Opinions of Monday, 30 May 2005
Columnist: Natogmah Issahaku
Dear Mr. Editor,
Given the abundance of allegations of corruption and misappropriation made against some top government officials today, which seems to be a sort of competition among them nowadays, trying to out-do each other in the malfeasant enterprise, I wonder what Mallam Issah, the erstwhile Minister of Youth & Sports during the embryonic days of JAK I, has to say about the current brouhaha, as he was ?crucified? by the government for a mere couple of tens of thousands of US dollars meant for the Black Stars.
The allegations of corruption and misappropriation currently raging across our poor country, Ghana, now centre around hundreds of thousands of US dollars, if not millions. (I do not know if all those allegations are true or not, and we may never know until some day far in the future when someone else is running the show). But will time support the justification for the Mallam?s ?crucifixion? vis-a-vis the never-ending series of allegations involving bigger amounts now? I do not condone any form of corruption or misappropriation, regardless of the amount involved, large or meagre, but I would like to ask the following questions:
1. Was the ?crucifixion? of Mallam Issah a camouflage to pave the way for excellence in similar acts involving larger amounts?
2. In retrospect, was the Mallam made a scapegoat because he is not a ?family member? and therefore didn?t deserve any protection, like others receive now, from the ?family head??
Mr. Editor, could you kindly contact the Ex-Minister, Mallam Issah, for his perspective on what is going on today in the government amidst all these allegations of corruption and misappropriation? Please do not try to force a reaction from the Mallam, if he doesn?t want to contribute.
Thank you.