Opinions of Monday, 24 June 2013

Columnist: Nyarko, Kingsley

Okudzeto Ablakwa Has No Shame

He can still talk after his iniquitous and calamitous acts were brought to light by the Supreme Court. I did not want to do this, but his response to the Supreme Court’s rulings is despicable, insulting and afflicts the sensibilities of some of us. People of his type do not deserve my time and energy, but for the love of my dear Ghana, even as I am still mourning the fallen of my 6 year old daughter—Elsie Nyarko—about a month ago because both Komfo Anokye and Korle Bu Teaching Hospitals do not have the facilities to treat her. It is the attitude of government officials such as Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwah—who do not care about the welfare of the masses and the future stability of the country, but rather the trappings of power that has led Ghana to its current sorry state. Instead of protecting our limited resources, and improving the living conditions of the people, they recklessly superintend over the dissipating of the resources. And he has no shame too.

The last few days have been momentous for the nation as a result of the landmark rulings by the Supreme Court. And everywhere in the world, people are singing the praises of one man—Martin Alamisi Benz Kaiser Amidu—a man who put his job on the line in order to defend the nation against criminals who were mistakenly placed within the corridors of power. Honourable Amidu has proven to all and sundry that there are patriots in the country who will do everything, even at the expense of their lives and jobs to defend the nation and ensure that her progress is not hindered by others who are hell burnt in destroying the nation through their insatiable appetite for greed.

As a result of his stance for the truth and hatred for corruption and injustice, he was fired by an administration that abhors the truth and glorifies insincerity, lies, and fraud. The National Democratic Congress will find it very easy to dismiss persons of integrity like Martin Amidu, but glorify, and even promote crooks like Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa—a young man who has been privileged to serve this country—but has in all material times, shown her the big finger. Instead of burying his head in the mud after the Supreme Court’s ruling exposed his inexperienced and unpatriotic attitude of defending dubious foreign companies to dupe and defraud the nation of her limited cash, he has the effrontery to spite us by stating that the Supreme Court’s rulings have exonerated him.

Listen to him, “I feel vindicated by the two judgments that our Supreme Court have so far handed down in the Waterville and Isofoton cases as they have highlighted the recklessness with which contracts were entered into without parliamentary approval as required by article 181 (5) of the 1992 constitution of Ghana and thereby rendering subsequent payments wrongful.” www.ghanaweb.com, 22-06-2013. I hope he listens to himself again. If the so-called contract did not meet the condition captured in the article stated, how then does it become a contract to be honoured? Does it not make sense to conclude that it was as a result of the agreement not passing the constitutional test that made the previous regime not to honour it? So if a government, without recourse to the constitutional provision effects payment for a non-existing contract, how responsible is she? Does it mean the then Attorney General and Minister of Justice--Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu and her deputy—Mr. Ebo Barton Odro were sleeping on their job? Such a government is the one that is rather reckless, and those who religiously and tenaciously crusaded for such a dubious deal are themselves reckless, irresponsible, and unpatriotic citizens.

In fact, nowhere in the Waterville and Isofoton rulings did the Justices allude to an existing contract. As a matter of fact, in the Waterville ruling the justices indicated that there was no ground whatsoever for the payment to be effected and thus referred the lawyers involved to the General Legal Council for “defending Waterville though it was aware that they [Waterville] did not have a case.” The bottom line is that there was no contract between the two companies and the government of Ghana. End of story. Honestly, if anybody was accused of recklessness per the ruling, it was people like Okudzeto Ablakwa and his unpatriotic nation wreckers. I don’t blame him; I do blame the administration that overlooked very competent persons who could have served the nation better, but instead, made him an undeserving deputy Minister of State. As I heard him brag, instead of showing remorse, I asked myself, does this guy have conscience? Does he even have a modicum of respect for the masses who stand proud that due to the vigilance and patriotism of one man, moneys that hither to were fraudulently thrown under the gurgler are going to be retrieved? What an arrogant posturing? People like Mr. Ablakwah are selfish, greedy, unpatriotic, and do not care a hoot about the development of the country as long as they and their cronies are enriched at the expense of the nation.

What I expected Mr. Ablakwa to have done was to unreservedly apologize to us about his iniquitous and nefarious acts against the nation, and resign afterwards. People like him do not deserve, even for a second, to be in government: they are nation wreckers. I expect President Mahama, and his leadership to act quickly in bringing sanity to bear on his administration. The corruption in the ruling NDC government is becoming one too many, and does not bode well for the future of this nation. Let somebody tell Mr. Ablakwa that his name will forever remain in history as an unpatriotic citizen who joined forces with foreign entities to loot our dear nation of our limited cash. Shame on you, Mr. Ablakwah. God bless Ghana!

Source: Kingsley Nyarko, Psychologist, Accra (kingsleynyarko73@yahoo.com)