The Chief Justice stinks - Kwesi Pratt

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THE OFFICE OF THE ODIKRO.

a companion of the black star,

twitter.com/TheOdikro,

Fellow Ghanaians!

I have been instructed by His Majesty, the Odikro, to extend to you his

fraternal greetings! After listening to Mr. Kwesi Pratt, Jnr., the Managing

Editor of the Insight newspaper, speaking on Radio Gold's *Alhaji and Alhaji

* programme on Saturday, I have been directed by the Odikro to write a

transcription of the entire speech given by Mr. Pratt on the programme. In

the debate, Mr. Pratt says the Chief Justice Georgina Wood is highly

compromised in the state lands grabbing episode perpetuated by the erstwhile

Kufuor administration and should be watched closely.

Nana Odikro wants the widest possible distribution of this speech to

heighten the vigilance of the population. Please help in this exercise by

sending this as an e-mail to your friends or sharing this on Facebook and on

other social networking medium such as Twitter.

In accordance to the wishes of the Odikro, please find below, a

transcription of the very important message:

*The Chief Justice stinks - Kwesi Pratt

*

"What we are discussing is not complicated at all. Indeed, it is a very

simple matter. You know, when we go and join the very long queues, in the

scorching sun, to get the opportunity to cast our ballots, what we are doing

is electing people into office, who will protect our interests, protect

state assets, and make sure that state assets would be utilized in the best

interest of the people of Ghana.

So when you have a situation, where elected officers, after four or eight

years in office, leave office carrying all our national possessions under

their armpits, and on their heads, it can only amount to the abuse of trust

we have reposed in them.

This has been happening for a very long time. You recall that after the 1966

coup, the coup plotters and their allies, who included persons like K. A.

Busia and so on, came up with this notion that that "the state has no

business doing business." And therefore decided to privatize state

enterprises and other possessions.

At the end of the day, by 1972, when the Acheampong coup occurred, a vast

array of state assets have ended up in the hands of the elements of the

Progress Party. Today, many of them are very very rich people, and a very

comfortable future have been guaranteed for themselves, their children and

grand-children, as a result of looting of state assets.

On the other side, the unemployment rate is increasing because these

factories which were supposed to give employment to the Ghanaian people,

have ended up in private hands, and indeed some of them have been stripped

and sold in order to maximize profits.

On the other hand, social services which were being provided by all these

state institutions and so on have grounded to a halt, to the the extent that

today, the State Housing Corporation is no longer in a position to increase

the housing stock and improve the quality of housing! To the extent that

today in Accra, and many other parts of this country, there are too many

homeless people, people sleeping in the street and so on.

Now, this is the problem we are discussing. Is it right that after eight

years of NPP rule, NPP functionaries, leaders, sympathizers, and members,

took two hundred and thirty plots in Accra alone for themselves, paying

ridiculously low prices and without regard for laid-down procedure and any

norm of decency and so on. That is the crux of the matter!

As for the Chief Justice and the statement that she has made, hmm, I would

like to seriously disagree with my brother and friend, and indeed comrade,

Dr. Tony Aidoo. I don't see the basis for commending the Chief Justice!

Commend the Chief Justice for what? The Chief Justice thinks...

Dr. Tony Aidoo: She has seen the light!

Kwesi Pratt, Jnr: She hasn't seen any light! In fact she's plunged herself

further into darkness! What does she say? All of this struggle to ensure

that government lands which have been stolen or illegally appropriated are

retrieved, she sees this struggle as "hullabaloo"! She sees it as

hullabaloo! hullabaloo! Useless! Without merit and so on!

The struggles of the people of Ghana to retain ownership of lands vested in

them is not hullabaloo! Can never be hullabaloo! It is a legitimate and

proper struggle! What is worse, is that in the end she says "when the

hullabaloo dies down, [she] wants the land back!" She has not even lost

interest in the land. She is hoping for another opportunity to grab the land

again!

Now, what opportunity would enable her to grab the land back? And it is very

important to examine this. A court decision that the acquisition was proper

would be one of the circumstances under which she can grab the land. Don't

you forget that she is the Chief Justice of the Republic and therefore in a

position to influence the determination of the legality or constitutionality

of the acquisition of the land. If she still has an interest in the land

back, where does that leave those of us who think that this is illegal, this

is unconstitutional and needs to be reversed?

So the whole issue about her finding herself in a compromising position is

brought out in this letter which is interestingly dated February 2010! And

it is very, very interesting! Where was this letter all this time? But we

are told that this letter is dated February 2010!

Now, the other scenario under which she can get her land back - and from her

letter, it is obvious that she really values the land! This is a precious

possession. So precious that that even in the face of what she calls

"hullabaloo", she still wants it back. So precious! The other circumstance

under which the Chief Justice can get her land back if there is regime

change and attitudes change and so on.

Now if the land is so precious to her and so on, would she contribute to

regime change? And if she is going to contribute to regime change, what

methods is she going to use? Will the office of the Chief Justice play a

part in securing that regime change and so on, you understand? So all these

questions crop up."

I avail myself of this opportunity, to extend to you, on behalf of the

Odikro, Nana Akyea Mensah II, the assurances of our highest consideration.

Forward Ever, Backwards Never!!!

Sincerely,

Pur'gu Saarpe!

Secretary to the Odikro, Nana Akyea Mensah II,

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