Opinions of Wednesday, 5 February 2020

Columnist: Mashoud Bawa

Court refuses to tow Manasweh's line: Zoomlion not fraudulent

Manasseh Azure Awuni Manasseh Azure Awuni

Our elders have maintained that the wise thread with caution but the stupid - in their own direction.

Only yesterday I intimated Manasseh Azure Awuni was ignorant for reposting and republishing his aged story expressing what can best be described as sheer foolishness of his understanding of the Accra High Court ruling on Friday which dismissed Zoomlion’s appeal against the Auditor General in the issue of surcharges and disallowance emanating from audit works he Manasseh orchestrated.

His headline after the judge’s final word which was posted on various platforms including his own Facebook page was "Fraudulent’ Zoomlion loses appeal against Auditor General on GHc184 million fumigation payments".

Proceeding on this,I set out an article titled “Detractor Manasseh’s prayer to see Jospong down will end in hopelessness” where upon I cautioned him against tagging the company as fraudulent for he needed to read the details of the judgement to make an informed decision in my article.

In Manasseh’s ignorant,emotional and predictably diabolic mood, he quoted portions of the Zoomlion and the Auditor General's statements to the court and admitted that the company was found to be fraudulent at all material times which was just a figment of his illusionary imagination.

To be famous, one mustn’t ride on the back of another’s challenges.

Celebrating successes and ringing same to the world isnt a cowardly endeavor.

Now the detailed ruling is out and you see where you sit? The court has not found any fraud perpetuated by Zoomlion meanwhile over the years your position has always been that Zoomlion operates on the back of fraud and dubious deals and describing the owner Dr. Joseph Siaw Agyepong in some of your write ups as crook and not fit to be a church elder by your own baseless personal judgement.

I don’t see what you seek to achieve but people attribute your proclivity to see Jospong down in spite of his tremendous growth and acumen for developing this country and creating jobs for the youth as sheer envy.

I am now beginning to see truth in the allegation that you once demanded financial and material things from Jospong and to write favourably about him and his conglomerate in return for the pleasures which he declined because of his religious principles to bribe. People think your hatred against the man is born out of greed, selfishness and fear of seeing another black man blossom.

I will advise you to stay clear because in so far as you continue to tip toe behind the man only looking for the bad side to report and not his success some of us will also always stand in your way because this man has done what so many Ghanaians have not been able to do despite the opportunities available to them.

I have seen the massive waste infrastructure the man has put up in Kumasi (Kumasi Integrated Compost Plant and the Kumasi Waste Water Treatment Plant) which will employ hundreds of Ghanaians.

I have also seen the machinery and equipment ready to replicate same in Tamale, Tema, Takoradi and Sunyani and you know what all these facilities the government you so much claim to be defending has not signed off-taker agreements with the company. I also know the facilities in Accra such as IRECORP! ACARP, UPPR etc and the recently launched nationwide one million project the company in partnerships with Ecobank Ghana have started.

Maybe you should tell Ghanaians where in the world you know that waste management infrastructure is the headache of the private sector or you think a company can operate without funds for operational cost nor profits? Take of your eyes from what God has bless someone with for nobody envies for the talent and art God has blessed you with in writing.

You have said before that you will never participate in clean up exercises because you pay taxes who will then spend his money trying to contain the filth and not get paid from your taxes? And do you know that Jospong pays heavy taxes than you and I do? Instead of you to demand that government signs the off-taker agreements to advance development in the waste management industry, you are here displaying your ignorance.

This man defies all the odds, competed with the many and triumphed over his competitors and even penetrated through the west successfully. It therefore baffles any intelligent mind why a true Ghanaian will take such a selfish position against his fellow countryman.

We need to help promote such kind of zealous and hardworking achievers and not to demonize them.

For the purpose of clarity, the judge says in the ruling that she has not been able to establish fraud in the dealings of the waste management company. It dismissed just the appeal and considered the surcharges and disallowances.

The judge also said there were some negligence by certain state institutions so the next time you describe Zoomlion as fraudulent and dubious I suppose you may not get it cheap as Bongo kose, you hear me?
Shalom.

By Mashoud Bawa