The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has urged the John Dramani Mahama-led administration to embrace public scrutiny, transparency and accountability as it works to deliver on its commitments to Ghanaians.
He said accountability is a fundamental pillar of democratic governance and should not be interpreted as an attempt to undermine or attack the government. According to him, Ministers of State and other public officials have a duty to respond to legitimate questions concerning their decisions, policies and performance, especially where public funds and promises made to citizens are involved.
Asiedu Nketiah made the remarks at the 4th Bono Regional Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards, where he highlighted the critical role of the media in ensuring that public officials are held accountable while providing citizens with accurate and credible information about the activities of government.
He stressed that the Mahama administration must be willing to subject its policies, programmes, expenditure and overall performance to scrutiny from both the public and the media. “I say this as National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress. This government should expect scrutiny. Ministers should answer legitimate questions. Public expenditure should be examined. The promises we made to Ghanaians should be checked against what we deliver.
“That is part of governing in a democracy, and a government that intends to perform should have no difficulty with it at all. The public should also receive an accurate account when work is being done well. “Journalism serves the citizens best when the facts are established properly and reported without regard to which political party finds them convenient.”
