Opinions of Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Columnist: Bomfeh Jnr, Kwabena

Supreme Court Justices' lead not enough

THE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES’ LEAD NOT ENOUGH

The Coalition for Freedom and Justice read with much delight the bold step taken by the Supreme Court Justices to retrieve the criminally minded monies wrongly paid to Watervaille Holdings under the guise of judgement debt which became notoriously known under the reign of Presidents John Atta Mills and John Mahama. The directive for Watervaille to refund the illegally acquired money back to government chess with the appropriate interest came as no surprise to us at all but really exhilarating to note that after all we still have bold courageous men and women of the bench who would do everything possible to defend and protect the Laws of the Land as well as preserve them.

Almost every Ghanaian is singing the praise songs of Mr Martin Amidu for the singular yeoman’s job done including the loud mouth NDC fanatics who hurled unprintable insults at his person and professional ethics. Why I do not begrudge anybody for praising Martin Alamisi Amidu, is simply to appreciate that he has done his part. The Supreme Court has spoken! But there is a lot more to be done. The deferment of their decision on the Woyome aspect pending the determination of the High Court on the same matter was not without a hint. It is instructive that we all follow the lead respectfully offered and jurisdictionally withheld in respect of procedure.

Freely, to the High Court which is sitting on the Alfred Agbesi Woyome alleged fraud trial must take and cue as well as the one handling the civil aspect in determining what is before them. A big hint has been dropped by the Law Dons. It would be suicidal and retrogressive to ignore them. The plot to ‘create, loot and share’ must be arrested immediately.

All the Public Officials who had anything to do with the approval of the gargantuan amount must be sacked since none of them has had the humility of courage to resign or step aside. From the point of recognition and entertainment of the fraudulent claim through the signage and execution to the propagandist/praise singers/blame layers, they must all dance to the tune of the music they drummed into our ears by force despite mass protestation. All the ministers who sat in the cabinet that approved the payment through a budget arrangement if are still at post should be sacked from whatever capacities they fill now. After their dismissal the only decent thing left for President Mahama to do is to resign. It stinks already though many more are in line.

This case also reminds us of what weak or ill advice from A-Gs can do to a nation. In all four different A-Gs names crop up. When Watervaille with the connivance of Alfred Agbesi Woyome and a clique of nation wreckers/looters made the dubious claim of compensation for termination of contracts, Hon Joe Gartey’s caution or legal opinion on the matter was sitting on the books and in the records for consideration to strike out their unscrupulously frivolous demand. But Betty Mould failed to listen but went ahead to discuss out of court without putting up a challenge. Even after a court had ordered and President Mills’ so called caution, the plotters had their way under a weak leader who virtually was not in charge of his team. With her exit enter Martin Amidu. The moment he defied the odds and took shots at unravelling the mirage of a mystery, the gang succeeded to his dismissal. Then came Dr Ben Kumbour, currently Majority Leader whom Martin Amidu had reservation about anyways. He challenged his capacity to pursue the matter considering his own very recent dishonest and deceitful conduct in public office. True to Martin’s word, Kumbour failed woefully. The present A-G just can’t do anything. She is coming from the Legal Firm that led the illegal operation and legitimised it. But in all situations the conclusion one can easily come to is that the good man was punished and the bad people rewarded. What a shame! The President then and the Vice President who is now President cannot extricate themselves from the shame especially so when the man in charge now hail from the same part of the country as Martin Amidu but did nothing to defend him at the nation’s time of need for him. Infact they superintended the entire operation and the least attempt at cleaning them the better.

We must embark on mass actions to make serious demands of people in high or responsible offices of accountability. We cannot allow leaders who have deliberately decided to be irresponsible to get away with their recklessness. Ghana must work and Ghanaians must be seen as serious. No nation with our solid history will tolerate such irritant misconduct from public purse handlers.

We are calling on Ghanaian masses to action and duty because NO government from our colonial days to date has insulted the intelligence of the otherwise awakened Ghanaian like the NDC led government. They seem to think that they can fool all of us, all of the time. So even in the face of their complicity in the crime committed against the State their apparatchiks parade around with slogans and chants of feigningly willing to retrieve what they pilfered. We hear them refrain time and again “the government is committed to retrieve wrongly paid monies”. On Monday, June 17, 2013 on the popular Asempa fm afternoon show (Ekosii Sen) Kakra Essuamua the latter day saint of the NDC had the impudence and audacity to mock that Ghanaians voted for the NDC despite all the reckless pilferage of scarce resources having been raised six months to election by the opposition. As if Ghanaians really and truly voted for them and that there is no petition challenging the validity of that declaration synonymous to ‘adverse selection’ at the Supreme Court in line with Article 64? The arrogance they display in the face of all these mishaps amply demonstrates their collective disrespect for the Ghanaian. Aba! Where did we go wrong Ghana?

If we fail to act now, for this government and their cabal of nation wreckers to taste the anger of the rather tolerant Ghanaian, they would never stop anywhere in adding salt to our bleeding injuries. They seem to have had too much laxity from the Ghanaian populace and like blood fed mosquito dancing around us teasingly. If we fail to strike, the blood will soon dry out and they will return to our ‘insensitive and docile’ body again and again. Let’s strike now and kill the wrecking Mosquito once and for all.

CFJ is on behalf of bleeding mother Ghana calling on all patriotic sons and daughters to duty. The Trades Union Congress must speak and sound the clarion call. Civil Society and Advocacy groups where are you? IMANI, CDD, IEA, GII, DI, where are you all?? Acclaimed Progressive Organizations like the CPP, PNC, Kwame Nkrumah Foundation; the trumpet has been sounded. Rise and shine for Ghana! This loot must stop NOW!

Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr

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