President J.E.A. Mills yesterday received the report of the Presidential Commission that inquired into the activities of the Ghana@50 Secretariat, with a declaration to act on the recommendations of the commission without fear or favour.
He dismissed people�s impression that the commission�s work was a witch-hunt or harassment and promised to look at the report and take the needed action. President Mills expressed his appreciation to members of the commission for doing an excellent job in a fair and impartial manner.
The President set up the three-member commission to look into the activities of Ghana�s Gold Jubilee celebrations. The commission took submissions from 238 witnesses who were directly or indirectly involved in the 50th independence anniversary celebration.
Mr Justice Isaac Duose chaired the commission, with Mr Osei Tutu Prempeh, a former Auditor-General, and Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Oppong, a legal practitioner, as members.
The commission commenced its public hearings at the Conference Room of the Old Parliament House building in Accra on Thursday, July 23, after its inauguration by Vice-President John Dramani Mahama on June 17, 2009. Later in an interview with newsmen, Mr Justice Duose said it was possible that some people could be prosecuted, but he was quick to add that any prosecution was the preserve of the President.
He noted that the solution to dealing with such problems in the future lay in addressing the weaknesses in the governance system and not prosecution. He said there were more lessons to be learnt from what happened and it should also serve as a reminder to those currently in authority that they would also be called upon to give account of their stewardship at the end of their tenure of office.
Mr Justice Duose said people should not be afraid to account for their stewardship unless they had done something wrong. He said the commission was also of the view that appointments to positions should reflect the qualifications, training and skills of the appointees so that appointees would be able to deliver. He said it was obvious during the public hearings that some persons put in certain positions did not have the requisite qualifications and training and cited some district chief executives as exposing their ignorance during the public hearings.
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