Two weeks after he took office, I wrote an open letter to President John Dramani Mahama. It was titled “Goldmines and Landmines: Manasseh’s Open Letter to President Mahama.” (You may read the full letter online.)
In that letter, I named some low-hanging fruits the president could pluck and succeed. I also mentioned potential pitfalls he should watch out for. On the landmines, my number one caution was Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), the government’s anti-corruption initiative. Here’s what I wrote.
“ORAL: Going after stolen wealth is a slippery path. The Akufo-Addo administration attempted to recover loot, but it resulted in a scandal when the government, led by Senior Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo, hired Kroll Associates to audit transactions. Your ORAL team and the government ought to be above board. Those who have stolen millions of dollars can easily cut deals with some of your officials and appointees. If you show signs of weakness, ORAL could become a major scandal in your administration and disarm you from embarking on serious accountability. ORAL should apply to members of your own administration.”
Last week, the General Secretary of the governing NDC, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey, revealed that some top members of the NDC were cutting deals with the corrupt officials of the past administration.
“Many among us, despite the fact that pleas and pressure are coming that punishment has to be meted and this must be done properly, some among us are busy trying to cut deals with people who are supposed to be prosecuted,” he said. “Some are becoming conduits through whom pressure is being brought to bear on people who are supposed to do what is right. I may not mention names, but a time will come when we may have to.”
Was Manasseh a prophet? No. He knows enough to be able to predict with the precision of Mussa Dankwa on some governance issues in this country.
I only hope that with Fiifi Kwetey’s revelation, which may not be news to the president, President John Mahama will crack the whip and save his legacy. This scandal must not be allowed to fester.
Ghana cannot afford another business as usual.
