Don’t play tribal cards in corruption fight - Volta Patriotic Forum to President Akufo-Addo

A group calling itself, Volta Patriotic Forum, has described government’s decision to suspend the Deputy Sports Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide following a ‘visa scandal’ in his ministry, to be ethically bias.

According to the group, Mr Hadzide was “unfairly victimised” and is being used as a “sacrificial lamp” by the New Patriotic Party government to exhibit its commitment to fighting corruption.

The Volta Patriotic Forum, argued why the substantive Sports Minister, Isaac Asiamah, who administers affairs of the sector is still at post, while his Deputy who acts on his orders has been suspended.

‘Journalists’ deported in Australia

Some 60 supposed Ghanaian journalists who traveled to Australia with the country’s delegation to cover the ongoing 21st Commonwealth Games were denied entry and deported for failing to proof they work in the inky fraternity.

The deportees could not provide answers to basic questions posed by Australian officials, with most of them not in possession of basic journalistic tools.

The Sports Ministry refereed the matter to the National Security for investigations, this was followed by the suspension of the Deputy Sports Minister, Pius Hadzide, and

Acting Director General of the National Sports Authority, Robert Sarfo Mensah, on Thursday, 12 April, 2018.

However, a communique signed by the Covenor of the Volta Patriotic Forum, Del Bright, stated the suspension of Pius Hadzide is “a clear manifestation of the UP [United Party] tradition’s attitude towards non-Akan [government] appointees.”

The group lauded President Akufo-Addo’s zeal to fight corruption but implored him not to be ‘ethnically bias’ in dealing with government officials who are alleged to have engaged in corrupt acts.

“If the Deputy Minister, Pius Enam Hadzide, must take the fall, then the substantive sector Minister, Hon. Isaac Asiamah, under whose marching orders and directions the Deputy acts, must take a heavier fall to prove the government’s genuineness and seriousness in the fight against corruption”, the communique stated.

The communique also chronicled that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Attah, was “cleared” after he was “cited in an alleged malfeasance in the 2.25 billion Bond”, and the Deputy Trades Minister, Carlos Ahenkorah, who was “implicated in the infamous Cash for Seat scandal but was also cleared of any wrongdoing.”

“The BOST scandals are still fresh in our minds, but why is the CEO of BOST still at post?”, the group quizzed.

Meanwhile, Pius Hadzide, who was head of the international games committee, has welcomed the suspension but is of the conviction that he would be “exonerated” when findings of a probe into the issue is established.