Official unofficial statements
Our correspondent in Accra surveys a confused PNDCWhat is the difference between an official release from the PNDC Secretariat and an official statement released in Accra? Which statement do Ghanaians now take and return to work. as the official government release or an official PNDC release? Which of the two has more weight? Who signs what?
It has become fashionable of late to hear from the radio, or read from the newspapers, fright-infested official statements about Ghanians that give the impression that such Ghanaians have done something terribly wrong. For the official statements present such people as the nation's number one enemies whose elimination would provide answers to Ghana's economic, political and social woes.
Yet, a few days or weeks after such official statements, the very officers or Ghanaians who have been so ill-painted, are either seen at their post or walking as free men. It is only in a few instances that another official PNDC statement is released to say the allegations made against such persons have been found to be unfounded. Never in such situations has the official statement apologised to the persons involved.
CASE ONE: Dr J.E. Oppong was, at the onset of the regime, appointed a PNDC District Secretary for Odoben, Breman Asikuma. In 1982 an official PNDC statement accused him of diverting commodities meant for the people. He was pronounced guilty by the official statement and dismissed from office.
An enquiry cleared him but the same official PNDC statement felt shy to come out publicly to clear him. For almost two years Dr J.E. Oppong was praying for the official PNDC statement to clear his name. Luckily for him an official statement on Friday 23rd August, 1985, pronounced him not guilty but, of course, no apologies.
The interesting thing about Dr Oppong's case was that whilst he was publicly presumed to be guilty - having been dismissed the same PNDC found it expedient to quietly appoint him to a top post at the CDR National Secretariat.
CASE TWO: An official statement issued in Accra on June 13, 1985, said Atta Mensah and Nana Amo, both of the GNPA, had been arrested for causing damage to the economy by their improper handling of tenders for the importation of clinker and gypsum for the production of cement by GHACEM Limited.
For the first three weeks they were in them. custody and nobody asked them anything. They remained in custody for some time and as you read this article both Nana it? Amo and Atta Mensah are behind their desks at GNPA. The official statement that announced their arrest and detention cannot be found to announce their release
CASE THREE: According to a release from the PNDC Secretariat on June 13, 1985, Mr Kofi Oppong, the acting pro- curement manager to Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) had been arrested and was helping in investigations into fraudulent deals involving the award of tenders for the supply of goods to the Board. The official statement said Mr Oppong was being held for falsification of tender documents which had led to loss of huge sums of money to the state.
The statement alleged that in 1984 the COCOBOD awarded tender to a foreign firm to supply 1,830 tonnes of iron rods of various sizes at $231. Mr Oppong connived with the supplier and the result was a loss of $43,000 to the state, an amount that went to him as a kickback. Again he allegedly manipulated the supply of 7,500 bales of jute sacks and that led to the loss of $151,200 to the state. The official statement listed other fraudu- lent deals that Mr Oppong had committed against the people of Ghana. The state- ment was such that even the Pope would have endorsed his death by shooting by firing squad. But again as you read this article, Mr Oppong is happily doing his work at the COCOBOD. No official state- ment has come out to say he has been released and allowed to go back to his work. No apology.
CASE FOUR: An official statement read over Radio Ghana announced the dis- missal of the City Engineer and the City Treasurer. The Accra City Council Chair- man, who didn't know anything about the alleged dismissals, went with the affected officers to the Broadcasting House. They saw the so-called official release but its signature could not be deciphered. The "dismissed officers" are still at post.
The question again is: "Who signs what? Who issues what in Ghana today?" CASE FIVE: Another official statement said, inter alia, that some workers of GHAMOT Limited had been arrested and were being tried before the public tribunal for a catalogue of frauds against the state. The official statement named all the officers involved. But as you read this article, all the named GHAMOT officers are roaming about in the streets of Accra. Some of them are even contemplating taking GHAMOT to task for disgracing them.
After four years in office, where is the PNDC line of authority and who controls it?
