On an auspicious occasion such as my birthday, I should be relaxing and reflecting on the journey of my life so far.Â
I should be concerning myself with what the future holds for me and thanking God almighty for how far he has brought me. But, one can't look away when a gravious matter, such as the appointment of a new Special Prosecutor, which has generated considerable noise, comes up, especially, when one of the noisemakers is none other than the former occupant of the office, Martin Amidu, who was a failure of the highest order.
Let me begin by congratulating Mr Kissi Adjebeng (Esq) for his nomination for appointment to that important office. His credentials are impeccable. So far, those who have advanced arguments against him, especially NDC surrogates, have only engaged in tangential talks. Some are asking of his age, others claim he doesn't have the clout, some conjecturally say because he has politician friends, he is compromised ab initio, and a host of other nonsensical analysis. As to what the meaning of clout is, only the proponents of such preposterous argument understand.
The subscribers of ageism should be telling us what the old men who have led Ghana over the years have achieved that their younger counterparts in the advanced countries haven't achieved. If age was an accessory for good governance, Africa would have been a better place than it is now. I didn't know there could be potential SPs other than Kissi, who do not have classmates, friends, families, etc. The proponents of this 'friendship' argument, may as well propose a ghost to be appointed as the SP. Because Kissi is deemed to be friends with Gabby and has at some points, represented him in court, it means straightaway, Kissi supports Agyapa deal. Warp!
The salient questions of competence and integrity which are two non-negotiable traits a potential SP should possess, have been ignored and nonessentials extolled instead. This is probably because the opposers of Kissi's nomination are mere haters and cynics because they know that, Kissi exudes those two most important requirements beyond bounds.
None of the proponents of these lame arguments irks me like Martin Amidu, the former SP. He it is, who was nominated historically, to occupy that office for close to 3 years, and not a single corruption case was conclusively dealt with.
Today, he has mounted the moral high horse to impugne the integrity of a man he rarely knows. What are Mr Amidu's arguments against Kissi? He makes claims about Kissi's friendship with Godfred Dame and Gabby, and in a shameless syllogistic argument, one unbecoming of a lawyer of his standing, therefrom, link Kissi to Agyapa claiming Kissi supports same. He has no better particulars to for example show Kissi's inputs in the Agyapa transaction. Kissi is a managing partner of his own law firm, Cromwell Associates, arguably one of the best in the country. He is not a worker of Africa Legal Associates, Gabby's firm which was contracted as advisors for the Agyapa deal. Where therefore is this jaundiced claim by Mr Amidu coming from?
Mr Amidu, prior to your shameless and groundless resignation, was the finance minister not your friend? Was the President not your friend? Did you not have other friends in the corridors of power? Did that prevent you from instituting investigations against the finance minister? So, as for saintly Mr Amidu, he can be friends with potential subjects of investigations but wouldn't be compromised but others cannot do same. Saintly Mr Amidu holds the absolute key to integrity and none has. This was the same way he assaulted the character of one the fair-minded Ghanaians I have ever known, Prof H. K. Prempeh just because he, Amidu, by coincidence, saw the good Prof at the presidency. Mr Amidu didn't bother to inquire what might have sent the Prof to the presidency, a place where one could meet all manner of Ghanaians but went to town to attack the Professor alleging he might have been conspiring with the President to trounce he Amidu after his groundless resignation.
While I have supported Mr Amidu and even made excuses for him after his resignation, his tempestuous, boisterous, and self-aggrandizing behaviour ought to be repudiated! Sir, you're not the make and be-it-all when it comes to the fight against corruption. Neither are you the validator of integrity. If you have something concrete to lay your finger on against Kissi aside these peripheral, completely unimportant arguments against his nomination, please bring it up.
Otherwise, I will proceed to accuse you of fright of shame. Knowing Kissi is the lawyer of ace investigate journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who appeared before you on the Charles Bissiw matter, you're afraid his performance may outshine you. Kissi has represented the foremost anti-corruption crusader, Anas Aremeyaw Anas in all his anti-corruption cases, an enough proof of his intolerancee for corruption. Fright of shame is what is eating you up and that's why you, in your misdirected response to a report by Asaase radio, claim you would be watching to see how Kissi proceeds with pending investigations.
Tell us what those pending investigations are. The easiest of all corruption cases brought before you, was that of Charles Bissiw, yet, you failed after almost two years, to make any serious strides on the matter. Contract for sale, an investigation by Manasseh Azure, which CHRAJ dealt with with dispatch, your office failed to make any meaningful strides on the matter. Instead, you came to give us excuses why you failed again on that matter. Your stay in that office was one of excuses, whinings, complaints, and nothing more.
When the kitchen became too hot for you, you latched onto the Agyapa deal to conveniently jump out of the kitchen. That was a smart way of hiding your incompetence but thank God, Ghanaians figured out that ruse of an excuse. The kind of mettleness I accorded you whittled down when you couldn't insist on carrying out your investigations and charging those culpable if any and daring the consequences thereof. That would have been the icing on the cake as far your stay in that office was concerned.
You ranaway from the battlefield and now that a new commander has been appointed, you have started mounting roadblocks to stifle his work all because of fright of shame. Sir, you personify the adage "talk is cheap". And I see no difference between you and your adversary, Kennedy Agyapong. Both of you like to rant and talk while we continue to struggle to see tangible outcomes of your rants.
Kissi Adjebeng shall succeed come rain or shine!
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Alhajj Suleman, Germany