LETTER READER | Resist lure of ill-gotten gains

Ghanaian writer Ayi Kwei Armah‘s novel,The Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born,cannot only be viewed as a satirical piece of writing in post-independence Ghana. The book focuses on one honest citizen struggling to maintain integrity amid pervasive corruption. It also supplies answers to modern-day SA‘s post-apartheid challenges.

The man described in this novel is a rare breed of high morals which can be found in a human being by resisting taking bribes. In the process, he faces immense pressure from his family and society to succeed through illegal means. He is a conscientious objector to the pervasive bribery and corruption that seemed to be the modus operandi of leaders and government officials to amass their ill-gotten wealth.

It is incumbent upon those elected or appointed in any position of authority or power to align themselves with the values espoused by this man so that trust does not only remain a fiction but a reality that can be restored. – Ben Maserumule, Mamelodi East