In Ghana, the minority in Parliament is calling on Minister of Information and National Orientation Kwamena Bartels to resign for peddling falsehoods. They said the minister’s actions are dangerous and may cause damage to the unity and integrity of the country. Legislators are threatening to take more drastic action if the government fails to remove the minister from his position. Doe Adjaho is the deputy minority leader in Ghana’s parliament. He told VOA English to Africa reporter Peter Clottey that the minister that has been peddling falsehood for several years under two presidents.
“You may recall that sometime in 2001 when Honorable Bartels appeared before parliament with regards to the renovation of the of the castle in the private residence of the former President, the minister told parliament that the President did not want to stay in his house and wanted to stay at the castle. And that is why the renovation was done as a certificate of urgency. We all know where the President of Ghana is staying up to today. Again the President said that the Gulf Stream jet that was bought during the NDC (National Democratic Congress Party) regime was supposed to be an end of service benefit to the former president. That was a blatant falsehood,” Adjaho noted.
Doe Adjaho says the minority has always taken the government’s official pronouncements seriously.
“We have been taking it serious, but you know, when it comes to a matter of a coup, which would be subversive to the whole democratic process in Ghana, it is a more serious matter, and I think that enough is enough. We cannot tolerate his falsehoods again, and I think that this is the correct time for us to ask him to resign or be removed from office,” he said.
Adjaho says the minister Bartels has taken an oath to tell Ghanaians the truth, so he should be taken to task when he fails to tell the truth.
“When ministers speak and they always tell falsehoods, whether they are doing dirty jobs for somebody or not, he is the one who is making those statements. He should be held responsible for the statements that he made,” he said.
Adjaho says the minority will advise itself based on the reaction of President John Kufuor’s current government.
“You know, there are various Constitutional avenues available to the minority. We haven’t taken a decision; we will see what will be the reaction of the government or, for that matter, the President and Honorable Kwamena Bartels in this matter, and then we will advise ourselves accordingly,” he said.
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