The Minority in Parliament has described as 'spectacularly disgraceful', a plagiarised quote in President Akufo-Addo's inaugural address last Saturday.
In a statement signed by the Deputy Minority leader James Avedzi, Monday, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Members of Parliament (MPs) are demanding that the address be withdrawn and expunged from Parliamentary records.
The president at his inauguration Saturday in the capital Accra, told Ghanaians, “I ask you to be citizens not spectators; citizens not subjects...”
It turned out that these were the exact words used by former US President George W Bush. The words are actually being traced to another United States president, Woodrow Wilson.
President Akufo-Addo did not attribute the statement to anyone in his speech.
Social media has been set ablaze since it emerged that the statement is plagiarised.
Since the revelation that that portion of the speech was plagiarised, Director of Communication at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, has issued an apology.
But the Minority in Parliament will not let the matter rest. It has cast doubt over the ability of the NPP to fulfill its campaign promises if it cannot write a speech.
Read full speech
MINORITY CAUCUS OF PARLIAMENT DEMANDS WITHDRAWAL OF PRESIDENT NANA AKUFO-ADDO’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS AND FOR THE PRESIDENT TO TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE EMBARRASSMENT HIS ACTION HAS BROUGHT UPON GHANA
On the 7th of January 2017, the newly elected President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, delivered his Inaugural Speech as the fifth President of the Fourth Republic in consonance with the tenets of established protocols of the State.
However, it has emerged that upon a careful reading of the written text of the said speech, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo failed to publicly acknowledge certain key sources of material information as contained in the speech in question. Further scrutiny so far reveals that several paragraphs in President Nana Addo’s inaugural address contained word for word liftings from speeches ever presented by President John F. Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush Jnr. and President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Minority in Parliament like most well-meaning Ghanaians is deeply saddened and outraged by this development which has brought Ghana shame and subjected us to intense ridicule.
This monumental plagiarism scandal which has now assumed international dimensions with major global news networks including CNN, BBC, AlJazeera, Reuters, Washington Post, Metro News, Nairobi News, Vanguard of Nigeria and Yahoo News all casting Ghana in bad light has clearly tarnished the image of Ghana abroad and brought upon this great nation untold embarrassment never witnessed in the aftermath of a Presidential inauguration.
It is depressing to observe that the goodwill that Ghana had been enjoying within the international community since our successful December 7 election and transition all appear to have been squandered by this singular act of sloppy intellectual theft.
It is indeed shocking that for a presidential campaign that anchored its core message on competence and incorruptibility will on its first day in office fall short of its pledge in such a spectacularly disgraceful manner.
If the NPP Government cannot exhibit competence in writing its own speeches, how can we trust them to have the competence to fulfil their numerous promises to the electorate? If the NPP Government engages in intellectual property theft on its first day in office, how safe are the resources of this country that have been freshly placed in their care?
Even more worrying is further evidence of plagiarism now coming to the fore pointing to a consistent pattern on the part of President Nana Akufo-Addo dating back to his days as opposition leader. Another video also in circulation exposes how then Flagbearer Akufo-Addo lifts statements during his 2013 post-Supreme Court verdict address from Former US Vice President Al Gore's speech after the US Supreme Court verdict on that country's election dispute.
We urge President Nana Akufo-Addo and his speech writers to be original and realize that they have now formed a Government and it is expected of them to put a stop to this unfortunate practice as it will be very difficult to get away as they may have gotten away in time past. We also expect the new President to exercise diligence and circumspection before reading or signing anything put before him to avoid even more severe consequences to our dear nation.
Considering that this inaugural address was made before us in Parliament in compliance with the Constitution and same having been captured by the Hansard Department as part of the official records of Parliament, the Minority demands that the now infamous plagiarized inaugural address be withdrawn and expunged from Parliamentary records with liberty to resubmit another speech not tainted with fraud and reflecting all attributable sources.
The sanctity of Parliament must be respected and preserved and it is our expectation that the new Speaker of Parliament The Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye who thankfully is an academic of some repute will better appreciate the full ramifications of what is before us.
We also wish to remind President Nana Akufo-Addo that Ghana operates an Executive Presidency as clearly stipulated in Articles 57 and 58 of the Constitution and therefore the apology of his Communications Director notwithstanding, we expect him to take personal responsibility and assure the good people of Ghana that he will take concrete steps to ensure that this nation is spared any similar embarrassment in future.
Ghanaians expect of their leaders to, at all times, defend the good image of Ghana, therefore, it is our hope that we will all take steps to mitigate and rescue Ghana - the black star of Africa from the web of ridicule that our nation is being subjected to all over the world and we must not fail them.
Issued in Parliament House on Monday, January 9, 2017, in the year of our Lord on behalf of the Minority Caucus and signed by:
Hon. James Klutse Avedzi
Deputy Minority Leader.
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I now understand why the NDC preferred Haruna as the minority leader than this Avedzi m0ron. So the Eve caucus were fighting to impose such a loose and 1di0tic talker on the minority in parliament? Thank goodness they rejected him.
FOOOOOOOOOOLS
Oh NDC with this attitude you have started exhibiting, i bet you, you will stay in opposition for a long time
This is his ECOMINI moment.
I forgot to add the blatant lies to Parliament that he will fix dumsor!!! HAS THE FRAUDULENT MAHAMA BEEN HARRASSED BY THR NPP? YOU MOTHER-F-CKERS MUST STEP BACK AND THINK AGAIN OTHERWISE SOME OF US WILL GO TO COURT TO COMPEL PARLIAMENT TO EXPUNGE MAHAMA'S SPEECHES FROM THE HANSARD!! THE PRESIDENT, HE NANA AKUFFO-ADDO NEVER LIED TO PARLIAMENT. AND NOW YOU SILLY MINORITY PUNKKS READ WHAT FOLLOWS CAThe REFULLY AND SHUT YOUR ***barred word*** MOUTHS FOREVER!!! Copyright Laws allow the use of other persons work, 70 years after its original use!! The sentences in question were first used by Woodrow Wilson in September 1919!! ***barred word*** used them in 2001, without crediting Wilson; and so has others like Davd M. Ricci, in 2004; and Kartnim Erdnam in 2006!!! Leave our ILLUSTROUS AND LEARNED PRESIDENT ALONE, YOU F-CKING JEALOUS AND MISCHIEF MAKING SECOND RATE MPS!!!
The reason why Ghanaians voted out most of NDC Parliamentarians and NDC Government is that most of them could not speak basic High School English. All they could do is shout and talk loudly in Local Language like Akua Donkor. James K Avedzie please think like a Normal Human Being. Tell the Minority Leader Idrissu Mahama is the MASTER OF PLAGIARIZATION who nearly lost his Certificate that Legon should take their Degree Back.
Has Avedzi Klutse James heard of the embarrassment and the gross irresponsibility and egregious crassness, that is being exhibited by the former President of Ghana is his attempt to wantonly and with utter impunity, steallllllllll a state asset and further cementing his legacy as Africa's second most corrupt and ***barred word***-prone President? And does Avedzi klutse think such conduct and by far a very unenviable and irredeemably catastrophic legacy bothering on unbridled and unrepentant penchant and obstinate propensity for kleptocratic conduct of indignity which has brought shame, opprobrium and offense to the image and status of Ghana across the entire world, appropriate conduct for president of a party of which Avedzi Klutse represents? One gets the impression, this statement is an attempt to equalize for the completely crass act of John Dramani Mahama to stealllllllll the state asset and Ghanaians know better. Avedzi Kluyse James must develop the backbone to call the egregious and irresponsible actions, conduct and behavior of the leader of their party which has caused Ghana deep and great distress across the entire world for the shame it has brought upon Ghana, with such a president holding the record as Africa, the whole of Africa's second most corrupt president, to order and implore on him to exercise some decency in he has any, and stop with the steallllling of state assets. The false equivalence is not working and Avedzi Klutse must call John Mahama for such indecent conduct. It is a complete no no and Avedzi Klutse must help in restoring Ghana's image which has been completely shredded into absolute tatters these past 8 years. His constituency is depending on him to do that and that is why he is in Parliament as the minority.
Honorable James K Avedzie please put on your thinking cap. You must be thinking of how to fix the deep cracks and broken walls of your party as a leader and stop this type of korku anyidaho type of politics. Is this for fun or for real
Arhhhhhh. When I first read this n0ns3nse I was aghast. I thought it was authored by the minority leader but alas it wasn't him Idrissu Mahama is the MASTER OF PLAGIARIZATION. Cunning guy. See how he allowed his deputy to put this sh1t forward?
Nana Kwadwo well said. Propaganda sent NDC to opposition and if they continue like that without any proper and constructive criticism they will be there for ever. At any rate they have nothing to offer. Green book of lies that is all they have.