The Member of Parliament (MP) for Subin in the Ashanti Region and an aspirant for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential flagbearership, Hon. Isaac Osei, believes that the current trend in the country’s body politics where successive governments usually target specific individuals for prosecution largely on agitations for prosecution is unacceptable.
According to the former COCOBOD boss, there are quite a number of people accused of graft without any concrete proof but mainly based on such unnecessary calls.
Citing cases involving former government officials like that of Stephen Asamoah Boateng, former Information Minister and a host of others, Hon Osei said “I don’t believe successive governments should target specific individuals, simply because they belong to the other (political divide) side,” he said.
The former Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK) pointed out that it was improper for political parties to insist on the prosecution of ex-government officials without any shred of evidence or for senior party leaders to even say that “jail them” before government moves into action. He opined that institutions of state which have investigative powers to prosecute should rather go ahead and do it.
“The role of government should be minimized in these things,” he said.
Speaking in an interview on Citi FM, he expressed worry at the way the police service and other security agencies were being denied their independence and right to prosecute, alleging that the government of the day had resorted to influencing their investigations.
“….it was not the police who came up to say that, this or that was wrong, so someone should be prosecuted…A political agenda is apparently set and then it is transmitted into the judicial area; that is what is worrying,” he stated.
Mr. Isaac Osei launched his campaign for president in the Western Region on Friday April 5. Professor Frimpong-Boateng has also expressed interest in the race, he was the first to pick up nomination forms.
Both Isaac Osei and Dr. Frimpong Boateng will face stiff competition from perceived front runners for the Flagbearership slot, Alan Kyeremanteng and Nana Akuffo-Addo, when the NPP goes to congress on August 7.
The Subin MP strongly argued that despite the economic hardships facing Ghanaians, the President should not be unduly pressured but should be given enough time to put things on track. He however, quickly added that for now, the direction being taken by the ruling NDC government, was leading to an unknown destination.
“I think to be fair to President Mills he still has 32 months out of 48 months left, so let’s wait and see but as of now we cannot see the direction in which the government is going and I think it is very important.
“Every government comes to make a contribution…I am sure the President is trying, but so far not good enough…though the President is making an effort, the (better) change that Ghanaians want will come, but in 2012,” he said.
Source: GhanaWeb
