“I’m Not A Politician Who Is Afraid To Talk About Corruption” –President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has reiterated his government’s commitment to fighting corruption without fear or favour.

He has also debunked claims that he has a soft spot for alleged corrupt government officials and says increasingly, Ghana has done well on the corruption perception index.

“Transparency International is one of the respected institutions that measure corruption and increasingly, every year, from 2012, Ghana has done well on the corruption perception index. There is more talk and discussion of corruption because my government is prepared to investigate, not only expose, and sanction corruption,” he said.

The President also noted that the fight against corruption by his government is effective even though corruption perception index reports are flawed.

“I’m not a politician who is afraid to talk about corruption. I’m prepared to talk about it every day. Indeed corruption is not a perception. It is a reality…Perception is the means of measuring corruption because there is no other instrument for measuring corruption because the giver and the taker are not willing to talk about it.”

“Measuring people’s perception is not scientific…because a country that is open, has a vibrant media and people have free expression; the perception is likely to be higher than a close society that does not have free expression and so corruption is not discussed,” he stated.

The president was speaking on Volta Star radio as he tours the Volta Region with his ‘Accounting to the People’ tour.