REJOINDER: Foreign Minister Spends C300 Million On Furniture

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is a regular visitor to your web-site (ghanaweb.com) and has always admired reports filed at your online news web page. However, we read with much concern your report on the above topic on Wednesday, August 7th, 2002 [READ] which took a not-so-sublime liberties with the truth. It is equally surprising that you did not cross-check your information with the said Ministry.

The Ministry has not, I repeat, has not ordered or purchased any new furniture for the office of the Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, neither has it changed the furniture in his office. The furniture at the Office of the Honourable Minister predates the coming into office of the present Administration. It is, therefore, no wonder that the so-called “mole” or source of your story could not have the courage to append his name to the story. In any case, if it is really true that we have a “mole” in the Foreign Ministry then “God save Ghana”!!

It is also not true that Mr. Amoh, who is a career Foreign Service Officer accompanied the Ministerial delegation to Cuba only to take pictures with a “digital camera”. The truth is that Mr. Amoh is an Assistant Director at the Bureau of the Minister and he traveled with the Minister to assist the delegation in its assignment. What can be wrong with an officer who is extremely capable and IT competent taking a couple of pictures for the records?

We do not believe that Ghana could have chalked as much success as it has in the fashioning and implementation of its foreign policy if we had a Foreign Minister “who speaks loosely and subject his officers to insults”. On the contrary, Foreign Service Officers have never been as highly motivated as they are now.

Various incentives to FSOs that were withdrawn by the previous government have been restored under the present Foreign Minister who has also brought his leadership to bear on the conduct of foreign policy and overall management of the Ministry.

The Ministry is hopeful that as an esteemed web-site and a valuable source of information, you will not allow any individual or organization who/which has an axe to grind with the present Government to tarnish the reputation of hard-working and honest public servants without first cross-checking with the Ministry before publication.

The Government of Ghana and indeed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not be deterred by such articles whose aim is to distract it from its goal of improving the lot of Ghanaians.