The search for the politically unblemished: Are we asking the impossible of public appointees?

The controversy surrounding President John Dramani Mahama’s appointment of Emelia Afi Agbenyo as a Deputy Chairperson of Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) raises a question that deserves serious national reflection. How do we determine whether a person appointed to a sensitive public office can be trusted to discharge the responsibilities of that office fairly, independently and without political interference?