Martin Amidu
After years of looking for one, now enters the corruption demolition man.
He has his work cut out for him and he must be relishing it. I don’t think he could have found a more job satisfying position than that. He is qualified for it; he knows it and has wished for it much of his life. And so now that he virtually has it (pending parliamentary approval) it must be to him: ‘Thank you, Father’ in the typical Ghanaian expression of satisfaction.
Bitter, full of vengeance, yearning for action against the corrupt among us, may not be too good for some compatriots but anything like that for the sake of the motherland is perfect.
Too many times we have seen everyone caring first for self, family and friends next and hardly any, nay none for the motherland. So if we have a corruption demolition man, now, we should see progress and positive transformation in the motherland’s fortunes.
Twice attention has been focused on him in this column. Both were positive. One praised him for his Supreme Court victory to have GH¢51 million that was stolen from the motherland state to be recovered and paid back into the consolidated kitty. The second was when some compatriots turned on him for some corruption dirt he had thrown at some handlers of the national cause.
The first was the beef of June 18, 2013 headed ‘Bravo, Mr Amidu, Thank You Justices.’ It commended both Comrade Alamisi and the justices who ruled that those who stole GH¢51 million should pay it back.
It spoke about ‘a twist of fate,…an irony that Mr Amidu is the child of an ostensible house-cleaning accountability and probity revolution that ended up producing the most corrupt set of ingrate self-styled revolutionaries, who subsist only on thieved public funds.’
One among cockroaches ready to devour him but resiliently refusing to be devoured.
In the November 24, 2015 piece, I had written this paragraph: “Until we have an Akufo-Addo operating Buhari style, we would continue to be jokers in fighting corruption. There isn’t much in mere exposure. We need an overarching and permeating anti-corruption fight spearheaded by an Akufo-Addo incorruptibility. Ineffective little, little exposure storytelling what’s already known helps little.’
Certainly, congresspeople are afraid that their own will turn on them. Actually, they know the man has never been of their own thieving habits. Speculation is also rife about the appointer indulging in risk-taking. The corruption demolition man is said to harbour presidential ambitions. That may not be far-fetched given that he was once a running mate to a presidential candidate. Fighting corruption should precede advantage in winning power.
For the new Special Prosecutor, there must be some unfinished business of recovering GH¢51 million and from Waterville, ISOFOTON, SADA, GYEEDA and others. However, it would be his swift action against any contemporary theft that will mark his success or failure. It is that preventive measure, quick stop of possible corruption in the Akufo-Addo administration that will plug the haemorrhage of stealing from the motherland. It is that which concretises the Nana Addo no fear or favour positioning that will stamp out public corruption. It must be woe betide any among osonomma appointees who would dare attempt any chopping practice.
An Amidu knife is anifaanu (double-edged) and cuts both ways; actually, all ways. So ?sonomma with any chop chop intentions beware. This appointer, unlike some appointer gone past, appointed anti-corruption crusader appointee to alert his own ?sonomma confraternity that he would not shield anyone who dares chop.
As said earlier, I read about someone imagining maybe the appointer has committed a faux pas with the appointment because Brother Lam has presidential ambitions and would take advantage and do his work well to further that ambition. That should make the choice even more an excellent one.
If ?sonomma won’t match his anti-corruption performance, when we all know corruption is the one killer of the motherland’s development, so be it that ?sonomma would lose power to he who fights that corruption.
Indeed, the astute appointer seems to be so much interested in checking his own from chopping to have appointed a known opposition uncompromising anti-corruption overseer.
He, the appointer, seems to be daring his own to try his aversion for corruption by trying or indulging in any chop, chop moves.
As for congresspeople, when the whip cracking begins, we shall see who will find time to chase after phantom seat for sale when the corruption killer vigilante begins to chase after the sharp teeth babies in false honourable clothing.
I am preparing my own case against all those who stole the motherland’s time in money to go to school to earn all kinds of qualifications while we were paying them to work as minister and other government appointees.
By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh