Martin Amidu Contemplates Forming Political Party

Mr Martin Amidu

By Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Edwin Appiah

Shunned by his own party, former Attorney-General Martin ABK Amidu may be contemplating forming his own political party to wrestle power from the NDC government.

Martin Amidu revealed his frustrations with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), pointing out that it appears to have abandoned its core values of accountability and transparency.

“One solution I may have to think about should the NDC Government and party continue on their unconstitutional path aided by their small boys with sharp teeth is whether I should also not Goosie Tanoh 2000 or Obed Asamoah 2004 against this dictatorship in Election 2016”.

Goosie Tanoh formed the National Reformed Party in 2000 while Dr. Obed Asamoah, a former National Chairman of the NDC formed the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) in 2006 and contested the 2008 elections.

Martin Amidu's comments were contained in a statement issued in Accra. He said he was disappointed after reading government’s White Paper on the Judgment Debt Commission report.

The former A-G is irritated that the Presidency is using the report for political propaganda ahead of the 2016 general elections.

Martin Amidu fought government through the courts and won three Supreme Court rulings ordering government to retrieve €47million from Waterville, $325,000 from Isofoton and GHC51 million from businessman Alfred Woyome.

The Supreme Court had ruled that payments made by government to these companies under the guise of judgment debt were illegal. Martin Amidu used these rulings to justify his accusation that government is unwilling to tackle political corruption within its ranks.

Since then, Martin Amidu has been hammering the Presidency for failing to retrieve the monies.

The Government White Paper on the Judgment Debt Commission, he says, once again demonstrates that government is not serious about fighting corruption.

Amidu says government is using the report to hound political opponents such as Asokwa MP, KT Hammond, who is a former deputy Energy minister under the erstwhile Kufuor administration.

“KT Hammond is ordered to be investigated by EOCO for US$900, 000.00 while Hon Ebo Barton Odro (now 1^st Deputy Speaker of Parliament of the NDC) goes free after an unauthorized payment of GH₵4,159,101.38”.

“What Ghanaian sense of justice is this than protecting card bearing members of the NDC while hounding mercilessly and dealing with political opponents whose fundamental rights and freedoms are also guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution?”

“When I call this unconstitutional conduct on the part of the NDC which is now deviating from core values, (and of which I am a foundation member), I am insulted with approval from the Presidency in a democracy.”

GAME CHANGER IN

Middle East

Russia's S 300

By Ekow Mensah

This is a game changer in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf and it would undoubtedly send ripples of fear down the spine of Israel and its allies.

It is the Russian surface-to-air defense system S-300 which is being made available to the Iranian armed forces.

The agreement for the supply of S-300 missile defense systems to Iran has already been signed and Tehran is expected to pay up to US$ 800 million for them.

The system should have been delivered in 2010 but Russia refused to do so then because it claimed that the deal was prohibited by the fourth round of United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme.

Brigadier General Hossein Dehgan, Defence Minister of Iran says that his country will receive the most modern of the S-300 defense system.

The same system has been deployed by the Russians in Syria and it is believed that it has been the deterrent to western air strikes against Syrian government positions.

The S-300 is one of, if not, the world’s best surface-to air defense systems.

With the delivery of the system to Iran, Israel would think thrice before launching an air attack on the Persian Gulf state.

Editorial

Turkish Betrayal

The shooting down of a Russian Jet by the Turkish authorities can only be a betrayal of the so-called coalition against ISIS.

What can justify the Turkish attack on a Russian plane carrying out a raid on ISIS targets?   

Why will Turkish feel so worried about a friendly Russian Jet flying over its territory even if Turkish claims are to be believed?

It seems to us that the Turkish fixation with overthrowing the legitimate government of Syria is the only way to explain the drowning of the Russian Jet.

If Turkey can assist all kinds of militants to carry out military operations inside Syria then it is saying that there are circumstances in which national boundaries can be violated.

We fully condemn the Turkish attack on Russia and Syria as an action that does not help  the war on terrorism.