The main opposition New Patriotic Party has said issues concerning the Gitmo2, the Karpower contracts, the controversial bus branding saga and the procurement of loans by the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation; adduce credence to perceptions that President John Mahama’s government is not transparent.
In a statement issued by the NPP on Monday August 1, the party said the recent order issued by the Supreme Court to the government of Ghana to produce the agreement it had with the US government on the acceptance of the two inmates of Guantanamo Bay by Ghana, is proof of the government’s opacity.
According to the apex court, the agreement, which was not covered by the state Secrecy Act, can be given to the lawyers of the plaintiffs (Margaret Bamful and Henry Nana Boakye) who, on January 20, sued the government in court over the agreement.
In the NPP’s statement signed by Communication Director Nana Akomea, the party said: “That it had to take a court to order the release of whatever agreement President Mahama had with the USA government over the relocation of Gitmo detainees to Ghana' is a clear example of President Mahama's non- transparency and non-accountability.”
It added: “In this Gitmo saga, with national security implications, the Parliament of Ghana was kept in the dark. It is apparent that even the Cabinet and the National Security Council were not fully briefed nor consulted as two cabinet ministers of state, also members of the National Security Council, have stated publicly they did not have full details of the Gitmo agreement.”
Read Full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT
MONDAY 1st AUGUST 2016
COURT ORDER ON GITMO 2 EXPOSES GOVERNMENT FAILURE IN TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
The 1992 constitution is anchored on probity, transparency and accountability in the governance of the country.
The NDC constitution also gives pride of place to the tenets of probity, transparency and accountability.
President Mahama in the early days of his presidency, declared: "As President, l am committed to running a transparent and accountable government, devoid of corruption ".
It is therefore with great shock that the NPP and many Ghanaians have observed the total lack of transparency and accountability in President Mahama’s government.
GITMO 2
That it had to take a court to order the release of whatever agreement President Mahama had with the USA government over the relocation of Gitmo detainees to Ghana' is a clear example of President Mahama's non- transparency and non-accountability.
In this Gitmo saga, with national security implications, the Parliament of Ghana was kept in the dark. It is apparent that even the Cabinet and the National Security Council were not fully briefed nor consulted as two cabinet ministers of state, also members of the National Security Council, have stated publicly they did not have full details of the Gitmo agreement.
In the wake of the arrival in Ghana of the detainees, there was so much concern from Ghanaians on the implications for national and personal security, and possibly violation of the law. There were also so many conflicting statements on the conditions of the stay of the Gitmo 2 in Ghana. Despite the resultant widespread calls for full disclosure, President Mahama remained adamant.
Now it has taken an order from the court on government to be transparent and release the Gitmo agreement.
SMARTTYS BUS BRANDING
Sad to relate, the Gitmo saga is not the only example of President Mahama's non transparency and non-accountability.
The Smartty's bus branding saga is another sad story in the governance of non-transparency and non-accountability.
Public funds had been spent on the dubious decision to put colour images of President Mahama and NDC’s campaign slogan on public buses.
When this activity and expenditure was exposed, there was great public indignation and protest. In response, government directed the Attorney General and Minister for Justice to investigate.
Despite the huge public interest and agitation, Government refused to publish the findings of the Attorney General but rather issued a terse white paper.
It had to take a court order obtained by a group of patriotic citizens to order government to publish this report; another sad case of President Mahama's non-transparent and non-accountable governance.
GNPC LOANS
GNPC, a public body, procures loans that are secured by the Ghanaian taxpayer.
Yet GNPC, with tacit support from government, refuses to disclose the terms and conditions of these loans by seeking parliamentary approval.
GNPC rather decided to fight a court action that sought to compel them to full disclosure before Parliament. Even though the court upheld Gnpc's case, the strong and costly resistance they put up against disclosing loan agreements to Parliament, has further dented the aims of transparency and accountability in governance.
KARPOWER CONTRACT
The President Mahama government has signed a contract with messrs Karpower on the generation and purchase of electricity.
This contract was signed several months ago. President Mahama’s government has declined to send this contract to Parliament despite repeated demands for the contract to be brought to Parliament.
This Karpower contract is another sad episode in the record of non-transparent and non-accountable of President Government Mahama.
President Mahama’s government has shown a clear inability to deliver transparent and accountable governance to the people of Ghana.
This non commitment to transparency and accountability underline the rampant corruption that has characterised President Mahama's government.
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