The New Patriotic Party has described as \u201clukewarm, scandalous and shameful\u201d Government\u2019s actions and reactions to investigative pieces undertaken by the Crusading Guide\u2019s Anas Aremeyaw Anas, that have exposed serious corruption and rot at some state institutions and at the country\u2019s border points.
\nAddressing a news conference on Monday February 7, newly-appointed Communications Director of the Party, Nana Akomea said Mr Aremeyaw Anas\u2019 reward for \u201clong months of self sacrifice, diligence and such dogged determination as to win the admiration of people in and outside Ghana and Africa \u201d has been attacks on his integrity and a seeming lack of interest by the government to bring those exposed by his investigations to book.
\nCiting the various investigations undertaken by Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the NPP say government\u2019s reaction after each of the reports show that the \u201cMills-Mahama administration\u201d was not committed to the fight against corruption.
\nWhile not condoning the reported corruption in the Customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Party challenged the President not only to look into reports of CEPS officers putting up buildings within three years of their employment, but also reports of some of his appointees putting up mansions within two years upon assumption of office.
\n\u201cAs for officials putting up houses within 3 years, we would like to bring to the President\u2019s attention that there are also several reports of political appointees in his government putting up houses within 2 years which have not been investigated. Do political appointees earn enough to put up houses in 2 years as is being reported?\u201d the Party said.
\nRead below the full statement:
\nPRESS STATEMENT ON ANAS\u2019 TEMA PORT EXPOSE\u2019 GOVERNMENT\u2019S REACTION TO ANAS\u2019 WORK IS SCANDALOUS
\nThe New Patriotic Party (NPP) salutes Mr. Anas Aremeyaw Anas, of the New Crusading Guide, for the latest work on exposing corruption in our public administration, specifically at the Tema Port.
\nMr Anas\u2019 investigative work, has ranged from exposing malpractices in biscuit manufacturing, Chinese Prostitution ring, psychiatric care, rot at our western borders and his latest, rot at our Tema Port.
\nThe work has been characterised by long months of self sacrifice, diligence and such dogged determination as to win the admiration of all both in and outside Ghana and Africa as a whole.
\nThe New Patriotic Party takes this opportunity to recommend Mr. Anas for high national honour.
\nHowever, ladies and gentlemen, we in the New Patriotic Party are disappointed by the reaction of the Mills-Mahama administration to the work of Mr Anas. The reaction has ranged from lukewarm, to scandalous and shameful.
\nOSU CHILDREN\u2019S HOME
\nOn the exposures at Osu children\u2019s Home for example, the political reaction sought to attack Mr Anas integrity. His motives were questioned and his findings were said to be doctored. Eventually some committee was set by the respective Ministry.
\nThe political reaction had been so discouraging such that there was hardly any collaboration\/cooperation between the committee and Mr Anas. Since then there has been no new policy initiative by the Mills-Mahama administration to protect Ghana\u2019s children.
\nCOCOA SMUGGLING
\nThe political reaction to Mr Anas diligent exposure of rot and corruption at our Western borders has also been nothing short of scandalous. Mr Anas had provided strong evidence, including audio and graphic video of officials facilitating the smuggling of cocoa, a criminal activity which cost the country dearly in export earnings.
\nHowever, just last week, as the President was preparing to make his visit to the Tema Port, the 14 security personnel who were at the centre of the alleged cocoa smuggling scandal, were being freed for the second time for want of prosecution.
\nThe men were first released in June 2010. They were rearrested in July 2010 and put before a second court, only to be released again for the second time on the 1st of February 2011. This was not because the prosecution did not have evidence. No. It was because the Attorney General and his lawyers simply repeatedly failed to show up to present the evidence that a private investigator had painstakingly and dangerously gathered for them. All that the Attorney General had to do was to present the evidence and prosecute.
\nLadies & gentlemen, can we say that the Mills-Mahama government is serious about building a better Ghana where the price of corruption is high and unattractive?
\nLadies and gentlemen, despite the plethora of state security and investigative agencies, it took Mr Anas to conduct an investigation and provide evidence of official malpractice and corruption at our Western borders. What is left is for these agencies and prosecutors to simply go to court with the evidence.
\nThis simple task has proven to be too much for the Attorney General\u2019s department and its collaborators.
\nIt is almost unbelievable, but true. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a damning testimony on the commitment of President Mills and his government to fighting corruption and inefficiency in our country.
\nTEMA PORT
\nMr Anas latest exposure, also backed by extensive audio and graphic video evidence, is on rot, corruption and inefficiency at the Tema Port. The official reaction seems to be following the same lines of harangues and exhortations from the Presidency and other officials that is not followed by concrete action.
\nLadies and Gentlemen, it is instructive to note that after the exposure of the rot of at our Western borders, which also involved custom officers, the President on Wednesday April 7th went to the Tema Port. We all remember reports of people taking to their heels. On that occasion the President engaged in harangues and exhortations directed at customs officials.
\nAfter Mr Anas expose of the rot at Tema Port itself, we have all seen the President at the Tema Port again, engaging in the same angry harangues and exhortations at customs officials once again.
\nIt is clear from the President\u2019s harangues that the story is the same as it has been for a long time. The President says that \u201cevery day we hear of reports of bribe taking….\u201d and that people go to work at customs and within \u201cthree years\u201d are putting up \u201cbuildings\u201d.
\nLadies and gentlemen, so it is obvious that the President knows all about the daily happenings at the Tema Port. It is therefore most curious that the President would say that he was waiting for the Anas\u2019 video before he would act?
\nAnd as for officials putting up houses within 3 years, we would like to bring to the President\u2019s attention that there are also several reports of political appointees in his government putting up houses within 2 years which have not been investigated. Do political appointees earn enough to put up houses in 2 years as is being reported?
\nThe President\u2019s appeal to the Judiciary is also very curious.
\nWe would like to point out to the President, with the greatest of respect that the Judiciary can only convict on the basis of ample evidence. Indeed President Mills himself has stated that allegations must be supported by evidence.
\nBut even when such evidence is so providently available, such as in Mr Anas\u2019 work, if the Attorney General\u2019s Department would not go to the court to present the evidence, then the Judiciary may not be able to hand down convictions. Should the President not be rather focussing his anger on his Attorney General?
\nThe President also called for CEPS officials to be made to fulfil Assets Declaration Requirements. Ladies and Gents, it is entirely within the remit of the government to secure the necessary legal requirements. The Presidency should move from calls to action.
\nThe President at Tema also sought to encourage the giving of gifts to CEPS officials. Where will the President draw the line between gifts and bribes?
\nThe President further issued a warning, (or is it a clarion call?) to officials at our Aflao border and at the DVLA.
\nInstead of telling us of actions that he has taken (if any) he rather chose to announce his future surprise visit.
\nIt is most extraordinary to expect that the officials after this open alert would be waiting for the President to visit then and catch them red-handed.
\nLadies and Gentlemen, it is also a very sad commentary that operatives at the level of National Security, sent to Tema to be \u2018Watchmen\u2019, were identified in the video evidence also engaged in bribe taking.
\nFor exasperation, the President asks the question \u201cwho watches the watchman\u201d?
\nIt is our humble view that the chief watchman is the President. He has the executive mandate. It will be recalled that in 2002 the Kufour administration implemented the GCNET system to replace the old system that had been in place and was bereft with corruption. By 2005, the then government further implemented the computerised vehicle clearing system that sought to cut down on the human handling of the process and thereby curb corruption.
\nThe buck stops with him, and he must act now. The reaction so far is as if whenever any new video evidence emerges from Mr Anas, the government feels compelled to make some exhortations and shortly after recoils and goes back to sleep until it is awoken by another Anas exposure.
\nThis kind of reaction gives the definite impression that the government is not committed to fighting and abuses in our system.
\nLadies and gentlemen, The New Patriotic Party would introduce a policy for a crack team of undercover investigators which would make the kind of investigative work being commendably undertaken by Mr Anas, a core aspect of the work of public institutions being mandated to fight corruption in public places.
\nThank you.
\nFebruary 7, 2011<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The New Patriotic Party has described as \u201clukewarm, scandalous and shameful\u201d Government\u2019s actions and reactions to investigative pieces undertaken by the Crusading Guide\u2019s Anas Aremeyaw Anas, that have exposed serious corruption and rot at some state institutions and at the country\u2019s border points. Addressing a news conference on Monday February 7, newly-appointed Communications Director of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-275686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n