It's About Time Kennedy Agyapong (Hon) Was Told The Naked Truth

I am a fan of Hon Kennedy Agyapong and will put my head on the block to defend his stance taken against corruption any day anytime. He is forthright with issues. However, I at times find him very unreasonable and beginning to doubt if he had skeletons in his closet. He is by sometimes unthinkably being always outspoken, unknowingly denting his own integrity.

There are on two occasions that I have come to find him act awkwardly and begin to question myself what he is scared of when the absolute truth and a unique solution is being found to certain conspicuously baneful national problems debilitating the socio-economic emancipation of Ghana as a nation and a people. Every Ghanaian the world over, irrespective of their level of intellect, be they stupid or wise, is aware that corruption in all its ramifications, shapes and forms, is militating against the progress of Ghana as a nation to the detriment of Ghanaians. Hon. Kennedy Agyapong is well aware of this fact hence his personal rising crescendo of endeavours, his acts of bravado to question the integrity of some of his own colleague politicians he perceives to be corrupt hence endearing himself to many a well-meaning Ghanaian.

Why then is the same person always coming out vociferously to condemn unique solutions devised to deal with such corrupt practices? Is he serious as a crusader really intended to fighting corruption or all his efforts in daily exhibition about fighting the canker are just gimmicks or empty rhetoric?

Not long ago, when His Excellency the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, announced the appointment of Mr Martin Amidu (Hon) as the Special Prosecutor, Kennedy Agyapong (Hon) came out condemning his nomination and appointment. He warned NPP that Mr Martin Amidu will come to collapse NPP since he is a diehard NDC member. I could not understand Kennedy. Mr Martin Amidu has a proven track record for being a man of integrity who has aversion to corruption regardless whoever is perpetrating and perpetuating it. Was he not relieved of his post or sacked by the late President Evans Atta Mills for standing up to him in his resolute determination to fight corruption contrary to the wishes of the President, especially regarding the issue involving Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the notorious Ghanaian swindler of the 21^st Century Ghana? He put his job on the line by pressing ahead to fight corruption within the NDC Government and he consequentially lost his job. He has never relented in his efforts to fight institutional corruption masterminded and orchestrated by the entire Ghanaian leadership. He is there not to discriminate against members of NDC or NPP but to deal a blow to corruption wherever it originates from and whoever is doing it regardless of their political colouration and affiliation.

Today, Sunday, 27 May 2018, I have just read online Kennedy’s disagreement with the onerously unique job being done by the famous and popular ace Ghanaian investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas to flush out corrupt officials and leaders of all sorts. Ken must bear in mind that unique problems require unique solutions. How does he want us to fight corruption without devising means to detect and trap the corrupt persons? The following web link contains Ken’s views about the work being done by Anas which I find them laughable if not preposterous.

https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Let-s-stop-Anas-before-he-gets-into-our-bedrooms-Kennedy-Agyapong-pleads-655231

Even though Ken is super rich, an experienced legislator, a fearless person who has travelled worldwide and resided in the Civilized Western world for many years, a proud philanthropist, audacious and an honest man who has hatred for corrupt persons, he at times dumbfounds his fans by certain of his actions and pronouncements. I totally disagree with him on his views about the methods Anas is using to flush out corrupt officials.

In Ghana, every Tom, Dick and Harry, knows how the judicial system is inundated with corruption. Corrupt practices by our leaders of all categories are what is retarding the progress of Ghana as a nation. I am sure Ken will not dispute this fact. How do we get to know the corrupt officials if we failed to adopt a means to detect them? Do we not use worms to bait fish when we go fishing using hooks?

Don’t let me spend precious time needlessly on Ken but simply to cite the following analogy to home in my message for him. In the security industry abroad, a security officer/guard has it as their basic duty to protect life, protect property and to prevent crimes; what we call the three Ps. In so doing, the officers must be vigilant, dedicated to their duty and honest.

From time to time, the officers in a building will be tested to confirm whether or not they are vigilant in the execution of their duty. How is this done? Some clients or employers will contract some specialised people to conduct what is called a “penetration test”, thus, engage them to try to trespass or gain entry into the building. Should the contracted persons be able to breach security to enter the building, then it means the officers are not up to the task as it is expected of them and may need retraining or suffer any related repercussions. If the officers are able to stop the contracted experts come to try to gain access into the building through foul means, then it means the officers are doing their job excellently well.

Is Ken going to tell me that the client or the employer is wrong to request some experts to try to come to breach the security of the building to prove how professional and vigilant the security officers are, or not? If such tests are not done periodically, how can the quality of the officers be known as regards living up to the expectations of the three Ps as stated above?

Similarly, if the means employed by Anas to catching corrupt officers is not used, how can we ever detect and catch the corrupt persons causing the downfall of Ghana? In the case of the judges as cited by Ken, were some judges not established to be credible? Did some of them not even threaten to cause the arrest of Anas when he arranged to offer them bribes before they knew it was an arranged task to ensnarl the corrupt judges discrediting the Ghana judicial system? Were some judges not fall foul of his entrapment and subsequently sacked? The judges who go by the ethics of their legal profession never fell for the juicy offers by Anas but those ones disgracing the noble legal profession accepted bribes ranging from dogs, goats, foodstuff and cash to twist justice in favour of the otherwise guilty parties in the court cases they presided over.

Ghana is not progressing because of our institutions made weak by corruption. Were the judiciary to eschew corruption to do their work with all honesty, other institutions will automatically be strengthened since the judges will not allow any corrupt person caught and arraigned go scot free but rather prosecuted and convicted.

I hope Ken is not living in the cloud cuckoo land where he thinks corruption will resolve itself without taking or adopting any effective measures to fight it.

I am supportive of Anas and his methods 100%. It is like the double-salary payments to some Members of Parliament who doubled as Ministers. If the current Majority Leader of Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah (Hon) in former President Kufuor’s NPP Government did return instantly a cheque sent to him in what could have amounted to acceptance of double-salary payment, and Mr Martin Amidu (Hon) did return his, why did the others now standing accused did not return theirs but kept receiving the double-salary for years? By this, I mean to tell Ken that irrespective of the methods being used by Anas, men and women of integrity will never fall victim to his methods except the corrupt ones. Therefore, Ken should not try to cast doubt or shadow over his own until now judiciously protected integrity by needlessly accusing Anas or seeking to get him banned from doing his job of exposing corrupt officials, the causers of the downfall of Ghana.

Rockson Adofo