PREAMBLE
The Caucus for Democratic Governance, Ghana (CDG-GH) is worried about the Culture of Silence, in spite of political turbulences characterizing the events before, during and after the 2020 elections.
We are of the view that :
As long as the basis of strategic operations of this government is projected in a system of State Capture and on the principle of tribal, nepotistic “cum” family, friends government ;
As long as the President becomes a clearing agent for corruption and other offences ;
As long as conflict of interest is not relevant in the distribution of sensitive appointments to cronies ; As long as Supreme Court Judges are appointed in their numbers to pay allegiance to the Executive through obnoxious verdicts ; As long as Military and Police can be used to invade Parliament and to kill innocent voters during elections;
As long as allegiance of cronies, is apparently to the President and not to State and Constitution ; then there is no democracy but autocracy in dictatorship; where citizens out of frustration coil into the culture of silence and oblivion, hoping for some form of intervention.
INAUGURATION
The inauguration of Nana Addo on 7th January, 2017 as the 5th President of the 4th Republic was greeted with euphoria and high expectations, which never was.
On 9th January 2017, the first day of President Akufo-Addo in office, elements of the invincible forces at the jubilee house nearly lynched a Police Officer, ASP Nanka-Bruce who was on duty in broad daylight. His only offence was that he worked at the flagstaff house during NDC Administration. The invisible forces carried out many vicious and illegal acts across the country, including invading a Circuit Court in Kumasi to free criminals; putting the pregnant Circuit Court Judge to flight in fear.
CORRUPTION
Corruption in the flagstaff house is numerous and worrying. The $100,000 seat near the President at an Executive Dinner, was swept under the carpet when Parliament could not agree.. The $20,000 fee before you see the President involving two Deputy Chief of Staff was referred to a Committee made up of family and friends and so was shelved. The galamsay bribery payment to Charles Bissue was captured on video but no action was taken. The bribery scandal of Rockson Bukari of the flagstaff house involving a Chinese Company was shelved. The AMERI deal, the BOST scandal, the PDS episode and the Agyapa scandal among others, all passed with little or no comment. The apex of the corruption scandals was the resignation of Martin Amidu, the Special Prosecutor who insisted the President is corrupt. and the dismissal of the Auditor General, Domelevo as a result of corruption case involving Osafo Marfo, the Senior Minister.
MEDIA LANDSCAPE
The President, as pressure mounted on him, decided to tighten press freedom and freedom of speech. Media men, media houses and communication facilities came under interference and attacks. These attacks, with time, increased in dimensions, till the security of journalists could not be guaranteed. The National Communications Authority (NCA) which is under the Ministry of Communications began strangely to close down radio stations. There were genuine fears that Nana Addo`s government was gradually ushering the country into a culture of silence. Many media houses sympathetic to the NDC including Radio Gold were shut down.
AHMED HUSSEIN-SOUALE
This scope and extent of insecurity was widened to cover investigative journalists. The murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Souale a Ghanaian investigative journalist was unfortunate but did not come as a surprise. Hussein-Souale and his team, set up the undercover television sting that showed Kwasi Nyantakyi, accepting $65,000 bribe in cash, which also implicated the President and Dr Bawumia.
MANASSEH AZURI
Manasseh Azuri Manasseh is an award winning investigative journalist formally with the multi-media group limited and is known for his controversial investigative anti-corruption reports. Under Nana Addo, Azuri had to flee for cover in South Africa because he received death threats and his life was in grave danger, after blowing the whistle on a vigilante group ‘De Eye Group’ which was clandestinely using the Osu Castle, Seat of Government, as training grounds and operations head office. This investigative work ‘Militia in the heart of the nation’ did not go down well with some interest groups in Akufo-Addo’s government. This criminal act died off prematurely with no apologies to the Ghanaian people.
EDWARD ADETI
Edward Adeti, an investigative journalist with Star FM was also threatened with death, on 29th April 2019 when he blew the cover of a Minister of state at the presidency, Mr. Rockson Bukari, who attempted to bribe him to drop a case, involving a Chinese mining company Shanngxi in the Upper East Region. Mr. Rockson Bukari was forced to resign over the attempted bribery scandal.
OTHER KILLINGS UNDER NANA ADDO
There were several killings under Nana Addo. Series of serious motto accidents and many ritual killings led to heavy lose of lives.
MAJOR MAXWELL MAHAMA
Major Maxwell Adam Mahama, an officer with the 5th Infantry Battalion was on 29th May, 2017 gruesomely murdered at Denkyira-Obuasi in the Central Region. He was alleged to have been lured into a meeting by an assemblyman for the area only to be murdered later.
CORPORAL AGATHA NANA NABIN
On the night of July 30, 2019, a policewoman was murdered while on snap-check duty on the Tamale-Kumbungu road in the Sagnarigu district.
FOUR OTHER POLICE OFFICERS KILLED
In August, 2019 Corporal Bernard Antwi 37, attached to the Manso Nkwanta police command in the Ashanti Region was found dead after working hours at Manso Abodom in the Amansie West district of the Region.
Within the same month, General Lance Corporal Alhassan Asare, 35, attached to the Akim Swedru Police Station in the Eastern Region was found dead at the Dukes fuel filling station while on duty. The same month also recorded the deaths of Sergent Michael Dzamesi and Lance Corporal Mohammed Awal who were with the Kasoa Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD). They were killed while on duty along the Buduburam stretch of the Accra-Winneba road.
THREE NIGHT WATCHMEN MURDERED
Three watchmen were murdered with tongues and eyes removed in Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region. All three were found on their sleeping mat with their clothes covering their heads and blood oozing from their eyes, nostrils, ears and mouths. There were no sign of robberies at the facilities they were guarding. The three murder cases were recorded in one night.
MURDER OF J.B DANQUAH ADU
J. B Danquah Adu was murdered in his residence at Shiashie near Accra on February 9, 2016.
J.B.Danquah Adu was a chartered accountant, a politician from NPP and a relative of the President. He was a member of Parliament for Abuakwa North between 2004 and 2008 and once more from 2012 until his murder in 2016.
AYAWASO WEST BYE-ELECTION
Political vigilantism under President Akufo-Addo came to a head on 31st January 2019, during the bye-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency. Many armed persons posed as security personnel, whose identity could not be established because of masks covering their faces. They opened fire at the residence of the NDC parliamentary candidate for the constituency, Hon. Delali Kwasi Brempong. Thirteen party members were injured and rushed to the Legon and 37 Military Hospitals for treatment.
BAD REFORM STRATEGY
The Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana, as a result of bad reform strategy, closed down seven banks and 23 savings and loans financial institutions, in addition to 70 money lending and microfinance companies. The result was loss of about 7,000 jobs and hardship to many families. As I write free SHS is in a mess and confusionas a result of lack of funds. “Dum Sc” is back in full swing and increases in all Prices (in spite of taxation) is in full swing.
In all these corruptions, ritual killings, media killings, bad banking reform and criminal activities, no one felt responsible. Not the President, not the Finance Minister, not the Minister of Interior, not the Minister of Communication, not the Minister of Roads and Transport, found it necessary to resign. ARE THESE THE TRUE DARK DAYS OF GHANA?
Dr E.K.Hayford
Executive Director, CDG-GH
