A Call to Petition for the Impeachment of John Agyekum Kufuor

“Look in the eyes of a homeless man, tell me what you see? In the eyes of a jobless man, tell me what you see? What about the eyes of a prisoner? What do you see? Now you've seen it all. It is time to make up your own mind.” Lucky Dube, South African Musician (Taken from the song Well Fed Slave/Hungry Free Man) Re: A Call to Petition for the Impeachment of John Agyekum Kufuor Dear Citizens of the Republic of Ghana, Greetings, and may God bless the Black Star of Africa, the Republic of Ghana. Ghana's Past and Present It is with a heavy heart and tears on the inside that I write you this letter today. The pictures conveyed by the words of Lucky Dube illustrate the plight of a people who's land has been taken from them, subjected to a system where many endure joblessness through no fault of their own, these people have become prisoners. This is a reality that many people(s) in various parts of Africa endured during the colonial era. Following Ghana's independence in the late 1950s, for the young adults and elders of that generation, it was truly a choice of being well fed slaves or hungry free men [and women]. A question of whether to be dominated by colonial masters or to carve out a destiny for themselves.

Well, today Ghanaians are faced with a similar challenge. Since January 2001, Ghanaians at home and abroad have endured the uncertainty of the economic and political destiny of their country as the newest civilian regime was given the proverbial grace period to demonstrate to Ghanaians what they stand for. At this stage, it is fair to point out that under the leadership of John Kufuor, the NPP-led government of Ghana has shown itself to be a dismal failure and a complete disgrace when it comes to providing the kind of leadership that would propel Ghana into the twenty-first century with the dignity worthy of a sovereign nation.

Today, Ghana stands out as a beggar nation where the government of the Republic must seek out the counsel of European governments to enact marriage laws to be applied to indigenous circumstances. As the external debts of Ghana pile up, let every Ghanaian be reminded that every Ghanaian is in this together. Whether it is Dagomba-Ghanaian, Eve-Ghanaian, Guan-Ghanaian or even Akan-Ghanaian, it is a simple matter of “ebe Ghanaians wey dey feel am (it is Ghanaians who are feeling it)!” Therefore, it is Ghanaians that must act to alter the wave of corruption and incompetence that continues to work to bring Ghana to the brink of economic slavery and zero sovereignty. Ghana's Financial Affairs History has proven that borrowers will always become slaves to lenders. This slavery can be of different kinds depending upon what kind of lender one is dealing with. Since the mid-60s, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's choice to obtain Ghana's first loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) seem to have paved the way for a legacy of indiscriminate borrowing from foreign sources by some of Ghana's military regimes which include the National Liberation Council (NLC) under Akwasi Afrifa and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under Jerry Rawlings. At this stage of Ghanaian history, the question is not one of who took the loans, but rather one of, “will the Ghanaian people continue to allow the loans to be taken on their behalf?” To borrow or not to borrow, this is the relevant question. That Ghana will have to pay these loans back is a certainty. That the current youth and young adult generation may have their birthright (the land of Ghana) auctioned off to western business interests as compensation for these loans is a likely possibility. A Recent Discovery and its Cause As of June 10, 2003 Ghanaians learned of the painful news that despite all the claims to “zero tolerance” for corruption, colossal losses from various state enterprises and agencies are reported to be due to negligence and deliberate fraud to the tune of ¢1,291,224,819,168.00 loss to the state. With this in mind I would like to draw your attention to Chapter 24 of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. But before I do this let me first remind you of the details of Ghana's presidential oath and what John Kufuor told Ghana on January 7, 2001. On taking his oath of allegiance, Mr. John Agyekum Kufuor in accordance with the constitutional requirements of Ghana's Head of State swore that he, “having been elected to the high office of President of the Republic of Ghana do [does] (in the name of the Almighty God swear) that I [he] will be faithful and true to the Republic of Ghana; that I [he] will at all times preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana; and that I [he] dedicate[s] myself [himself] to the service and well-being of the people of the Republic of Ghana and to do right to all manner of persons.” Two years and approximately six months after John Kufuor swore this oath, he has proven far beyond any doubt that he neither said what he meant, nor meant what he said. According to Chapter 24 of Ghana's constitution, Ghana's President was to have submitted a written declaration “of all property or assets owned by, or liabilities owed by, him whether directly or indirectly” to the Auditor-General “before taking office.” As Mr. Kufuor decided not to abide by the constitution that he swore to “preserve, protect and defend”, Ghanaians are now witnessing the results of his blatant irresponsibility and lack of moral fortitude in not keeping his word to the people of Ghana. By not living up to his word, President Kufuor not only paved the way for further flouting of Ghana's constitution, but also set a low standard for leadership and governance that has now become synonymous with his regime. The (10) Ten-Point Petition to Impeach John Kufuor Rather than continue with lengthy quotes from Ghana's constitution I will now proceed to outline a (10) ten-point petition that explains why and that calls upon all concerned citizens of Ghana at home and abroad who believe that lawlessness cannot and should no longer be tolerated in Ghana, to add their names to the Voice of Reason which says that John Kufuor deserves to be the first President to be impeached in the history of Ghana. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana reads, “69. (1) The President shall be removed from office if he is found, in accordance with the provisions of this article - (a) to have acted in willful violation of the oath of allegiance and the presidential oath set out in the Second Schedule to, or in willful violation of any other provision of, this Constitution; or (b) to have conducted himself in a manner - (i) which brings or is likely to bring the high office of President into disrepute, ridicule or contempt; or (ii) prejudicial or inimical to the economy or the security of the State; or (c) to be incapable of performing the functions of his office by reason of infirmity of body or mind.” President John Agyekum Kufour deserves to be impeached for the following (10) ten reasons which are related to clauses (1)(a) and (b) of article 69 of the constitution of Ghana:

1. Willfully providing the type of leadership that has created an unstable economic environment in Ghana, by disregarding public discontent over Ghana's entry into HIPC status and subsequent relinquishing of various key state-owned enterprises to foreign control that puts Ghanaians at a disadvantage when it comes to the use of their natural resources and infrastructure, and that goes against the spirit of job creation for Ghanaian management professionals.

2. Willfully providing leadership that has created an excessively harsh economic environment and that ignores the concerns of Ghana-based Ghanaians in favour of economic policies that are dictated by the Bretton-Woods Institutions, economic policies that have been proven to be wholly unsound. 3. Willfully providing the type of leadership that shows total disregard for the Ghanaian constitution by not declaring his assets before entry into office and that has subsequently paved the way for further disregard for the Ghanaian constitution by other public servants who also have not declared their assets before taking office, in breach of the Ghanaian constitution which they swore or solemnly affirmed to uphold.

4. Willfully providing an irresponsible form of leadership that engages in a form of indiscriminate borrowing from foreign donors that is both prejudicial and inimical to the future of the Ghanaian economy and the future security of the Ghanaian state.

5. Willfully deceiving the Ghanaian people on various matters of national concern including the International Financial Consortium (IFC) loan fiasco and the increasing of Ghana's Value Added Tax (VAT), the former of which has brought the high office of President into disrepute, ridicule and contempt in both national and international eyes.

6. Willfully collaborating with the Bretton Woods Institutions to create a policy document that clearly advocates policy measures that contravene constitutional provisions regarding land use in the Republic of Ghana; the policy document is called the “Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper” (GPRSP).

7. Willfully performing his duties contrary to the Oath of allegiance and the Presidential Oath, which he swore to the Ghanaian people, thereby violating the Ghanaian constitution, which he swore to preserve, protect and defend, and contributing to lawlessness in the Republic of Ghana.

8. Willfully providing a form of leadership that seeks to establish a land administration project that is contrary to the provisions of Ghana's constitution concerning land administration and that will lead to the further increases in Ghana's debt burden.

9. Willfully engaging in hiring and appointment practices that are skewed in favour of one Ghanaian ethnicity and that has contributed to gross incompetence, substandard leadership and a political and business leadership void in the Republic of Ghana. This is in violation of Article 35. (5) and (6) (b) of the constitution.

10. Willfully giving over state-owned enterprises to foreign interests in a way that contravenes constitutional provisions for such procedures. If you agree with the preceding (10) Ten Points listed in this letter to Ghanaians and support that John Agyekum Kufuor should be impeached, please print out a copy of this document, sign and date it, and mail it to the address below. Alternatively you may fax a signed copy of this letter to the Ghana Parliament using the fax number below, or adding your name to the list of impeachment supporters and forwarding the email to [email protected] each time (100) one-hundred signatures has been collected. The Minority Leader, Mr. Alban Bagbin Parliament House, Accra Ghana, West Africa Fax Line : 233-21-665957