Presure group by name Media for Accountability has made some jaw-dropping disclosures regarding the issue of ‘missing’ State vehicles.
In a statement signed by two members of the group, Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah a - Broadcast Journalist and Listowel Nana Kusi-Poku - a Freelance Journalist, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is searching in the wrong direction for the vehicles instead of looking inward.
According to them, it is not true that members of the erstwhile Mahama Administration took away State vehicles but they are rather in the possession of members of the Invisible Forces, the militant wing of the ruling NPP.
“In our investigation we found out that some cars that were bequeathed to the current government were taken away by some members of the Invincible Forces and some members of the party who had no car and since they have won power they carried some of the cars away.”
“What seems to be the missing link in this whole brouhaha is the fact that the current Government is not doing an inward search of who have taken which car” the statement read.
The two further posed a few questions, which answers, they believe, could bring this topical issue to a closure.
Read the full statement below …
We the members of Media for Justice and Accountability heard the news with a shock in our hearts, the allegation by Mr. Eugene Arhin director of communication at the flagstaff house that, 208 cars are discovered to have been unaccounted for in the Flagstaff House. This information got us to investigate the matter and find out what really are the matters around the lost cars brouhaha.
In the news, Mr. Eugene Arhin, the Director of Communications at the Presidency, specified that the alleged missing cars was noticed after the assessment of five car models in the car pool inventory of the Flagstaff House and was quoted to have said “Just these five models account for 208 vehicles which we strangely cannot find.”
He further stated that “In total, if you look at the documents provided to me by the transport officer, we were supposed to have a total of 196 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles, we are supposed to have some Toyota Land Cruiser Prados; a total of about 73 and then Mercedes Benz, BMWs and OTHER VEHICLES.”
“…But what we came to meet was something that surprised all of us. For example, you take a look at the Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles, we were supposed to have 196 Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles at the presidency. We only came to meet 74. That means you have a total of 122 which we still cannot find. For the Toyota land Cruiser Prados, the total is 73, But we only came to meet 20; so you have a 43 difference.”
“You look at something like the Mercedes-Benz; there were 24 in total; but we came to meet 11. Toyota Avalons; there were 28, but we came to meet two and for the BMWs, there were six and we came to meet only two.”
From our investigation, we believe everything points to the fact that, whatever was authored by Mr. Eugene Arhin was palpable falsehood and has no merit.
PROBING QUESTIONS
During our investigation below are some of the analytical questions that were demanding for answers;
1) Is it not obvious that the 33 day young government is trying its possible best to give ‘the dog a bad name to hang it’?
2) Is it not the case that, the current government wants to accuse the old government of stealing in other to give them a bad name in other to witch hunt them?
3) Is it not to justify and to cover up on the hooliganism, lawless attacks and witch hunting on the previous government officials?
4) Is it not to make relevance of the illegal task force set by Mrs. Frema Osei-Opare the Chief of Staff with the mandate of retrieving state assets being held by individuals?
5) If it is really true that some cars are missing, why not produce the chassis numbers of the missing cars, if they truly exist?
6) If it is really true that some cars are truly missing, would it not mean that the government of the day is been careless?
7) Why would the government not furnish the police CID with details of the missing cars to help them facilitate a quick investigation to know where they are?
8) Is the Akufo Addo government not being the accuser, the prosecutor and the judge in this missing cars brouhaha?
9) Is the National Democratic Congress not acting in bad faith knowing pretty well that Eugene Arhin did not make any direct accusation against them?
OUR FINDINGS
In our investigation we found out that some cars that were bequeathed to the current government were taken away by some members of the invincible forces and some members of the party who had no car and since they have won power they carried some of the cars away.
What seems to be the missing link in this whole brouhaha is the fact that the current Government is not doing an inward search of who have taken which car.
We also found out that the allegation that was levelled had no evidence and was not proven by Mr. Eugene Arhin because there is no such car unaccounted for by the previous government. One cannot just make a baseless allegation without putting evidence, in this case, of the chassis numbers of the 208 vehicles that is said to have been missing.
Members of the previous government i.e. “National Democratic Congress” rushed in giving response to the propaganda that was spewed. Even though they had to set the records straight, they had every reason to have stated categorically that Mr. Eugene Arhin had lied and that if there were any issues they would have raised them during the transition.
We found out that it is just obvious that the president and his appointees are just trying their best to find excuses for the procurement of new set of expensive vehicles.
We have a strong conviction that government ought to always have an honest, circumspect and propaganda-free reportage.
LONG LIVE GHANA!! LONG LIVE MEDIA FOR ACCOUNTABILITY!!!
…Signed…
Nana Kwabena Bobie Ansah (Broadcast Journalist) Listowel Nana Kusi-Poku (Freelance Journalist)