In Honor Of Mr. Martin Amidu

Light Triumphs Over Darkness – In Honor Of Mr. Martin Amidu (CITIZEN VIGILANTE

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Many have eloquently espoused on the need to abate the rate at which corruption in our society is spreading like a malignant tumour, however, not many have been able to take-up the challenge by mustering the courage to ensure justice is served on corrupt individuals or activities- our porous system has far been abused in the darkness of destructive greed.

As a people, we've become too gullible even to our own detriment- we do not like to walk our talk, but I am glad there is a new awakening, and in everything there is a beginning- After all, there is hope, not all men are fallible to corruption, some are selfless in character and determined in pursuit of their beliefs.

On this score, I doff my hat for, Mr. Martin Amidu Esq.- the doyen of anti-corruption crusaders- a revolutionary not by the power of the gun but by the power of his conscience to do what is right, for God and country. Such is the indomitable spirit that led him to defy all odds to justifiably pursue what was unjustifiably taken away from the people of Ghana- victory was ours in the end.

Mr Martin Amidu was the Attorney-General under the Presidency of the late Atta-Mills, he was hounded out of office because he challenged the status-quo and wanted to fight the corrupt system in place. However, as determined as his soul was, he never reneged on his agenda to prove to the world that there was indeed a syndicate in government and other state institutions that have resolved to syphon state funds under the guise of judgement debts for their personal gains. A fight which for him, if abandoned will have left a scar on his conscience.

Friday June 14, 2013 will be remembered in history as a day of shame for all those individuals and organizations who covertly and overtly attacked the credibility of Mr Martin Amidu and frustrated all his efforts in fighting corruption; it will also be remembered as a day that light triumphed over darkness

It was on that faithful day, that Mr. Martin Amidu secured victory at the Supreme Court of our land against Waterville Holdings Limited, a company that fraudulently obtained judgement debt against the people of Ghana. The Court upheld unanimously that Waterville must return the illegal 47million Euros it claimed from the state. The Judiciary nailed it once again for the people of Ghana, and re-affirmed their judicial independence in the adjudicating of justice.

The government at that time expressed bad faith and the unwillingness to retrieve the money or stop the continuity of such gargantuan crime perpetuated against the good people of Ghana. In the end, the man who inherited that rot at the Attorney-General’s department and genuinely sought to cleanse the place, was vilified and treated as a villain by his own colleagues in government which saw his painful dismissal. The ‘rented press’ as he described them at that time, were unleashed on him to further tarnish and discredit his persona.

That notwithstanding, his faith was rather strengthened, his effort to wage a war against corruption was relentless. He solely fought the war in the media fronts and in the court of law, and used the law that was abused to make those fraudulent claims to retrieve those funds for the good people of Ghana. That gave birth to the ‘Citizen Vigilante’- He swore to pursue the case to the end, even at the peril of his precious life.

A friend of mine during our usual discussions reminded me of the fact that, whiles the government was using our tax payers money to criss-cross the globe to solicit financial assistance as meagre as $10million, Mr Martin Amidu was in our highest court of law using his personal resources to recover a whooping 47million Euros, which he gracefully succeeded in doing so.

One then wonders what the real motives of the persons who have been entrusted by the people of Ghana to serve them is. Prior to the commencement of the case by Mr Martin Amidu, there was a huge public outcry on this whole judgement saga- famous among them were the ‘Woyome and Waterville scandal’ which saw a gargantuan GH¢51million and 47 million Euros dubiously paid to them respectively by the help of some top state officials.

Those funds could have achieved a lot for Ghana in terms of its infrastructural and social development for its people, however, some greedy few opted to have it for themselves for their own personal development. The reckless embezzlement of state funds is the direct result of the breakdown of our economy which once flourished, and the tremendous hardships visited on our people.

There are many who may have the intent to protect the public purse against corrupt individuals, but for fear of vilification and attacks, they have cowed into submission and accepted the norm. I wonder if those of us who believe our calling is in the public service will ever have the moral courage and drive to do what is right by our conscience in the course of our duty. Perhaps, all must invoke the indomitable and unshaking spirit of the ‘citizen vigilante’ to serve as an inspiration and a guiding principle.

Never again should the collective interest of our people be sacrificed on the altar of gluttony for amassing wealth by just a few. The wagon has been opened by the ‘citizen vigilante’- all must jump aboard.

I salute Comrade Martin Amidu- you have indeed lived up to your tenets of probity and accountability, yours was obviously not a rhetoric.

Chief Obosu Mohammed

NPP Member, Mfantseman West Constituency

Obosu.mohammed@yahoo.com