This article is in response to a proposed law suit to be filed by the Ghana Leadership Union (GLU) in the Fast Track Court in Accra against the three ministers whose nominations were initially not approved by the parliamentary committee on ministerial appointments.
I am all for a court action but you must make sure that you have the evidence, supporting documents and witnesses before the legal brief is filed. Hear say, as the Gas would say, "a k33 ak33" or in Twi "y3 se, y3 se" won't sway any jury.
If I had my way, Dr. Richard Anane and the Central Regional minister, Mr. Edumadze, would not have been confirmed. The two are suspected of corruption. In the case of Anane, he is accused of having transferred over $90,000 to the American lady he had the littly baby boy with. Extra marital affairs may not be morally right but his wife testified that she was not bothered the affair. I admired the courage of Anane's wife. I bet she is probably hurting inside but she had to support her man. The extra marital affair was not what should have been the main concern of the opposition minority in parliament. The public just wanted to know the source of the money which was transferred by Dr. Anane to the woman in America . The Ghanaian authorities should have paid for the American woman to travel to Ghana to testify during Anane's confirmation hearings. It's sad that the NPP majority in parliament carelessly grossed over this episode in morality and public accountability because of political expediency. The integrity of the minister was at stake and his truthfullness or lack of, could either expose him or set him free in the eyes of public opinion. It could be the public's money, STUPID!. Anane was confirmed by parliament with mainly NPP votes, the people of Ghana still have the right to know where Anane got the money to transfer to the woman in America. Anane has the moral obligation to support his baby from the tryst but he can't use public funds to fulfill that duty. Hence, the source of the outcry. Dr. Anane must stand up and be accountable: Again, where did he get the money to transfer to the woman in America?
In the case of Mr. Edumadze, a witness with name and address (a contractor) has come forward to testify against him. The onus is on Edumadze to refute the charges either in a court of law or in a parliamentary hearing. The NPP majority in parliament thwarted and obfuscated any attempts to hold the minister accountable. This is simply wrong and sets a bad precedent. The NPP would forever lose the moral authority to confront any member of the opposition today who comes down under similar circumstance if the minority today were to become the majority in the future. What is good for the goose may also be good for the gander.
I saw no need to withhold the nomination and approval of the Greater Accra Regional minister, the self styled Sheikh, I. C. Quaye. The man didn't have his school certificates, so what? I don't know where my "O" and "A" level certificates are and I left school not that long ago. The man is not going to perform surgery on anybody and the committee in parliament should have accepted his argument that his certificates were lost in a fire at face value. After all, I C. Quaye has been the Greater Accra regional minister for four years. He should have been asked by the parliamentary committeee to account for his stewardship of the region. For example, he should have been asked why the capital city is too filthy and dirty with hawkers selling in the streets and on the side walks. More importantly, the minister should have been quizzed on whether there was a need for limits to growth in the capital, Accra. The creation of new suburbs and expansion of old suburbs in Accra call for the regional minister to make a determination as to the need for these new townships to be part of the city administration. The Accra Metro Assembly(AMA) has not been able to administer the capital city well. This writer feel that since the AMA has poorly administered the city, there is the need to determine if newly expanding suburbs should fall under current city administration, namely, the AMA.. There is also the need for zoning in the city as to where people can sell. As things stand today, every street and empty space in the central part of Accra has become an unofficial bazaar, a form of unregulated market. The parliamentary committee should have asked Mr. Quaye if he has thought of recommending that the capital of the Greater Accra region be moved to say Dodowa to ease administrative congestion and allow Accra to function only as the capital of Ghana. These are some of the tough and probing questions that I expected the parliamentary comittee to ask Mr. I.C Quaye. The parliamentary committee dwelt too much on trivialities such as his missing school certificates. Certificate or no certificate, Mr. Quaye has been performing his duties as the Greater Accra regional minister for some time now. Academic qualification alone does not necessarily make a man. It is what a man does with whatever qualification he purports to have or does not have that makes him. I C should have been judged by his stewardship of the region and not necessarily on his missing/lost school certificates. Withholding approval of a job he has done the past four years appeared to me that the minority was fussing over nothing. In my estimation, it was a strategy by the minority in parliament to attempt to either embarass him and make him lose respect and become ineffective in the execution of his duties.
A case of corruption in public office should be investigated to confirm or remove the cloud hanging over Dr. Ananae and Mr. Edumadze. This is the case of "zero tolerance for corruption" gone astray. I hope the president of Ghana, Mr. Kufour is listening.
Burlington, NC
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