Opinions of Friday, 29 November 2013

Columnist: Amankwah–Sarfo, Fred Kwaku

Baffles the NDC

The impeccable integrity of a man of peace and vision, Akufo Addo continue baffle the President John Dramani Mahana’s NDC government.

A building has integrity when it is built on solid grounds with solid, long-lasting materials. A hypothesis has integrity when it can be tested and proven via a series of scientific methods. And a person is said to have integrity when he or she acts with honesty, consistency and goodness, such is a man of peace and vision – Akufo Addo.

The presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Akufo Addo is the most vilified politician in Ghana’s 56 year old history.

In an attempt to score cheap political equalization, the President John Dramani Mahama’s administration has set up of a Sole Commissioner to investigate the various dubious judgment debts. The Sole Commissioner, Justice Yaw Apau has been tasked with finding out and establishing the fraud or otherwise in the claims and payments made so far. As a government that lacks focus, the attention has now been turned to an attempt to once again attack the persona and impeccable integrity of Akufo Addo.

The government would get eggs in their faces in this attempt too as Akufo-Addo has indicated his readiness to appear before sole commissioner over the drill ship saga should he be called to testify. When he does, the world would again see the impeccable integrity Akufo Addo possesses.

A man with impeccable integrity, Akufo Addo has always proven his worst critics wrong. His contributions to the socio economic and political development of Ghana are par excellent without any shred of evidence against him. A man with many parts, any attempts made to drag this humble man into the mud for many years always fail to succeed. But his political adversaries cannot come to terms with it and accept his credentials.

A businessman and an entrepreneur, Akufo Addo brought the courier services and telecommunication industries into Ghana. These have provided millions of job opportunities in Ghana today and contributed immensely to the development of Ghana are the brain child of Akufo Addo. He has always blazed the storm with his initiatives and vision, and planning with optimism and a can do spirit.

The DHL courier service and the first mobile telephone company in Ghana, Mobitel (now Tigo) become possible through the handiwork of Akufo Addo. Over the years courier services and mobile telecommunication companies have continue to pay huge taxes to the government of Ghana for our national development. These industries have also provided employment opportunities to millions of Ghanaians directly and at the downstream levels.

As an illustrious lawyer, Akufo Addo showed his legal astuteness through constitutional and business law. He has provided legal counsel and successfully represented many high and low profile cases in Ghanaian and international courts. The Ghana Law Reports have many of his cases documented. His legal arguments have been adopted by the Ghana School of Law to train lawyers both in Ghana and abroad.

As a politician, Akufo Addo has shown his mettle throughout his adult life. An unrepentant democrat and human rights activist, his contributions to our current constitutional rule are extremely evident.

An active member of the formation of the New Patriotic Party, Akufo Addo draws inspirations from the suffering masses of the people of this country. His resolve is to see a truly transformed people in a free democratic society. It is with respect, decorum and circumspection that Akufo Addo desire to seek the mandate of the NPP delegates as the party’s flagebearer and contest as the presidential candidate for the 2016 elections.

The NDC and John Dramani Mahama cannot come to terms with this humble desire of Akufo Addo. The NDC is running over themselves to drag him into disrepute with the drill ship saga. However, like day follows night, a man of impeccable integrity would come out of this too with excellent credentials.

Akufo Addo’s professional legal advice as the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice during the sale of the GNPC’s Drill Ship was every apt and extremely credible in the interest of Ghana. His presence at the Sole Commission would prove the recklessness with which the managers of GNPC handled the affairs of the state.

Let’s give Akufo Addo a chance.

By:

Kwaku Amankwah–Sarfo

Tel: 0244 255 525 / 0544 331 324

Email: Fredy.amankwah@gmail.com