Audio Attachment:Listen to Kwaku Baako Jnr. on the "kokrokoo" programme. |
�Why should I interrogate such rubbish? Why are we doing so much injustice to our integrity as a nation? Why have we reduced governance to such a base level? The poverty, the ineptitude that this whole allegation is bringing up�.How can you say that the entire documents in the Chief of Staff office are gone?...
...There must be something very, very wrong. That government appointees can sit down for Waterville to come and make a claim; you pay them and then three years down the line, you come and tell us documents are missing? Where is the logic? It just doesn�t make sense. This is a gargantuan error on their part��
These were the remarks of Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako in reaction to claims by government that files which could help in uncovering some heinous crimes committed during the NPP era, especially those connected to the infamous GhC 51 million judgment debt payment to embattled Alfred Woyome are missing.
It would be recalled that on Saturday, February 25th, while contributing to discussions on Joy FM�s Newsfile programme, Deputy Minister for Information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa claimed that former government officials carted away some vital documents when they were handing over to the ruling government.
Later on Peace FM�s morning show �Kokrokoo, the Deputy Information Minister accused Hon. Anthony Osei Akoto, a former Minister of State at the Finance Ministry, former Chief Executive of the Ghana@50 celebrations, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey and a former Chief of Staff, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, of taking away some vital documents to cover up their wrong deeds.
But speaking to the issue as a panelist on the same platform, the Senior Journalist wondered how government was able to pay huge judgment debts to Woyome and Waterville without verifying their claims from relevant documents.
��Meanwhile these gentlemen who are alleged to have stolen those documents are still walking around�you don�t tell this to the marines alone; this is meant for the dustbin�Assuming that what he is saying is even true; the timing of the disclosure, the delay in doing thorough investigations and coming to a conclusion; you�ve lost the integrity; you�ve lost the integrity of what you are saying. I know there are people in the NDC who are smarter than this and even if this is a situation confronting them, I can tell you there is a better way of managing this process and it would have been much earlier,� Kweku Baako said.
However, the Deputy Information Minister disagreed with his line of argument and in a sharp rebuttal on phone stated: �I want to place on record that his understanding of this whole matter appears to be problematic. If you take a look at the things going on in the county, it will not be fair to make a conclusion that after so many years we are now notifying that files have been missing. All along I have stated that since we took notice of the missing files, certain measures were made and this has been going on over the last three years including writing of letters�There are others who have still not responded and others say they don�t have the files in their custody�There are various measures that have been taken�"
"...So for him to come out and say that we are up to some mischief for keeping long before coming out with the information, I don�t think that it is fair�to create the impression that this information is coming out to take Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome off the hook is very mischievous and not fair to me at all�as for the opinion that we are impotent and we don�t know what we are about, that is the opinion of my good friend Kweku Baako and he is entitled to it�,� Okudzeto Ablakwahe said.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |