Former Attorney General, Martin Amidu has cautioned people lobbying for him to be appointed as an Independent Prosecutor in the Akufo-Addo government to desist from such act.
Martin Amidu’s name has come up for the President-elect proposed office of Special Independent Prosecutor.
But in a latest statement issued by the anti-corruption campaigner, he said attempts by some elements to recommend him for the position also amounts to corruption too.
He disclosed through the statement released Thursday that some persons have had discussions with him face-to-face, whereas others have called him on phone to inform him of their efforts to ensure he gets an appointment, but Mr. Amidu said the President-elect must be allowed the freedom to exercise that power without undue pressure, which he’s strongly opposed to.
“What has been and is worrying for me is that some citizens are using this natural democratic process of citizen free expression of expectations and anticipation to telephone or speak face-to-face with individual citizens to suggest that they have, are recommending or intend to recommend them to the President-Elect for particular appointments. I have received a number of such telephone and direct face-to-face suggestions both from some alleged friends, acquaintances and complete strangers in which they profess to have written to, recommended, or spoken to the President-Elect or persons close to him about a public appointment for me. I have had to exercise considerable restraint and patience in dealing with such ingratiating callers and visitors because their attitude and behavior is annoying, nauseating, demeaning, and embarrassing to me.
“Let me elucidate. I have been an advocate against graft, patronage, cronyism, greed and corruption of all kinds from my earliest school and college days. My history in public office since 1982 has been a history of fighting against plundering of the public purse. This is how come for almost five years Chairman Rawlings made me the Chairman of the Public Agreements Boards with personal attendance at PNDC meetings to ensure that no public agreement was approved unless it met the national interest.
“I am pleading with those professed friends, acquaintances and strangers who do not know me well or who hope to cultivate my gratitude by informing me of efforts, submissions, recommendations, or supplications they are making on my behalf for any appointment to please desist from doing so. What they are really doing is what is called in conflict studies “ingratiation”, which has within it the seeds for the potential of corruption. I suspect what is happening to me is happening to other patriotic citizens. It is not in the interest of the President-Elect, his Government or the incoming Parliament. Such actions are inevitably a harbinger of cronyism and corruption in the body polity.”
