Open Letter to Joe Gidisu

Dear Minister of Roads and Highways and Member of Parliament for Central Tongu Constituency, “Honourable” Joe Gidisu,

It has been distaste and a moral discomfort watching you maneuver in the last couple of weeks to discredit The Republic’s exposure of your unthinkable adventure with avarice.

Your desperate efforts to defend the indefensible has eventually invoked us to the wit, compelling us to write you this open letter which we hope should lay this episode at rest and give both of us a breathing space to concentrate on more important issues that can propel the better Ghana Agenda of the NDC government of which you are a member.

With due respect Mr. Minister, let us all be clear here that The Republic has no personal antagonism against you. Indeed we respect your pedigree as a citizen of Ghana who has contributed your quota to Mother Ghana’s development basket by your immense services through the Ghana Education Service in your enviable position as a teacher. We equally acknowledge your appointment to your current political office as a great achievement by another hardworking son of Ghana from the Volta Region. We hope you also acknowledge that The Republic as a newspaper has the right to contribute its bit to the development of our country, Ghana.

Hon. Minister, before we move on, we are by this letter restating our position as far as the state of the art BMW 740L1-2010 model purchased by the Ministry of Roads and Highways to you is concerned and wish to categorically say that we stand by our story.

We beg your pardon; the vehicle is not a project vehicle as you are propagating to your admirers.

We are convinced that the more attempt you make to explain the matter the more you start begging for questions.

“Honourable” the Republic is not questioning the fact that the Ministry owes you a responsibility as a tradition to acquire vehicles to you. We however believe that, with the resting of the erstwhile Kufuor’s corrupt government, it should not be difficult for people to point out the difference between the current and the former governments.

When The Republic carried in its banner with the headline “Betrayal” as President Mills ordered the confiscation of this luxurious BMW, it was done with the conviction that you, as the Minister of state has acted capriciously to the vision and principles of the President who appointed you to the position and against the ideals that brought the returned the NDC to power.

The Republic is a newspaper which’s principal duty is to be the watch-dog of society, to inform, entertain and educate the public.

To fulfill this mandates we have taken it upon ourselves to go into the nuances of corruption which has become the biggest obstruction to the welfare and better living of Ghanaians. These are our motivation.

To the subject matter, it must be on record that The Republic has not alleged any criminality on your part even if there exist any. What we sort to do by our Tuesday 30th publication was to draw the attention of Ghanaians to your misdemeanor as a Minister in President Atta Mills’ government and expose your betrayal of the better Ghana course the government has been championing since it assumed office some two years ago.

We are disappointed that you saw nothing wrong with the Ministry dolling out a whooping US$166,000.00 dollars to purchase a saloon car for your personal comfort.

Your explanation which sort to portray that you had no knowledge of the purchase of the vehicle is a fragrant lie, ridiculous and irresponsible, coming from a cabinet Minister of your pedigree.

Indeed we cannot accept that US$166,000 dollars could leave government’s coffers through your Ministry without your consent. If it happened, then we apologize to our numerous readers that we have understated the gravity of your immorality and wish to engage his Excellency President Mills to discharge you of your duty with immediate effect before you commit more serious blunders.

We hope you are aware that the president who appointed you to the position you currently occupy is known for his prudence and non-profligacy. We are therefore amazed as to why you chose the opposite.

We regard your explanation that, you personally delivered the vehicle to the Presidency because it was inappropriate for your use, as a clandestine attempt to rope the President into the embarrassing episode you created by your grandiosity. Does the President or his office not know where and how to acquire a grandiose, prestigious and a flashy BMW if they so wish? Come-on…. “Honourable”, come again and extricate yourself from the web you have immersed yourself into. We assume this letter is a bit extended and might inconvenient our readers since it is an open letter, hence we shall pause here and wish that you do not push us to ask more questions that may trigger more commotion.

Perhaps we may not have bothered wasting our time to respond to your desperation. But the arrogance and distasteful mood with which you are clinching is an innuendo to defeat.

Whatever be the case your gluttonous taste has already cost the Ghanaian tax payer a whooping US$166,000 and so there is no need to beat about the bush to win public sympathy.

We stand by our principles and wish to leave you with this statement by Rabin Dranaf Tagori that; “You can compromise on many issues for the sake of peace, continuity, and dignity, but when it comes to matters of principle there cannot be any compromise at all.

For to compromise on a matter of principle is defeating principle in itself and when principles are defeated, society crumbles.” Regards

The Republic