A Hypocritical Citizenry

I had to squint just to be sure I was reading right. I put the other pillow behind me so I don’t hurt my back as I sat up from my bed. ‘Twas ace investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas’s latest exposé on the extent of rot in the third arm of government – the judiciary. Come on, we all knew that some judges were corrupt but what we lacked was what Anas has provided – evidence, and it was mind-blowing. Four senior legal practitioners a couple of years back alluded to the existence of the canker permeating the corridors of those who play God here on earth. No evidence was provided, well so we thought until Abraham Amaliba averred that two of the judges were axed from their posts after their allegation. Why that wasn’t topical, I can’t hazard a guess. Again, if indeed those allegations turned out to be true, why weren’t the culprits prosecuted and made to sleep in the same cells as those they sentenced there? But hey, this is Ghana where money talks and crap walks. 

Actually, the contents of the video as transcribed on many news portals isn’t of concern to me so much as the comments being made on the subject matter. But the hypocrisy being exhibited by commentators leaves me gobsmacked. Let’s start off with Black's Law Dictionary’s definition of bribery. It describes it as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or other person in charge of a public or legal duty. When I found this out, I shuddered.

I reckon that most of us have actually been a party to bribery in an instance or two. Do we not try to shake the hands of police officers whilst we have monies folded in ours when they ask us to drive to the MTTD yard? And when the Ghana Integrity Initiative sends out its agents to do a survey on the corruption index, we shamelessly mention the Ghana Police Service as the most corrupt. Also, is it not usually the case that when the WAEC’s computerized system automatically places a BECE graduate in any other school apart from his/her preferred choice, a brown envelope exchanges hands? And even in our tertiary institutions, these occur. Do you not employ the services of goro boys [to wit, middlemen], when you are informed that the passport or driver’s license you need in a week’s time would take a fortnight to process? How about those 10% kickbacks on the contracts? Are we not being hypocritical? To speak sebitically as Nana Awere Damoah does, we point the index finger at them conveniently forgetting the other four fingers point towards us. Many of these things actually go without saying.    

When Joy FM uncovered a syndicate that issued out National Service certificates to people who had not served the nation as they ought, many were those who got infuriated. Government, through the security agencies swooped in on the cartel and heads rolled as many opinion leaders demanded. However, the focus was on the NSS personnel who were involved in this, but not on the graduates who had not served the nation as required by law. Few spoke about this. 

A debate ensued in my office a couple of days ago when I raised this issue of hypocrisy over Anas’s video. A colleague challenged my stance by stating that the judges had sworn to uphold their constitution and act fairly to all manner of persons, and therefore had no excuse to take the bribe. I posited that the fact that they have taken an oath and we haven’t does not give us the temerity to give or accept bribes. To stretch this argument further will be to ask whether unmarried people are at liberty to engage in sexual encounters simply because they have not taken an oath of celibacy like the Catholic priests and nuns do. Again, these priests and nuns are humans and are not immune to human desires, and when tempted might fall. And these clerics are no different from our gods who run the courtrooms. Understandably, some of them don’t even need to be tempted – they initiate the process themselves. But I dare say that they are in the minority, at least from the transcripts I have read online. It’s nauseating when we castigate them because they have been caught on tape receiving these bribes whilst we the givers act like angels without a spot of blemish, flapping our wings. 

By all means let’s allow the committee empanelled by the Chief Justice conclude its work and if a prima facie case is established against any of them, let the axe fall on their heads as required by our laws. But we should all be cautious in our dealings as Anas may be that police officer you tried to bribe the other day when you jumped the red light.

  

As the image above succinctly captures my musings, our hypocrisy is disgusting and must stop!

The writer works in the finance department of Multimedia Group Limited. The views shared represent his personal opinion and not that of the organization he works for. He can be contacted at pkbwilliams@yahoo.co.uk. Click here for other articles he’s authored.