Ghana is arguably topmost among democracies in Africa. Ever since we began our fourth republican journey with elections every four years, since 1992, things have been relatively cool for us so far.
The time has come for the unfolding events and personalities involved to be packaged in books and special journals and newspaper columns as done in older and more advanced democracies in Europe and America. If not for nothing such publications would address distortion of facts as they unfold.
BALANCED WRITE UPS
Such write ups should be put together by writers other than politicians in the form of fact sheets or biographies. The write ups should be circulated in our libraries in towns and villages to set the records straight to avoid conflicting accounts from various interests on issues of importance.
SPONSORSHIP
Such write ups should be sponsored by the state and some academic and donor agencies.
CURE FOR PROPAGANDA
The facts sheets and biographies to be published as reference materials would cure to the large extent propaganda and mudslinging and name callings across the political divides that are gaining roots and threatening to divide the people in the nation.
ROLE MODELS
The personalities to be featured could serve as either role-models to be emulated or notorious characters to be rejected. The events so recorded could also serve as yardsticks to guide decisions to be taken by the coming generations on who and what to believe.
CONFUSION
The current case in point is that , While the Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice stated publicly that his outfit offered support to Mr. Martin Amidu while fighting to retrieve monies wrongly paid to Waterville Mr. Amidu on his part denies this claim flatly saying he acted alone.
When Mr. Amidu was booted from office by late president Mills as Attorney General for misconduct for radically swearing to retrieve all fraudulent judgment debts, he was vehemently opposed by some media houses and individuals opposed to him.
LEGAL SUIT
Again when he sued Waterville, Mr Agbesi Woyome, Isofoton and others in the Supreme Court, the Attorney General who sanctioned the fraudulent payment of judgment debts was attached together with the respondents. Many people are therefore at a loss as to whether or not to believe the assertions of the attorney general’s office that they really did assist Mr. Martin Amidu in his crusade to safeguard the purse of Ghana.
REMAINING CASES
Apart from the case against Waterville there are remnants of criminal cases of illegal judgment debt payments now pending in the Accra high courts being prosecuted by the attorney generals department. These were began by the citizen vigilante and inherited by the current Attorney General.
It is the hope of well meaning citizens that the attorney general’s office will prove equal to the task by dealing with the cases expeditiously. The attorney general must also follow up cases before the one man Judgment Debt Commission.
It is then that the Attorney General would win admiration of the people and gain recognition as is the case with Mr. Martin Amidu.
The current attorney general seems to be hard working. As a Ghanaian she must assist Martin Amidu in his legal suit to stop further payment of Judgment Debt claimed by Isofoton SA of Spain. She knows quite well that she has to equal or beat the benchmark set by the former attorney general and citizen vigilante
She needs the support of all her staff to accomplish her tasks
Love him or hate him, Mr. Amidu the first citizen vigilante has won the hearts of most men across the political divide and from all walks of life for his land mark achievement.
Some lessons to be learnt and if possible emulated by the feats chalked by Mr. Martin Amidu and if possible emulated are as follows:
POSITIVE DEFIANCE
• He defied the established order by revealing gargantuan crimes being perpetrated on Ghanaians through fraudulent payment of judgment debts. He lost his job for insolent behavior from the Mills administration. In the end he prevails by winning a Supreme Court ruling because his cause was right.
• This is a lesson to the current and coming generations of ministers and those in government and private establishments to stand their grounds firmly when they are right in what they do.
• It is clear that he conducted research alone and filed his law suits to retrieve doubtful judgment debts unaided and paid the filing fees even as he was rendered unemployed following his dismissal from office
• He was unmoved when he was cartooned and called names by those opposed to his action
• His aim has been to safeguard the purse of Ghana from being looted by persons in and out of official circles without asking for reward
• He was unperturbed with verbal and media attacks and threats to his life from persons opposed to his moves.
Martin amidu achieved his feat because he was and is still living up to his pledge of office and to be just to the people of Ghana.
In doing so he has become a hero in Ghana and abroad. If martin amidu were ace footballer, dancer or beauty contestant he might be gunning for a top award of cash, a car a house or and trip abroad a contract to keep him busy.
However being selfless this one man citizen vigilante has joined the ranks of elite statesmen like Martyin Luther King, Mahatma Ghandi and Nelson Mandela who are held in high esteem for fighting to better the lot all mankind not based on narrow partisan considerations but for the common good of mankind. Martin deserves an award and payment of compensation and a monument built in his name
To this and let us open the vista to begin chronicling events and personalities like Martin Amidu and many men and women who have done a lot towards nation building as time unfolds.
Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai
Executive Director Eanfoworld for Sustainable Development
eanfoworld@yahoo.com/abdulai.alhasan@gmail.com Box 17070 Accra North
0233244370345/ 233264370345 /322208844791
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