Audio Attachment:Former Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Ghana@50 Planning Committee, Kwadwo Mpiani,imploring Ghanaians to desist from what he calls the �pull him down� attitude and admonishing them not to look at everybody with suspicion. |
The Former Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Ghana@50 Planning Committee, Kwadwo Mpiani has implored Ghanaians to desist from, what he calls the �pull him down� attitude and allow people entrusted with national obligations the room to do their work.
�Our society should know that there is always a tomorrow. This attitude of bringing you down, this attitude of looking at everybody with suspicion, My Lord cannot move this country forward,� he said.
Mr. Mpiani made these remarks when he appeared before the Ghana@50 Commission of Inquiry, to answer questions on how funds accumulated for Ghana�s fiftieth anniversary celebrations were spent.
The former Chief of staff said while he was not against holding public officials accountable for their stewardship, it was important that �we have faith and trust in them and let them account for the job we�ve given them to do.�
He added that �if in the course of doing their jobs there are malfeasances, nobody is asking the government or the authorities to cover up these people but a society which looks at everybody with suspicion and want to pull everybody down cannot move the nation forward.�
Mr Mpiani urged Ghanaians to be guided by the fact that there is always a tomorrow.
According to Mr Mpiani when he wanted to enter into politics his grandmother advised him that �whatever you do, know that there will always be a tomorrow."
"Then I asked her why and she said because tomorrow, you will always account for what you have done and also what you don�t want others to do to you tomorrow, don�t do it to others today,� he said.
Consequently, Mr Mpiani warned society to desist from the pull him down attitude.
The Chairman's Warning
The Chairman of the Commission, Justice Isaac Douse, concurred with Mr. MPiani�s assertions and warned the media to desist from vindictiveness and personal attacks on individuals.
�I hope the press which is leading the campaign of vilification in this country has heard you well. As I sit here, they have started vilifying me. I�m going to sit here just for a short while but they have already started pulling me down,� he said.
Justice Doulse added that �Rwanda was caused by the press and if the press wants Rwanda to happen in this country they will get it.�
Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani answered questions on a wide range of issues relating to the Ghana at fifty celebrations which took place in 2007.
Among, many other things, Mr. Mpiani revealed that an extensive retrofitting and rehabilitation work needed to be done on venues that were to be used for the anniversary; hence the National Planning Committee contributed GH� 150,000 as a fixed grant to each region to renovate and refurbish each venue for the anniversary.
He added that, informed by the decision of the large number of visitors that were expected to witness the occasion; the government also constructed rest houses.
The former Chief of Staff was originally scheduled to testify before the commission on Monday, October 19, but the commission had to adjourn sitting to Friday October 23, following the absence of one of the commissioners who was said to be indisposed.
The public hearings of the Commission commenced on July 23 after the Commission had done preliminary work which included visits to some Ghana @ 50 projects sites and organizing volumes of memoranda and petitions it had received at the time.
So far, the Commission which has taken evidence from more than 200 witnesses comprising suppliers, contractors and service providers, is gradually drawing to a close.
The only outstanding persons yet to be scheduled to appear are former Metropolitan, Municipal District Chief Executive and Coordinating directors who had been implicated by evidence from the various Assemblies.
Source: Peacefmonline with some files from Citifm
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