The former United States Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, on 7th November 2018 announced his resignation as US Attorney General and made it clear it was at the request of the President –“at your request”.
The Chief of Staff of the Justice Department, Matthew Whitaker, whom Jeff Session appointed in September 2017, was appointed the Acting Attorney General to the displeasure of the opposition Democrats because of the likely effect of the new acting appointment on Robert Mueller’s investigations into the allegation of Russian meddling into the 2016 US elections.
The opposition Democrats’ fear that the new Acting Attorney General will assume full oversight over Mueller’s investigations and is demanding that like Jeff Sessions, he recuses himself from those investigations because of his previous comments on the probe. Acting Attorney General Whitaker’s comments were made before he joined the Justice Department.
Whitaker’s comments before Sessions appointed him to the Justice Department has just opened my eyes to how an independent investigation and prosecutorial agency such as Ghana’s Office of the Special Prosecutor can be disabled from effectively and efficiently performing its mandate without direct interference with its so called independence and impartiality.
The Associated Press of 8th November 2018 has an article captioned: “With new Justice Official, fate of Russia probe in question”. That caption has no relevance to how to disable an independent investigation institution from performing its duties but what is attributed to the new Justice Official, Whitaker, has. The Associated Press article says:
“Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney from Iowa who twice run unsuccessfully for statewide office…., once opined about a scenario in which Trump could fire Sessions and then appoint an acting attorney general who could stifle the funding of Mueller’s probe.
In that scenario, Mueller’s budget could be reduced ‘so low that his investigation grinds to a halt’. Whitaker said during an interview in CNN in July 2017 before he joined the Justice Department.”
Whitaker’s scenario which I have just read reinforces my own conviction that the effective way to stifle the fight against corruption is to apply Whitaker’s scenario. It also reminds me of the almost utter hopelessness in which the newly established Office of the Special Prosecutor finds itself almost one year after the President caused its establishment as his flagship and vision to fight corruption in Ghana with an overwhelming national consensus and support.
One year down the line it has only a small three bed room house as an Office woefully inadequate for lack of shear physical space to accommodate any reasonable number of employees, lack of subsidiary legislation, and consequently also financially crippled without any ability to acquire the requisite expensive operational anti-corruption and other equipment for the Office let alone to function efficiently. Creating unilateral unrealistic and crippling budget ceilings for such a deprived agency has same effect as the Whitaker scenario. By analogical reasoning the Whitaker scenario reported by the Associated Press resembles the situation of the Office of the Special Prosecutor since its establishment in spite of the President’s sincere commitment to his vision.
The Whitaker scenario appears to be taking shape in November 2018 in the United States of America. Here in Ghana I see the absolute need for all citizens, particularly the electorate who brought the President personally to power to support him to ensure that his promised vision of fighting corruption materializes during his first term in Office. The 1992 Constitution supports the President’s vision and every patriotic citizen is mandated by the Constitution to support him.
I know for a fact that our President means business but there is a missing link provided by the Whitaker scenario to which civil society should wake up now or forever stop blaming the President. We are going into his third year in Office and we must all be stakeholders in the fight against corruption.
This is not politics. This is a fundamental patriotic obligation enjoined by the 1992 Constitution for its defence and to save our dear country of a malignant canker of corruption that has ravaged it since independence. Join the citizen patriotic fight against corruption in Ghana now! Prevent corruption now! Act now! Save Ghana now!
Martin A. B. K. Amidu
North Legon, Accra
8th November 2018
Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |
I wonder if some of you commenting here really knows what's going on. Let's eschew politics and look at it from patriotic perspective. Right from day one he's been deliberately denied from delivering his mandate. What he's going through is indeed a classical example of the Whitaker scenario. And for I would implore him to honorably resign to maintain his dignity.
MASSA STOP WRITING AND WORK PLEASE.FORMER CORRUPT MINISTERS OF MAHAMA GOVERNMENT WORKING ABOUT FREELY.
BOSS CONTINUE WITH THIS BOOT LICKING ATTITUDE WAI!! YOUR DISGRACE IS JUST AROUD THE CORNER!!
My friend go and work and stop posting articles! You thought it was easy!
I would like to know from the good Martin if his outfit had made any Notification of Requirements to the office of the President or the Attorney General who could have informed the Finance Ministry for allocation of funds to the SP for consideration in the 2019 budget. Then, I could infer from his piece that he anticipates a certain workable amount which is not forthcoming and therefore kicking off his mandate has been a frustration. Then, from his piece, he glorifies the President, his goodwill and that he means business and goes further to solidify the support of the electorates to fight the corruption. I have a problem with his USA example. The President's position in Ghana Example is very clear and Martin himself has vividly alluded to it; Nana's solid vision and intent to fight corruption. In the US-scenario, the President, Mr. Trump is implicated and seeks to cover up and so he appoints and fires when he feels uncomfortable and not safe with the appointee. In Ghana, our Problem is the funds and much so when the SP is a newly set Institution. I admire the determination of Martin and I hope a lot of Ghanaians would learn a lot from his vigilance. We know he is already using his common sense, somehow, to make ends meet, so to speak. On the other hand, it is good that Martin exercises some pressure to get things done appropriately. Then, Ghanaians are not used to that. They would rather prefer to go the boot-licking approach- the sycophancy.
Mr Amidu, you are gradually being exposed about your hypocrisy,lies and incompetence.You once called yourself Citizen Vigilante determined to single handedly fight the supposed corruption in the NDC-just to make a name for yourself and hence the position you occupy now. What has changed? Where are your "perceived"corruption allegations write-ups against the NDC gone? If you think the kitchen is too hot for you, please ......
Dear Mr. Amidu. Please, we all knoow that the 2019 Budget is about to be presented to Parliament. I can perceive from this Article of yours, that you possibly are not happy with the Amount allocated to your office for 2019. FINE, nothing wrong with that. But it is also trite knowledge that, there is no Constitutional impediment for not allocating to any State Agency an unlimited Budget for a given financial year. You can only be allocated what is reasonably appropriate at a time and for which the State can generate. Please, STOP complaining and do as much as is humanly possible in the given circumstances. PERIOD.
You guy will be a novice to think that the President is not aware of what is going on. As if people fear to call a space a space, anything negative under this administration is attributed to either his Ministers or in some weird circumstances laid at the doorsteps of the citizenry. Why the call on CSOs to speak up but rather not to blame the President? In the past everything that happens was rudely laid at the feet of the sitting President. Why has the situation and the rules changed? We citizens know what is going on and effort people are making to paint the President clean. Go on with the deceit but, the citizens know what to do and will do it very well.
Thank you Papa. May God guide and bless u