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'I have fought corruption more than any leader'

He further suggested that in countries where there is vibrant media, public perception of corruption is likely to be high, compared to countries that restrict the media.

 

President Mahama is battling a strong public perception of corruption against his administration after it was revealed that GHC3.6 million was spent to brand metro mass buses with his image and that of former presidents of the country.

He is also accused of appointing "family and friends" to serve in his administration, according to the Majority Leader Alban Bagbin.

But the president defended himself, arguing that there is perception of corruption against his government because he is prepared to "investigate, expose and sanction corruption" in an interview with Volta Star radion in Ho in the Volta region during his 'accounting to the people' tour of the region.

“Where evidence of corruption is found, we investigate and we sanction. I don’t know of what incident those references are. I’ve dropped more ministers and dealt more with my appointees than other governments have done,” he said.

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President Mahama bragged that he is not a politician who is afraid to talk about corruption, stressing "I’m prepared to talk about it every day and I speak about it every day.”

“Perception is the means of measuring corruption because there is no other instrument for measuring it, since the giver and the taker are not willing to talk about it. So by measuring people’s perception, we are able to determine what the level of corruption is," he said

“This also has its flaws because in a country that is open, has a vibrant media, where people have free expression, the perception of corruption is likely to be higher than a closed society,” president Mahama added.

But under his watch, the National Media Commission sort to introduce a law that will require media practitioners to submit content of their programs for approval before it can be aired.

New Patriotic Party flagbearer Nana Akufo Addo in a recent interview on Kasapa Fm said he will rate president Mahama two to three over 10 in the fight against corruption, and further accused him of abusing the procurement law through sole sourcing.

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He described the president recent appointments as puzzling and bizarre.

At a ceremony to elect the Greater Accra regional executives of the National Democratic Party (NDP) in Accra, former first lady Nana Kunadu Agyeman Rawlings accused president Mahama of having appetite for shady deals.

She cited for instance the ballooned budget for the Ridge Hospital.

She said whereas it cost Dangote $12 million to build a 1000-bed hospital in Nigeria, the government was spending over $250 million to expand the Ridge Hospital to a 420-bed facility.

She said the NDC's campaign slogan of "Changing lives, Transforming Ghana" is a mere propaganda.

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"You are transforming our lives into the negative. It’s not positive… We’re being killed in this country."

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