Danquah Institute’s Richard Ahiagbah seeks ‘escape route’ after Mahama insult

Newly appointed Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, Richard Ahiagbah is beating a retreat over his choice of words on former president John Mahama as shameless and lacks wisdom.

In a rejoinder to disclaim the story, Mr Ahiagbah avoids quoting the parts of his interview in which he called Mr. Mahama as someone without any “scintilla of shame” and also that former president “John Mahama is an exception to the adage ‘wisdom’ comes with age”.

For the avoidance of doubt, MyNewsGh.com publishes his rejoinder fully below:

Rejoinder

My attention has been drawn to a headline story claiming I have referred to the former President John Dramani Mahama as, as a shameless old man without sense, in a purported interview.

These are very strong words, and I wish to state in the clearest of forms that, the caption is false, misleading and amounts to a mean attempt by the author to distort and divert attention from the issues.

It is unimaginable the extent some journalists are willing to go, to engineer stories out of thin air to pollute the political space. I have not at any time conceived or referred to the former President John Mahama in such distasteful terms. Insult has not been part of my discourse and it will not be the way I discharge my duties as Director of the Danquah Institute.

The statement released to the newspapers and published on 28th October 2019, explained a principled disagreement with the former President’s characterization of the PDS agreement as “state capture.” In doing so, the story showed why the PDS agreement which allocated 51 per cent for Ghanaian participation and 49 per cent foreign participation is superior to the former President’s allocation of 20 per cent Ghanaian and 80 per cent foreign participation.

The release showed that, while there have been some public relations challenges with the PDS agreement, no aspect of the process that constituted it, amounts to “state capture.” On state capture, the release referred to a state agreement in which 80 per cent of Ghana’s Bauxite was signed to Mr. Ibrahim Mahama when Mr. John Mahama was President of this Republic. That Bauxite agreement has everything in common with state capture, and not the PDS agreement whose procurement process began with former President Mahama and completed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

My role as Director of the Danquah Institute is among other things, the principled promotion of policy views that contributes to the growth and wellness of property-owning democracy in Ghana. As an Institute, our interest remains the ethical defense and promotion of values and policies that prioritize the best interest of mother Ghana. And I am committed to doing so with utmost objectivity and deference.

Richard Ahiagbah

Executive Director