After Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s Resignation; what next?

The Minister of Education, Betty Mould-Iddrisu has resigned from office over developments associated with the Alfred Woyome judgment debt saga.

She presented her letter of resignation to the Office of the President Monday evening and the President has accepted the resignation.

A press statement signed by My Koku Anyidoho, Director of Communication at the Office of the President, on Tuesday said President Mills accepted Mrs Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation and thanked her for the “services rendered to the people of Ghana during the period she served in Government, and wished her well”.

The former Education Minister thanked President Mills for the opportunity to serve in his administration and also insisted that “she is resigning with a clear conscience and is confident any investigation will exonerate her,”

There were speculations last week she might speak publicly to defend her name after some party activists and supporters suggested she be sacked because she mishandled the affair while she was the chief legal officer of the state, with some going as far as claiming she might be complicit. The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) also called for her head for failing to do due diligence in the matter.

Close associates of hers told yours truly that her decisions on the Woyome case had been based on what appeared sound counsel from legal brains and technocrats at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and elsewhere and that in due time she would tell the entire country what she knows about the case.

Betty Mould-Iddrisu was previously the Head of Legal and Constitutional Affairs of the Commonwealth Secretariat in London before she was made Ghana's first ever woman Minister of Justice and Attorney General.

She becomes the second cabinet minister in the present administration to have lost her job over the Woyome judgment debt issue following closely on the heels of sacked Attorney General, Martin Amidu.

Amidu was last week dismissed from office shortly after the president issued an ultimatum for him to prove corrupt allegations against persons in the government or resign.

Hon. Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation is an honorable one and the hallmark of any decent politician. She has done what millions of politicians not only in Ghana but around Africa finds very difficult to do. It takes a principled, courageous and honest person to resigns from his or her position.

Resignation in our part of the world is very rare. How many people have the gut and the courage to resigns their positions even when the odd is against them? I see Betty Mould-Iddrisu's resignation as a mark of maturity, courage and inspiration.

It is also a mark of good leadership. I hope everyone who aspires to be a leader will learn from the actions of Madam Betty Mould-Idrrisu. At least President Mills didn't send her to another ministry just to cover up her mistake or otherwise.

Ghanaians want to know the truth about this judgement debt saga and I hope her resignation will pave way for proper investigations and will also allow her more time to help EOCO unravel the truth.

Until then, people can put a spin on this, but I careless. Betty Mould-Iddrisu is a heroine in our generation and I hold her to high esteem.

Emmanuel Dela Coffie www.delacoffie.wordpress.com