Opinions of Tuesday, 17 November 2020

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

Feeling disappointment in the resignation of Martin Amidu as the special prosecutor

Martin Amidu, Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu, Special Prosecutor

To say that I am shocked at the resignation of Martin Amidu from his position as the Special Prosecutor will be an understatement. I am disgusted with, disappointed in, and feel let down by, his sudden resignation.

I am not going to express my intense anger emanating from his resignation at the moment for obvious reasons. However, when I feel that the time is right, I shall make my voice heard, and my views known. It is rather unfortunate that some corrupt people in the NPP government have frustrated him to resign. They made him impotent in his post for their obvious selfish and insatiable greed.

It was only yesterday, Sunday, 15 November 2020, that I was discussing him with my wife and I emphasised to her that Martin Amidu could well do his job but he is being intentionally frustrated and obstructed by some people in the NPP government, and to be precise, mentioned the Attorney General, Ms Gloria Akuffo. Her name came up because Martin Amidu had previously revealed in publications how the Attorney General was deliberately impeding or sabotaging his work.

Has it now become the humorous saying in Ghana that "Koko ba ne Dede ba nyinaa ye ade koro, efi se, won nyinaa ye Krobofo3?" Thus, are the NDC and NPP the same when it comes to infatuation with corruptly enriching themselves?

The NPP's sloganized fight against corruption and the creation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor has indeed become a joke! A complete joke of course.

If Martin Amidu has not been able to do the job, who else in Ghana can do it? I had, and still have, respect for him, when it comes to his conviction to fight official corruption in Ghana. There is no other person in Ghana who can equal his credentials and moral aptitude to fighting corruption except probably, Kennedy Agyapong.

Corruption is the bane of the development of Ghana. Therefore, our failure to fight to eradicate or curtail it will forever hinder the speedy economic development of Ghana.

The President should have mustered the courage to step in to save his office when he was crying to him about the impediments he was facing, coming from his appointees.

The time is not right for me to make my total observations known, but God willing, I shall do so. We cannot be spectators but citizens. We cannot condone corruption, however, wherever and whenever it comes. Why should I be part of those supporting corruption by government officials for their selfish ends? How do we as collective citizens of Ghana profit from government appointees embezzling public funds, be they from the NDC or the NPP?

Martin Amidu was the only credible person in Ghana for the job, from empirical observations. Anyone that comes after him will simply be a poodle hence the president and the parliament had better dissolve the Office of the Special Prosecutor, to wit, the white elephant.

As said, the time is not right for me to share my total views but I shall do so as time goes on. I cannot countenance the inability by our leaders to fighting corruption.

The only difference between President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of NPP and former President John Dramani Mahama of the NDC is that, while Nana Akufo-Addo is trying to fight corruption with limited capability and ability, although visionary and personally incorruptible, former President Mahama was rather personally corrupt, visionless, and completely failed to attempt to curb official corruption. Whatever the result, their attempts to fighting corruption is NOT ENOUGH! There is no ifs, or buts, about it.