A Special feature from:
THE OFFICE OF THE ODIKRO.
a companion of the black star,
twitter.com/TheOdikro,
Fellow Ghanaians!
I have been instructed by His Majesty, the Odikro, to extend to you his fraternal greetings! After listening to Mr. Kwesi Pratt, Jnr., the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, speaking on Radio Gold's Alhaji and Alhaji programme on Saturday, I have been directed by the Odikro to write a transcription of the entire speech given by Mr. Pratt on the programme. In the debate, Mr. Pratt says the Chief Justice Georgina Wood is highly compromised in the state lands grabbing episode perpetuated by the erstwhile Kufuor administration and should be watched closely.
Nana Odikro wants the widest possible distribution of this speech to heighten the vigilance of the population. Please help in this excercise by sending this as an e-mail to your friends or sharing this on facebook and on other social networking medium such as twitter.
In accordance to the wishes of the Odikro, please find below, a transcription of the very important message:
The Chief Justice stinks - Kwesi Pratt
Click here to listen.
"What we are discussing is not complicated at all. Indeed, it is a very simple matter. You know, when we go and join the very long queues, in the scortching sun, to get the opportunity to cast our ballots, what we are doing is electing people into office, who will protect our interests, protect state assets, and make sure that state assets would be utilized in the best interest of the people of Ghana.
So when you have a situation, where elected officers, after four or eight years in office, leave office carrying all our national possessions under their armpits, and on their heads, it can only amount to the abuse of trust we have reposed in them.
This has been happening for a very long time. You recall that after the 1966 coup, the coup plotters and their allies, who included persons like K. A. Busia and so on, came up with this notion that that "the state has no business doing business." And therefore decided to privitize state enterprises and other possessions.
At the end of the day, by 1972, when the Acheampong coup occurred, a vast array of state assets have ended up in the hands of the elements of the Progress Party. Today, many of them are very very rich people, and a very comfortable future have been guaranteed for themselves, their children and grand-children, as a result of looting of state assets.
On the other side, the unemployment rate is increasing because these factories which were supposed to give employment to the Ghanaian people, have ended up in private hands, and indeed some of them have been stripped and sold in order to maximize profits.
On the other hand, social services which were being provided by all these state institutions and so on have grounded to a halt, to the the extent that today, the State Housing Corporation is no longer in a position to increase the housing stock and improve the quality of housing! To the extent that today in Accra, and many other parts of this country, there are too many homeless people, people sleeping in the street and so on.
Now, this is the problem we are discussing. Is it right that after eight years of NPP rule, NPP functionaries, leaders, sympathizers, and members, took two hundred and thirty plots in Accra alone for themselves, paying ridiculously low prices and without regard for laid-down procedure and any norm of decency and so on. That is the crux of the matter!
As for the Chief Justice and the statement that she has made, hmm, I would like to seriously disagreewith my brother and friend, and indeed comrade, Dr. Tony Aidoo. I don't see the basis for commending the Chief Justice! Commend the Chief Justice for what? The Chief Justice thinks...
Dr. Tony Aidoo: She has seen the light!
Kwesi Pratt, Jnr: She hasn't seen any light! In fact she's plunged herself further into darkness! What does she say? All of this struggle to ensure that government lands which have been stolen or illegally appropriated are retrieved, she sees this struggle as "hullabaloo"! She sees it as hullabaloo! hullabaloo! Useless! Without merit and so on!
The struggles of the people of Ghana to retain ownership of lands vested in them is not hullabaloo! Can never be hullabaloo! It is a legitimate and proper struggle! What is worse, is that in the end she says "when the hullabaloo dies down, [she] wants the land back!" She has not even lost interest in the land. She is hoping for another opportunity to grab the land again!
Now, what opportunity would enable her to grab the land back? And it is very important to examine this. A court decision that the acquisition was proper would be one of the circumstances under which she can grab the land. Don't you forget that she is the Chief Justice of the Republic and therefore in a position to influence the determination of the legality or constitutionality of the acquisition of the land. If she still has an interest in the land back, where does that leave those of us who think that this is illegal, this is unconstitutional and needs to be reversed?
So the whole issue about her finding herself in a compromising position is brought out in this letter which is interestingly dated February 2010! And it is very, very interesting! Where was this letter all this time? But we are told that this letter is dated February 2010!
Now, the other scenario under which she can get her land back - and from her letter, it is obvious that she really values the land! This is a precious possession. So precious that that even in the face of what she calls "hullabaloo", she still wants it back. So precious! The other circumstance under which the Chief Justice can get her land back if there is regime change and attitudes change and so on.
Now if the land is so precious to her and so on, would she contribute to regime change? And if she is going to contribute to regime change, what methods is she going to use? Will the office of the Chief Justice play a part in securing that regime change and so on, you understand? So all these questions crop up."
I avail myself of this opportunity, to extend to you, on behalf of the Odikro, Nana Akyea Mensah II, the assurances of our highest indignation!
Sincerely,
Pur'gu Saarpe!
Secretary to the Odikro, Nana Akyea Mensah II,
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