If the man can continue the way he is going, he might one day be called the father of western democracy in Ghana. He was deeply involved with PFMJ, was Kufuor’s Attorney General when the criminal libel law was repealed. He is destined to pass the FoI. That completes the democratisation pillar imprinted in chapter 12 of the constitution: free speech and expression.
It sounds like the man has always had a plan, a plan he is methodically, sequentially and systematically implementing. Without freedom of expression, there can never be democracy. So it would be like he decided to tackle that first. But he knew you need power to set the stage and construct it. So as he kept losing presidential primary and national elections he kept focused, eyes on taking the corruption wheel apart at the earliest opportunity. Now he has it, he is using it.
The man is so smart and self-sacrificing he didn’t need to turn to the gun to kill corruption. He is on a mission to break the many legs that support corruption. He seems to have set stages and developed steps, a road map, dismantling the destructive structures before him so he can simultaneously deepen democracy.
He is using the over one million 2016 election change mandate to weave together a corruption resistant system. Corruption thy name is procurement. Procurement, as in contract awards is the single most corrupted government act. He has appointed a whole minister to deal with that, although I haven’t heard the misconceived law which makes the chief executive head of an entity committee, has been changed.
Not long ago, he also appointed a special prosecutor as he promised he would do during the campaign. It is an appointment only those who dread it oppose. Meanwhile, he is lucky to have inherited a proactive action man auditor-general. I was one of those uneasy about his last minute appointment. However, so far, he’s justifying his appointment. Mr Aud-Gen is perhaps the most surprising appointee because he won’t serve his appointer. A true ‘matriot,’ his loyalty is to the stool and not the occupant of the stool. That is how our elders and those before them serve.
There are still the laggard institutions in the corruption fight. CHRAJ’s benign never-convict judgments come nowhere close to fighting corruption. I haven’t come across any NCCE anti-corruption education or campaign. If he could find a way of fixing these two, it would be helpful. The elusive desired equation’s using love for the motherland or matriotism, as the common factor: CEO+Aud-Gen+Jiudge+CHRAJ+NCCE+Media=Zero corruption.
If he can keep that equation balanced, the motherland would be on her way to an enviable position on the corruption monitoring index and someone won’t write Nana’s name in his report to incur the ire of his chief – justifying stealing USD750 million because someone allegedly stole USD900,000.
Slowly but surely, brick by brick, he is building workable freedom of expression institutions with persons committed to that ideal. I am sure by the time he’s done, not even a military coup will be able to silence my compatriots of this great motherland, never to untie or tear through the web he is putting together to solidify our democracy with strong freedom of expression tradition.
‘Two judges who recommended removal of EC heads appointed to Supreme Court.’ That is a condemnable cynical headline to describe a judge who is among, if not the friendliest to the media. Maybe someone should educate the media about her ruling in a case of contempt or something like that.
How sweet it will be to ask all political parties to nominate three people each. CPP, meaning any party that has its roots will bring three. NDC (We shall see how much they will charge people money to submit their name) which ought to be part of the CPP by its loud socialist noise but can’t be because it is property grabbing, and all its affiliates who should know themselves will bring three. NPP will bring three. Then all others who think they are ?deneho presidential election contenders will meet and bring three. Busumuru, his excellency, will then vet the names.
President, would invite the endorsed to Jubilee House, put them in one room and let each write the name of who should be the boss and the two deputies. It is an inclusive technique of sociometry used to select class leaders from primary to senior high. Everyone would feel included and the selected (not elected) will have the confidence of the chosen one.
Constitutionalists would bark; but on what basis because the big book that regulates our version of western democracy does not preclude that method. Now the shrew has been tamed, please whoever comes, bring back our EC logo. We miss it.
By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh