therefore appealed to public institutions to redeem their image by improving the reputation of the institutions to elicit public cooperation and the right perception.