National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has urged the John Dramani Mahama-led government to embrace public scrutiny, transparency and accountability as it works to deliver on its promises to Ghanaians.
He said accountability is a key part of democratic governance and should not be treated as an attack on the government or an obstacle to its work.
According to Mr Asiedu Nketiah, Ministers of State and other public officials must be willing to respond to legitimate questions about their decisions, policies and performance, particularly where public funds and commitments made to citizens are concerned.
He made the remarks at the 4th Bono Regional Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Awards, where he highlighted the role of the media in holding public officials accountable and providing citizens with accurate information about the government’s work.
He said the Mahama administration should be prepared to have its policies, programmes, expenditure and performance examined by 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,” he said.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah added that such scrutiny was necessary for effective democratic governance and said the public should also be informed when government programmes and policies were delivering positive results.
“Journalism serves the citizens best when the facts are established properly and reported without regard to which political party finds them convenient,” he said.
