Mills Not A Thief
A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), , has stated that Ghana is fortunate to have Prof. John Evans Atta Mills as President because he is not someone that will steal from the people.
According to him, he had been present on at least two occasions when President Mills returned 'brown envelopes' which had been offered him as bribe- something he did not see under ex-Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Agyekum Kufuor.
The renowned economist and management consultant, who for the better part of the Rawlings regime, was in prison for allegedly attempting to overthrow the PNDC government, however, failed to state whether he had closely monitored or lived in the same premises with Rawlings or Kufuor, and had not seen them reject bribes.
He again failed to say whether President Mills' alleged rejection of the brown envelope was not faked because it was offered in his (Pianim's) presence since bribes were hardly accepted in the presence of a third person.
Analysts questioned why the President would be bribed in a brown envelope as if he was being given 'soli'.
Responding to a contributor's question on why Ghana was not making progress in her fight against corruption, Mr. Pianim, who was speaking as one of the lead discussants at the first Joy FM Debate 2009 in Accra yesterday, said even though he could stick out his neck for the President, he would not do same for his appointees.
“To me, if you go to any country where there is corruption, the head of state is corrupt. If he is not corrupt, it won't happen…and fortunately for Ghana now, we have a president that at least I will put my hand in the fire for that he will not steal from the people.
I have seen him on two occasions give envelopes back and I didn't see it happen under John the first or John the second, but at least now we are progressing and we have a president who I think will not steal from the people. How is he going to make sure that the people below him will also not do that – that is the question?”
According to the one-time NPP presidential aspirant, the notion of Zero Tolerance for Corruption must not only involve everyone, but must start from the top of the leadership ladder.
In a related development, the Central Regional Propaganda Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ben Allotey Jacobs, has also jumped to the defence of the President, who was accused of building a mansion for himself.
He described the said mansion as a mere 'countryside lodge', which was located on a 64-acre piece of land owned by the President's father.
According to him, the piece of land was leased to Mr. T.E.A Mills Snr, over a 40-year period. He said the land, which was situated at Atabaadze Junction in the Central Region, was bequeathed to his children after his death.
“In the farmyard, I saw that Prof. Mills had started a piggery and planted a lot of pawpaw and mango seedlings…It was during the 2008 campaign that Prof Mills' brothers and sisters were all investing on the farm, demolishing one side of the house on the land, which had become inhabitable and were putting up a new structure like a countryside lodge,” he said.
In a rejoinder, carried in some media publications in Accra, Allotey Jacobs said he had been associated with Atta Mills' family since 2000, and would defend him wherever issues of corruption were raised against the President.
The debate was in collaboration with Coconut Grove Hotel, and held under the theme: 'Building Consensus on a National Development Agenda'.
By Bennett Akuaku