Ghana Leader Shun
Christmas Gifts
The
Ghanaian President, John Atta Mills, has refused to accept
Christmas gifts from individuals and businesses, in a move aimed
at highlighting his attempts to stamp out corruption.
Presidential spokesman Mahama Ayariga said the Ghanaian leader
will this year, not accept Christmas hampers, a common practice
in Ghana.
He said that Mills was concerned about the motives behind the
gifts saying, ’’You never know what is in the mind of the
giver of the gift, so it's always better not to accept them.’’
Ayariga said some disappointed gift-givers had instead handed
the gifts to presidential staff.
Scepticism
According to reports, since President Mills took office in
January, he has been engaged in a ‘relentless war’ against
corruption. However, his present-snubbing has not been
appreciated by everyone.
James Agbagana, a traditional chief, warned that the president
was going too far and that he could ruin the Ghanaian tradition
of hospitality.
Vitus Azeem, the head of Ghana Integrity Initiative, the local
chapter of Transparency International, said the president's
actions would do little to stem corruption among fellow
government officials.
He says, ’’His campaign would have been more meaningful if he
had given out specific directives to his ministers and other top
officials to also turn away the hampers and the goats driven to
their homes and offices.’’
Aljazeera/Qasim/Yinka
