Former Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, has called for public office in the country to return to its roots as a place of service to the benefit of all; not a place of self-enrichment, self-aggrandisement or advancement of any particular political party or other partisan agenda. 

She said the golden ideals of freedom, equality, justice, probity and accountability could be practised and accomplished through lives lived in honesty, transparency, dedication, love and respect for God and the country and charged that “we must, therefore, reject the unacceptable but rapidly entrenched culture that sees public office and roles as stepping stones to personal wealth and social prestige.”

She was speaking at a public lecture in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the Methodist University Ghana (MUG) in Accra last Thursday on the theme: "Morality, Excellence and Service in Sustainable Democratic Governance".

“When our youth constantly observe leaders and supposed role models amassing unexplained and unaccountable riches, they are being taught that cutting corners is an acceptable norm and they are not answerable to the law.

We must all come to the understanding that both the means and the ends must be morally justifiable and accountable, and that it is a gross betrayal of the trust of the people to abuse our position,” she said.

Democratic way of life

According to her, “as we the people of Ghana continue on our quest to craft and nurture a democratic way of life, which we embarked upon nearly seven decades ago, we must not forget that the character, and more importantly, the efficiency of our democracy depends not only on the robustness of our institutions and government, but also on the values and principles that uphold the collective spirit, integrity and development of our motherland, Ghana”.

She said democracy must creatively hone a national ethos, which drives and motivates each person and institution.

Without this, democracy devolves into a mere mechanism of procedure, a formality devoid of conscience or principle, and governance becomes more and more transactional rather than transformational.  

“Corruption, nepotism and impunity are moral failures, not forgetting legal infractions.

They continue to serve as proof of a breakdown in our collective values and the core raison d’etre of the nation.

A sustainable and efficient democracy cannot survive on moral quicksand. It requires uprightness from the grassroots to the highest echelons of power,” she said.

She added that excellence did not flourish in a culture of excuses, procrastination, laziness and theft and that “we must once again instil within ourselves and coming generations value, discipline, meritocracy and a mindset of determination and commitment to excellence, across every sphere of public and personal life”. 

Young people

To the young people of the country, the former Chief Justice said: “The future belongs to you.

The future is you. But the present demands your voice, your energy, your intellect and your good conscience.

It demands a total commitment to excellence in every aspect of each person’s life.

Do not be disillusioned.

Democracy is not simple. Governance is often imperfect. But change is possible through active participation in matters of public concern.

Vote, speak out, volunteer, innovate, be bold, be true patriots, take a stand for goodness.”

She reiterated to the youth that morality, excellence and service are not mere lofty ideals but that they were real and practical tools for nation-building and that they were the pillars on which sustainable democratic governance rests, saying “As a nation, we must recommit to these principles, not just in words and populist slogans but in accountable action.

Ghana awaits a generation that values truth over convenience, merit over favouritism and service over status; morality as an end in itself”.