It�s such a pity when opportunism overtakes principle. The Minority Leader in Parliament, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu continues to abuse his position by putting politics above country and behaving like a student politician.
In a time like this, when there is a growing collapse of trust in politics; when the public is appalled because millions of their tax monies are disappearing into corporate and personal bank accounts because of judgment debts, to try and blame Hon. Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu and the NDC government is frankly pathetic.
The minority leader in parliament ought to resign from the opposition frontbench since he is unwilling to uphold the legislative oath he took. He is not providing constructive opposition to government, and clearly isn't showing signs of being sound, nor tactful.
When the Mills government came into office in 2009, Kyei Mensah Bonsu and his colleagues embarked on a campaign of peddling falsehood to tarnish the image of the government and the ruling party.
One of the biggest lies they peddled in 2009 was that, security operatives had undressed Mr. George Owusu of KOSMOS in front of his family. They held a press conference and made a lot of noises. It turned out to be a complete fabrication, calculated at discrediting the government of the day.
It is no longer surprising when the NPP organizes press conferences ostensibly to score cheap political points and malign government officials, but I find it tragic, that the opposition, led by the minority leader, would abuse the former Attorney-General and call for her resignation over the now infamous Wayome saga based on assumptions and disregard for the facts.
Is this what Kyei Mensah Bonsu�s minority leadership has been reduced to? Abusing a woman who worked hard to save her country millions in claims? For the difficult job that Betty did for her country, the minority wants her crucified because she followed the law. There is no basis, no logic, no sense or rationality to their calls for Betty�s crucifixion.
It is crucial to point out that, a document dated 25th March 2010 from the ministry of finance clearly stated that, in their expert view, Alfred Wayome�s claim of two percent is �deemed legitimate.�
It is therefore sad, when the minority wants the world to believe Madam Betty Mould sat in her office and decided, without broader consultations with experts in and out of her ministry to award Woyome his claim.
The minority should back off the campaign of disinformation. Fact is, the NPP government, awarded a contract to Shangai Construction Group, against the procurement laws of Ghana; against the explicit advice of the then Minister of Education and Sports, Yaw Osafo Marfo, who told cabinet in a memo dated 27th July 2005 that:
(a) The Shangai Group did not submit any bid by 7th February, 2005 to be considered by the Evaluation Committee
(b) The Shangai Group expects the Government of Ghana to provide direct funding which served as basis for rejecting other firms who could not attract funding even though these firms could be very competitive.
(c) The Procurement Act makes it difficult to admit the Shangai Group, given that several firms who did not meet the financial requirement were not shortlisted. Some of the firms shortlisted have also been declared not wholly responsive because of their financial terms.
Between Betty Mould Iddrisu and President Kufour and his cabinet, who could have been more negligent, fraudulent and irresponsible? President Kufour demanded that a bidding process be truncated and contract awarded to the Shangai Construction Group. If the minority wants a typical example of recklessness, negligence and fraud, they should not look beyond President Kufour who presided over an orgy of recklessness and complete disregard for the laws.
The NPP had at least three years to sort out the mess from the Woyome saga; it was they, who flouted the Procurement Act and abrogated a contract; it was the NPP whose Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani committed the country to paying compensation. They had no excuse for not cleaning up the mess; they had three years and they dithered and failed to provide leadership.
The leader of the opposition in parliament should know that posing as a guardian of probity in public finances in the face of all the evidence of neglect and recklessness by his party when they were in government smacks of organized-hypocrisy.
How much did parliament vote for as budget for the Ghana @50 celebrations, how much did parliament vote for as budget for the Presidential palace and how much did they spend on these projects?
The minority and their friends are demonstrating that there are powerful men who still hate the sight of a successful and independent woman. I don�t want to antagonize anyone, but Hon. Kyei Mensah Bonsu should resign from the minority frontbench.
Act 458 of 1993, the Act establishing the law on causing financial law to the state must stay. The law should stay and whoever may have been reckless, be they NPP or NDC members must be made to account for their negligence.
Ras Mubarak,
NDC Parliamentary Candidate for
Ablekuma North Constituency
Accra, Ghana
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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