Heads of State executed over unproven corruption allegation – Sam Pee Yalley

Former High Commissioner to India Sam Pee Yalley says Ghanaians must end the culture of making unproven corruption allegations against politicians following controversy within the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“What kind of country are we building that people get up and say this man is a thief”, Sam Pee Yalley told Joy FM Super Morning Show Thursday.

The NDC man’s concern is premised on an article by former Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr Valerie Sawyerr who has criticised the party’s founder Jerry Rawlings for labelling others corrupt except himself.

Providing tacit support, Sam Pee Yalley traced the political history of how Rawlings has labelled every leader as corrupt since he emerged on the Ghana political scene in 1979.

Six senior military officers, including former Heads of State Gen. Fred Akuffo, Gen. A. A. Afrifa and Maj. Gen. Ignatius Acheampong were executed in June 1979 by a new military government, Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).

Others included former border guard commander Maj. Gen. E. K. Utuka; a former army commander, Maj. Gen. R. E. A. Kotei; a former air force chief, Air Vice Marshal George Yaw Boakye and chief of the navy, Admiral Joy Amerdume.

All were convicted by secret military tribunals of misusing their positions to enrich themselves while in office.

Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings, the leader of the AFRC said, his government was engaged “in a national exercise to lift the image of Ghanaians through a moral battle.”

Sam Pee Yalley lamented that “we were all instigated to believe that shooting them at the range is the best solution” after they were branded corrupt.

The NDC man also pointed out that the only president of the third republic President Limann after being in office for 27 months, was also overthrown on the last day of 1981, by Flight Lt. Jerry Rawlings.

Hilla Limann was also accused of corruption but the claims were never proven, Sam Pee Yalley said and expressed sadness at the poor living conditions Limann had to endure before he passed aged 63.

The former ambassador said, since President Jerry Rawlings exited power peacefully in 2008, he has labelled all his successors corrupt starting with Kufuor, whom he called ‘Atta Ayi’ after a popular thief in Accra.

He said even his vice-president John Evans Atta Mills who would later win power in 2009 was also called names including ‘Atta Mortuary man’ and ‘greedy bastards’.

He said Rawlings also became a chief critic of the next NDC government of President John Mahama.

Rawlings has severely castigated Mahama government as corrupt, following several scandals. Sam Pee Yalley mentioned scandals like GYEEDA and SUBAH which were used against President Mahama.

He said to date, no one has been proven to have been corrupt.

According to  him, people shout “corruption, corruption, corruption and it is gone” without any proof.

“He who alleges must prove,” he said and lamented children of politicians suffer embarrassment in school simply because, of unproven claims of corruption labelled on their parents.

Source: Ghana|myjoyonline.com