NPP-USA Questions Mahama’s Anti-Corruption Credentials

There are two main environments in which a leader cannot bring

perpetrators to book even when corruption is rampant enough for the

blind to see. In the first environment, the leader is aware of the

rampant corruption and abuse of power, but he is so helpless and

incapacitated that he is physically unable to stop the looting. Now

after the passing of President Mills we know he was so ill and so

physically weak that he could not be effective in stopping the

looting.

In the second environment the leader has his hands so dirty and is

himself so deep in the corruption that he loses the moral authority to

control his subordinates when they visibly loot the nation’s coffers.

In the last four years, leadership of our dear nation has gone from

the first environment to the second and we are currently witnessing a

leader in President John Dramani Mahama who has lost the moral

authority to control the looting of our nation’s coffers.

But before delving into what makes President Mahama unworthy of the

highest office in Ghana due to his dirty hands, a little examination

of a statement he made during his speech at his party’s manifesto

launch in Ho is necessary. “I am prepared to submit myself to any

investigation,” he pronounced for the cameras. Of course that

statement aroused cheers from maybe five or so people from the rain

drenched crowd, some watching the speech at home may be tempted to

think that he really meant what he said.

However we all know the one former president from his party, who

moments earlier had chastised him for failing to see “the evil dwarfs

around him,” had made sure two decades ago to insert an indemnity

clause in the 1992 constitution to insulate presidents from any

investigation in or out of office. So what investigation exactly was

Dramani talking about? And whom did he think he was fooling?

NPP-USA can report that one highly placed member of his administration

has pocketed over $100 million on the purchase of the gas processing

plant, which he himself admits is of inferior quality. Thus a quarter

of the $1 billion sent to Ghana as the first batch of the $3 billion

Chinese loan has been wasted already on an inferior plant for which

the Canadian manufacturer originally quoted $106 million.

National Security Cordinator Gbevlo Lartey took exception to this

thievery and was bent on bringing in this senior officer who was also

implicated in the Mabey and Johnson bribery case. But after a meeting

between President Mahama and the Western Regional House of Chiefs,

Gbevlo Lartey was asked to drop his pursuit. Of course mindful of the

firing of former Attorney General Hamidu when he failed to back off

from investigating the Woyome scandal, Gbevlo Lartey kept his mouth

shut and Ghana lost another $100 million or so to corruption under

this NDC government.

Who can forget the profound statement by President Mahama when his

experience or lack thereof was called into question at the onset of

his post-Mills presidency? To show that he was virtual in charge when

President Mills was incapacitated, President Mills announced to the

nation that he was fully aware of everything that went on when Mills

was president. And indeed then vice president Mahama led a few

noteworthy projects. The only problem is that unlike King Midas,

everything Mahama touched turned to dust.

The STX housing deal with the Koreans was his first major deal. We all

know what happened to it. In the end, not a single house was built yet

the Koreans are demanding $17 million from Ghana as money they lost in

the deal. To whose pocket did that money go? Next was the Brazillian

Embraer jet deal. That deal fell through because the Brazillians

backed off due to excessive demands for bribes by their Ghanaian

counterparts – led by John Dramani Mahama. Then there was the Cuban

schorlaship scheme that has been free to 250 Ghanaian students since

1983. Mysteriously Mahama wanted to charge the nation $75 million for

it. It took the Cuban Embassy posting on its website that the program

is still free to prevent the looting of our nation’s coffers.

Today in a clear case of conflict of interest, the government led by

John Dramani Mahama has decided to absorb bad loans worth some GHC350

million of which his brother Ibrahim Mahama owes GHC57.2 million.

Never mind that the brother is rich enough to afford a private jet – a

first in Ghana, but cannot repay his loan to Merchant Bank. Further,

SSNIT’s ownership of Merchant Bank means the pensions of millions of

Ghanaians may be in jeopardy.

One never wants to say where there is smoke there is fire. But in this

case president Mahama has been too close to too many corruption-laden

agreements all of which could not take off from the ground as a

result. In addition, it is virtually open season of state assets and

funds by NDC officials in a mad rush to enrich themselves before their

inevitable exit. Why is president Mahama not fuming and unleashing his

Attorney General to protect the public purse?The one and only answer

is that President Mahama himself is knee deep into the thievery such

that he has lost the moral authority to lead a credible fight against

corruption.