Is it not an irony that the apostles of probity and accountability cannot stand the test they subjected many people to and are now fleeing from it as if a plague is pursuing them?
They are behaving like a thief who runs away from a goat instead of grabbing the opportunity to improve his pen, pot or wallet. We find it strange to believe that Mr. John Mahama and his NDC are on their heels from the Airbus scandal, instead of availing themselves of a probe by the Office of the Special Prosecutor to establish the innocence of their presidential candidate.
It has been said that the Airbus scandal that hangs around the neck of Mahama like the Sword of Damocles is a political time-bomb that threatens the NDC in 2024.
The earlier they come to terms with the Airbus scandal, the better it would be for the fortunes of the NDC in Elections 2024. As for the threat by some youth and the NDC and some of their leaders, they must be told that it may not make them “clearing agents” of Mahama.
It is a lame threat, for Mahama and his NDC must be ready to respond to corrupt practices including the Airbus scandal, over-bloated contract sums for flyovers and other road projects, community day secondary school projects and five years of ‘dumsor’ as well as reasons for the 2015 International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.
Let Government Official One take note that the true anti-graft activists would unmask him to the people of Ghana soon as his loud silence would no longer be countenanced.
If he maintains his silence going into the 2024 polls, all we tell him is “we are waiting for him.”
In 2020, when the issue was set for investigations, the NDC leaders found alibi in COVID-19, saying the pandemic was not conducive for such a controversy.
During the run up to the 2020 electioneering, Mr. Mahama’s refusal to speak to the scandal and open up to accountability also exposed him as somebody who does not practice what he preaches.
Till date he carries himself as an inconsistently consistent politician. When Martin Amidu promised to open up investigations into the matter, Mr. Godfred Yeboah Dame was the Deputy Attorney General who suggested some way forward to unravel the puzzle, but presently he has gone mute when he is now the Attorney General.
Our present attitude to sweep major national concerns under the carpet is not good enough, and that is why the so-called activists and celebrities must speak up so that they are not accused of pursuing parochial interests. We believe TV3 and Joy News who would follow a few hundreds of demonstrators providing them live coverage would also focus on the Airbus scandal.
So also, we hope in coming days people such as Martin Kpebu, Ransford Gyampo and others who never spare the opportunity to take President Akufo-Addo to the cleaners would find their voice to resurrect the Airbus scandal. Perhaps, the Airbus scandal is not in the interest of their candidate, John Mahama.
Kissi Agyebeng, the current Special Prosecutor does not think the Airbus scandal is worth our national efforts to recover whatever the state lost in that deal. The present prosecutor is interested in fishing in the backyard of Cecilia Dapaah because that is where netizens would get the opportunity to smear the NPP government.
We have no issues with the desire of the people to picket. We admonish that protests must be peaceful within the confines of the law and must not infringe on the rights of others. Therefore, for the picketing planned by Ernest Owusu Bempah in Mr. Mahama’s house; we ask for one thing and that is respect for the rules underpinning protests so that Ghanaians would see the difference between the “hooligans” at the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and 37 Military Hospital and what Owusu Bempah planned for Mahama’s house.
Let us make demonstrations civil and one of the ingredients to expand the frontiers of the governance process. For now, the Airbus scandal remains an allegation but the state institutions tasked to fight corruption are called upon to investigate this matter too.
It is not within their mandate to pick and choose where to fish and turn a blind eye to the person who once was the soul of the nation.