Diplomat offers to mediate between Spio-Garbrah and Mills

The Former Chairman Emeritus of the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisations, Anthony De Bono has offered to mediate between Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and President John Evans Ata Mills for the sake of Ghana’s reputation abroad.

In an article entitled “Can Ghana Honour Her Heroes – Like Spio-Garbrah?” copied to this writer, Mr. De Bono, who is currently the Maltese Ambassador to Jordan, said “I even wrote directly to H.E. Prof Atta Mills, to offer myself as a mediator if necessary, but I got no response.”

He said he has also used the feedback channel on www.myjoyonline on several occasions to mediate, if requested, between Dr Spio-Garbrah and those in the NDC and the government who have issues with him.

Mr. De Bono argued that the attacks on Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and other illustrious sons of Ghana, including President Mills are adversely affecting the image of Ghana in the international community because of the reputation such persons command abroad.

He said he has on several occasions written comments and notes on some of the Ghanaian websites where “I have read news and commentaries about Dr. Spio-Garbrah that I consider untrue or misguided, or where I believe Ghana’s reputation is being harmed.”

“Many in the Ghana’s government may not be aware of the harm they are doing to Ghana’s image abroad when they attack the personality of Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, rather than simply stating their arguments in opposition to his views and opinions.

“I hope that Ghanaians will also learn that for those of us foreigners who love your country, any time you attack your most respectable citizens such as Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Mr Kofi Annan, President Atta Mills, Mr Jerry Rawlings, or Dr. Spio-Garbrah, it makes us wonder about Ghana’s future.”

He said other well-qualified Ghanaians in the Diaspora who can help Ghana, are bound to be hesitant in their commitment to the motherland if they reach the conclusion that Ghana is a country which is unable and unwilling to honour its heroes,” he advised.

Mr. De Bono therefore urged Ghanaians to stop attacking Dr. Spio-Garbrah and save the reputation of the country abroad.

This call comes at a time when the image of Dr. Spio-Garbrah has become almost synonymous with political insults.

Contrary to Mr. De Bono’s calls, it is rather Dr. Spio-Garbrah who has been accused of insulting ministers of his own party and even the president, John Evans Atta Mills.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah is on record as referring to some young ministers in the Mills government as “Team B” and also allegedly calling the president “wicked” for not providing a place for former President Rawlings since his house got burnt down, and for calling for the arrest of recalcitrant NDC foot soldiers.

In a related development, Mr. De Bono disclosed that in 2006 he sought the support of the erstwhile NPP government for Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah to be nominated by Ghana to compete for Chairmanship of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), but the NPP refused to do so.

Mr. De Bono noted that he personally met Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo in London, who was then Foreign Minister, and persuaded him to get his government to nominate Dr. Spio-Garbrah to contest the position but he (Nana Addo) showed no interest.

“Present at that meeting was the High Commissioner, H.E. Mr. Isaac Osei - My view then and now was that Dr Spio-Garbrah’s capabilities far exceeded the requirements of the CTO, and Ghana was under-utilising him - I wanted Ghana to make the most of this illustrious citizen of theirs,” he said.

He said he later travelled all the way to Ghana and met the then Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama in the presence of the Deputy Minister of Communications, Dr. Benjamin Aggrey Ntim and raised the same matter but to no avail.

“The Ghanaian government at the time, formed by the NPP, was understandably not enthused about my proposals, as Dr Spio-Garbrah was a well-known member of the opposition NDC party,” he said.

Dr. De Bono said he met several Ghanaians whiles in Ghana, and in talking with them, he realised that Ghanaians were fully aware of the capabilities of Dr. Spio-Garbrah but the government of the day were simply not interested in making use of his expertise even at the international level.

“Ghana lost a great opportunity to elevate one of its own who could have followed the footsteps of the former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, as a great official of the UN,” he said. ENDS