The 2012 presidential candidate of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom, has urged President John Dramani Mahama to own up and take full responsibility for the 59th Independence Day brochure gaffe that has, so far, caused Ghana serious embarrassment within the international community.Dr Nduom wants President Mahama to render an unqualified apology to the nation and pledge to ensure that such problems do not recur.
In an interview with TV3, President Mahama described the errors as contained in the Independence Day anniversary brochure as unfortunate, stressing that the errors were avoidable and should not have happened.
He told TV3 that although the matter had become a major issue in Ghana, the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, didn’t make a big deal of it, declaring: “We actually went through the brochure, he (Uhuru Kenyatta) didn’t show he had noticed those mistakes.”
The Independence Day brochure contained "a very serious diplomatic misrepresentation" that Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was the Special Guest of Honour, was the President of the Republic of Ghana. "It also had some incomprehensible grammatical expressions and a host of others", Dr Nduom said in a statement issued from his office.
According to him, as the Head of State of Ghana, the President must be held responsible because on the day of the anniversary, he became the very embodiment of Ghana to the outside world.
“Indeed, he assumed full constitutional duty as the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, inspecting the guard of honour mounted by the security agencies and others at the special anniversary parade,” Dr Nduom stated.
“The responsibility goes with one person; the leader of the land. President John Dramani Mahama, he takes all credit, he takes all the blame, and this is one important huge error... he is the one we must hold accountable...he is the one who appointed all ministers who served or had anything to do with the Independence Day celebration...he is the one who appointed the staff at the Flagstaff House who supervised this work,” Dr Nduom declared.
According to Dr Nduom, the responsibility goes with one person, the leader of the land, President Mahama, stressing that he takes all the blame and this is one important huge error that he (the president) should be held responsible for.
Dr Nduom said the dismissed acting Director of the Information Service Department, Francis Kwarteng Arthur, was used as a scapegoat for the main culprit and that indicates incompetence on the part of the Ghanaian leadership.
“When an organisation is not about leadership, when an organisation is not about accountability and taking responsibility for leadership, that is what happens. It sacrifices the little people and leaves those who really have power, who have authority to sit there and continue to do the things that take the organisation backwards,” the politician and businessman added.
He added that it was this negative attitude that has brought ‘dumsor’, unemployment, cholera, meningitis, illiteracy, and poverty in the midst of plenty.
Source: Ghana/ClassFMonline.com/91.3fm
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