Woyomegate: Filthy Balance Carried Forward

A new year has finally dawned, but the bitter memories of the corruption-laced twilight of the disturbing chapter in our history continue to resonate across the country. It is a smelly balance carried over from last year and set to see a large part of the next government when the Mills� administration ends its term. That is a reality which cannot be brushed aside given the magnitude of the socio-political scum that the Woyomegate wreaked upon the country. As for a place in the chronicle of the country�s financial misdeeds, it would stand prominent, most likely unsurpassed for generations. The Woyomegate, the scornful tag for the governance aberration, has two countenances. While one is about the action the other concerns the shameful manner in which government has handled it so far. Woyomegate remains, arguably, an apt case study in credibility gap between government and the populace: It is painful the extent to which this schism is wiping away confidence in politicians. For the many Ghanaians who have come face-to-face for the first time with the reality of bad governance underpinned by corruption, they continue to ask themselves, �What is going on. Is that how bad governance and corruption look like and can we trust this crop of Ghanaians at the helm to steer the country out of the choppy waters it has created for itself?� Sceptic Ghanaians would not be wrong when they top their worries with a prayer that �God save this country from the hands of greedy bastards who see in governance, not service but a looting of the resources of state.� Hmm! The quantum of money lapped by the greedy fellow in connivance with his collaborators at the corridor of power is a sad story about governance in the country. And to think that the spoils of the loot are being enjoyed by those who are being paid to keep an eye over the contents of the state kitty is saddening. The opportunity cost of the dissipated money lies in the many infrastructural projects it could have undertaken for the benefit of the people of this country, most of whom wallow in abject poverty, lacking basic amenities such as potable water, schools and others. That such a colossal amount of money has been doled out to rich persons in society and their cronies in government when some contractors have not been paid for executed contracts, makes the situation even more disturbing. If some people in this country do not see things this way and continue to sit on rooftops defending the epic financial misdemeanour, it is sad and reflects more brightly the reality of the unevenness of our world. As for the President�s treatment of this gargantuan anomaly as reflected in his so-called directive to EOCO to probe it under the shadow of his infamous �Woyome is not the target�, we can only sneer at it for lacking any moral value. The call by many for a parliamentary probe into the weird payment makes perfect sense, since the constitution stipulates that the Auditor General�s report regarding such expenditure must as a matter of routine go to the legislature Parliament should not shirk this sacred responsibility at a time when the people it represents more than ever before, look up to it to protect their interest. As a filthy balance carried forward into the New Year it would continue to resonate across the country until the right penalties are exacted.