Features
My Lords: Reject Muntaka’s apology
On 10th January, 2021, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka openly and blatantly scandalised and bastardised the Supreme Court Justices of the 4th Republic of Ghana over an unproven allegation of attempted bribery by one of them.
And who is Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka? He is a seasoned Member of Parliament for Asawase constituency in the Ashanti Region, who has won that parliamentary seat a number of times. He is said to be a devout moslem, so he has “earned” the title, ‘Alhaji’.
As a Member of Parliament, Alhaji Muntaka has “acquired” the title “Honourable” also, so he is an honourable man. Significantly, Honourable Alhaji Muntaka is the Minority Chief Whip, thus, whipping his NDC minority members in Parliament to tow certain lines of actions in the august House.
How did he scandalise and bastardise the Justices of the Supreme Court? Alhaji Muntaka loudly claimed on Joy Television News, on 10th January, 2021, that a female NDC Member of Parliament had been invited by a Supreme Court Judge, with the express intent to bribe her to vote for Professor Mike Oquaye, during the contest for the Speakership position of Parliament.
Indeed, Honourable Muntaka insisted that he has evidence to prove that the un-named Supreme Court Judge really attempted to bribe a female NDC Member of Parliament and that at the appropriate time he would lead evidence to that effect.
Alhaji Muntaka assured on Joy Television News, that he would raise the bribery allegation against the Judge on the floor of Parliament and would as well, call for the establishment of a committee to investigate it.
Additionally, Mr Muntaka said some NPP Majority Members in Parliament also approached some NDC MPs and attempted bribing them to vote for Professor Oquaye.
Curiously, Muntaka did not name any Supreme Court Judge but claimed that he trusted his nameless NDC female MP colleague who broke the bribery allegation to him.
Readers, the Supreme Court Judges are not earthly saints, and so if one or two or all of them misconduct themselves, they must be investigated through the appropriate channels and where necessary, sanctioned.
But for a seasoned parliamentarian to carry unproven bribery allegation against a Supreme Court Judge onto a television station, it will be difficult to comprehend by rational beings.
Is it the case that Alhaji Muntaka has no knowledge of any appropriate political, legal or constitutional forum to channel his so-called bribery allegation against the Supreme Court Judge for redress?
What was his motive then? Just to bad-mouth the institution of Supreme Court and the entire accomplished Justices? No, I think his real motive is still hidden.
It is, however, instructive that the Judicial Service encouraged Mr. Muntaka to assist it to get to the bottom of his bribery allegation.
Instead of grasping such opportunity with both hands, Mr. Muntaka is rather dispelling it with half-hearted apology.
In a press statement announcing his apology, Mr. Muntaka said: “Admittedly, because I did not specifically name any Judge, this may have had the effect of scandalising the judiciary in its entirety. This unintended consequence is deeply regretted.”
Paragraph four of the apology said:” I, therefore, wish to respectfully retract same and apologise for the harm done to the image and reputation of my Lord Justices of the Supreme Court and the judiciary as a whole.”
Paragraph five of Muntaka’s apology, however, makes his whole intent suspicious. He said:” Based upon good counsel, I have also decided to let sleeping dogs lie and will consequently refrain from any further commentary on the matter …”
From my understanding of paragraph five of Muntaka’s apology, he has not retracted anything from his bribery allegation made against a Judge of the Supreme Court.
He still stands by the unproven allegation and with this kind of attitude, I will urge the Supreme Court Judges to reject Muntaka’s apology and spite it with a pinch of salt.
In my view, Alhaji Muntaka must seek ” proper” good counsel and do “proper” consultations. Following that, he must properly retract the bribery allegation he made against the Justices of the Supreme Court and apologise to them unconditionally.
Otherwise, I will urge Honourable Muntaka to wake his sleeping dogs up and whip them to bark and bite until we get to the bottom of this matter.
Already, a list of all the female NDC Members of Parliament has been compiled and some people are pointing accusing fingers at the “culprit” likely to have told Muntaka that a Supreme Court Judge attempted bribing her.
This matter must not be swept under the carpet. So, if Muntaka is not ready to do the needful, a full-scale enquiry must be instituted to arrive at the truth. After all, nobody compelled him to render his half-hearted apology.
As leading lights of society, we must learn to respect our institutions of state and assist them to right the wrongs through the appropriate channels, when need be, instead of scandalising and bastardising them from the rooftops.
G. Frank Asmah
THE state of feeling rejected, could be a terrifying experience especially for those who have become used to fame. If not properly addressed, it could lead to depression and the consequences, could be disastrous.
When you are on top of your game in whatever profession you find yourself such that you become famous, a lot of people try to associate with you. The phone never ceases to ring and one is tempted to feel loved and very important.
When a disaster strikes and the fame or the money which was the source of the attraction fades away, the circle of friends and fans begin to shrink and the phone will start to stop ringing until the call stops voting completely.
You will be shocked at how people you considered friends, will no longer be calling you or pay casual visits as they used to. You will begin to notice that messages you leave after calling them and not getting a response are not replied to and that is when you begin to know who your true friends are.
One of the most popular movie stars was an actress called Sharon Stone. In an interview with one of the media houses that was published, she spoke about how people who should have come around to encourage her in her moment of depression, shunned her. The calls stopped coming.
This is what the Bible admonishes that the arm of flesh will fail you and therefore we should put our trust in God. It could be a very frightening experience and can easily lead to depression.
Human nature being what it is, people will want to get close if things are okay. Everybody wants to associate themselves with interesting things, famous people, rich people etc for mainly selfish reasons.
We need to develop the habit of putting our trust in God and relying less on human beings. The lesson we have to take along in life is that, no one marries his or her enemy so how come people who took vows that they will love each other become so hostile to each other that they want to go their separate ways in life? Such is the reality of life.
It is therefore prudent for people to recognise that, life is full of uncertainties and so there is the need to prepare your mind for uncertainties so that when they occur, they do not disorganise your mental sanity.
A lot of people have experienced situations where people who they could have sworn will never betray their trust have disappointed them when they were through challenging moments.
If there is one thing famous people should desire, it should be the ability to identify who are true friends are. Countless stories abound regarding incidence of celebrities who have lost their shine and their wives divorcing them soon after.
It is sometimes useful as a famous or rich person to sign a prenuptial agreement before marriage to safeguard or protect yourself from any future unpleasant surprises.
People can be very pretentious these days, it goes both ways. There is this real life story where a man married a divorced wealthy woman and convinced her to sell her house so they could build a new one together, with the excuse that people are gossiping that he is being housed by a woman.
The woman agreed and they put up a new building. After a few years the man asked for a divorce, only for the woman to realise that the land on which the building was situated, was bought in the man’s name.
This can drive a person insane, if you are not mentally tough and this happens to you. When people hear that you are homeless, a lot of your so-called friends will stop calling, so that you do not become a burden on them.
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
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‘But, er …. I don’t even know your name’.
‘Paul. Paul Allotey. I’m Sarah, by the way. Paul, why don’t you leave me here, since this is the last important thing I’m doing today’.
‘Okay. Now Sarah. I was just thinking. You will be here at the cafe for about an hour. By then it will be about twelve thirty. Then, you would be thinking of buying yourself some lunch, to eat here or to take home. So if you would please allow me, I will take you to one of the nicest eating places in town, and after you have sorted that one out, then I can drop you home. Just that one errand, then I won’t bother you again’.
‘You are not bothering me at all. You are being very kind to me. And I just realised you are a mind reader too. The last item on my agenda was lunch’.
‘I’m so glad I appeared at your doorstep, just in time’.
‘Okay. Now Paul, since you say the cafe is a comfortable place, let’s go in together, and you can do your work while I get my application done’.
‘Okay, Sarah. Thanks. Let’s go’.
We got back in the car at eleven forty-five.
‘So where are we going, Paul?’
‘To Royalty restaurant. It’s a twenty minute drive away’.
‘So, do you enjoy your job?’
‘Most certainly. I won’t change it, not even to be President. And am I right to say that you are preparing to enter the university?’
‘That’s my plan. I hope it works’.
‘It will, if you are determined, and disciplined. You look very much like a disciplined person’.
‘Thank you very much’.
We arrived at Royalty in twenty-five minutes, ‘You are joining me for lunch, Paul’.
‘Thanks for the honour, Sarah. But the bill is on me’.
‘Aren’t you taking on too much for one day?’
‘I never do anything that is bigger than me, Sarah’.
Over the next hour and a half, we discussed fashion, local and international politics, and sports, as we ate and relaxed. Finally, he drove me to the shop.
‘I will never forget you, Paul’.
‘I’m glad to have been helpful. But if you don’t mind, I’ll say it again, your husband is extremely lucky. You are really beautiful’.
‘Thanks again. But do you mind if I call you sometime in the future?’
‘Certainly not. Let me write it here. I will not ask for your number, for obvious reasons. But I will be looking forward to hearing from you. And hopefully, I will see you next month, when I call to drop your bill’.
‘Okay Paul. See you then’. What a lovely day, I said to myself as I opened the front door. I closed the shop and got home by seven. I went straight to the bedroom, stood in the mirror and took a good look at myself. ‘You are a very beautiful woman, Sarah. Never forget that’. I will not forget that, again.
Over the next several weeks, Martin and I had very little to do with each other. In the morning he ate his breakfast and after a shabby ‘I’m going’, he left. He came home around eight at the earliest, ate his dinner and, already soaked in beer, went off to sleep.
He spent the greater part of the weekends at the club house with his friends, playing tennis and partying. My mind was focused on furthering my education, so I didn’t complain to him, and didn’t bother to inform my parents about what was happening. I had decided that I would only take action if he lifted his hand against me again. I spent my free time reading all manner of interesting stuff on the internet, and chatting with my sister on WhatsApp.
One evening, he came home at about eight, rushed to the bedroom and rushed out. An envelope, obviously containing money, dropped out of his pocket, and I picked it up and followed him. I was going to call him and give it to him, but I noticed that there was a young woman in the car, so I went back in, counted it and put it in a drawer in the hall. He came back after some ten minutes.
‘Excuse me, I dropped an envelope containing money. You must have seen it’.
‘Yes, I saw it. Actually, I followed you, and was about to call you and hand it over to you when I realised that there was a woman in the car, so I came back in. I counted it. One thousand cedis.
‘Well let me have it. I have to be going’.
‘I will let you have it if you will tell me who the woman in the car is, and why you are going to give her that amount of money’.
‘Listen, if you waste my time, I will teach you a lesson you will never forget. Give me the money now!’
‘Here’s what we will do, Martin. I know you will give money to her anyway, so I will give it to you, if you will withdraw the threat you just issued. But I want you to know that I will be taking some steps from tomorrow. Things are getting out of hand’.
‘Okay, I’m sorry I threatened you. Can you please give me the money’. I handed it over to him, and he ran out’.
The following morning, I waited for him to finish having breakfast, and told him I wanted to have a word with him urgently.
‘You better be quick. You know I’m going to work’.
‘Well, I want to inform you that I will inform my parents, and your parents, about the situation in this house. As I said yesterday, things are getting out of hand. You spend most of your time drinking. You get drunk every evening, and through the weekend. And you are also spending your time and money on a prostitute’.
‘How dare you? One more stupid word from you …’
‘Am I lying, Martin? You have just started life, yet you are behaving like a rich, elderly man who has already seen his children through university, and can afford a life of fun. As I said, I’m going to inform our parents. Maybe your parents can straighten you out before it is too late’.
‘Look, we can talk this evening. It’s nothing like what you are saying’. He walked away, shocked.
That evening, I was expecting to have a meaningful discussion with him, but his mother called early in the evening to offer me some ‘advice’. Her son had called to say that certain developments at home were disturbing him so much that they were beginning to affect his work.
And, ‘as a loving mother to her daughter’, she was advising me to submit to my husband, and support him in prayer, and not ‘drive him from home’. Men would always be men, and she was telling me ‘from experience’ that no matter how much time Martin stayed away from home, he would always come home to me.
She had been a young wife before, so she understood the challenges I was facing. So I could be assured that if I followed her advice, all would be well. And, of course, she didn’t allow me to tell my side of the story.
Martin came home very late, and very drunk. And from the next morning, he carried on as before. With some hesitation, I called my dad and told him all that had gone on.
‘Well, my daughter. I’m not going to say “I told you so”. I was only trying to protect you. So here’s what we’ll do. Continue doing the best you can, and try not to give him any excuse to harm you, but if things continue to deteriorate, I will take you back.
A couple of days later, my cousin Dinah arrived in Accra from Brussels, having completed her medical course. With Martin’s agreement, I went to Koforidua and spent a couple of days. I spent most of the time chatting about her experiences in the US, but we also discussed my relationship with Martin, and she endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if Martin’s behaviour did not change after two weeks Elaine informed Mom and Dad. We endorsed Dad’s decision to take action if there was no change in two weeks.
Dinah returned with me to Takoradi. Her plan was to spend a couple of weeks, and return to Accra to be posted. I called Paul Allotey, and asked if he would meet her for lunch and, if possible, show her some interesting spots. Delighted, he suggested that we meet at Royalty the next day.
I told Martin about it, to remove any possibility of future disagreement over ‘going out with men’.
‘It’s fine with me’, he said, ‘if, of all the people who could show your sister round this town, you chose a borla man. Doesn’t that indicate the kind of person you are?’
‘ First of all, Martin’, I’ve spoken to him a few times, and he comes across as a decent guy, so I think it is rather unfortunate that you are writing him off when you don’t know him’.
By Ekow de Heer
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