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| Gabby Otchere-Darko is a 'disturbance' - Sophia Akuffo. |
People like Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko are a
"disturbance", the immediate past Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo has
said.
Reacting to Gabby's comment on her participation in a pensioner
bondholder picketing as part of a protest asking the government to exempt them
from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), Justice Sophia Akuffo said
Gabby cannot decide for her, on what she should do.
"He [Gabby] does not decide for me what I need to do and what
I do not need to do. It is as simple as that."
"I don't have time for things like that. People like that are
not important, to me or to my life, he is a disturbance, that's all I
have got to say about it," the former Chief Justice said.
She said Gabby was not a member of the government and therefore
cannot be speaking for the government.
Justice Sophia Akuffo firied back at Gabby following his comment
that she "erred big time" in her basic appreciation of the issues in
relation to the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
Gabby in a tweet on Sunday reacting to the gesture by the former
Chief Justice, Sophia Akuffo, to picket the Finance Ministry together with
pensioner bondholders said her move was done in “error."
“For a former CJ [Chief Justice] to take up a noble cause such as
she did but at such late hour when all was done and for all that publicity, she
owed it to herself and her social standing to have understood the issues far
better than what she exhibited last Friday. She is bigger than that,” Gabby
tweeted.
This morning [Feb 14, 2023], Justice Akuffo joined the pensioner
bondholders again to picket the Ministry of Finance and speaking to the press,
she replied Gabby.
"Gabby Otchere-Darko can call me paranoid".
"I don't care. We are talking about people, we are talking
about human beings, we are talking about people who have served this country,
and have served well and have served hard, not easy service."
"When you are not a member of government and you are calling
yourself a member of government, so that is all I have got to say about this
matter, that is why I am still sitting here." Justice Sophia
Akuffo said.
Asked for a comment on whether there was a mistrust for government
and that is why she is still joining the protest even though government has
said maturing coupons will be paid, Justice Akuffo said, "paper talks,
paper talks, empty talks fly with the wind."
"So we are waiting when they become due we shall see, it will
be better that for all of us and for people who have served the nation...
She said the pensioner bondholders chose not to sign unto the
DDEP, "now the way things are going, what I sense and what I smell is the
creation two categories of people, of two classes of people, those who have
been exempted by the issuer... now they are calling those who refused to sign
unto the debt exchange, they are calling them self exempt, they simply refused
to sign and they simply want to sign unto the original bond that they had with
the government."
"The word bond is not used as a casual term, bond means tied
to [my word is my bond], and when a government bond can be tossed up and down
like that, flip flop, that is serious thing. For me my problem with this whole
thing is the destruction of the image of this nation, and something which
is being done for generations. It took a long time before the normal Ghanaians
will even buy anything that is government, because there was always the
suspicion, tomorrow, you don't know what happen.
Now they are re-introducing that. The letter that was written to
the minister, exempt us from your programme, we are pensioners. Up till now, I
have seen a copy of the letter, up till now, there is not even a note of
acknowledgement and yet a few days ago, similar letters written to the Minister
have been responded to, whereby he has categorically exempted other groups,
why?"
"And you know what, I cannot fathom the reason for something
being done in a particular way, especially when its been done for others but
its not being done for others, I start getting suspicious, I have grown to the
age where I have seen it all, and therefore I easily become suspicious."
"Gabby Otchere-Darko can call me paranoid, I don't care.
We are talking about people, we are talking about human beings, we are talking
about people who have served this country, and have served well and served
hard, not easy service."
"When you are not a member of government and you are calling
yourself a member of government. So that is all I have got to say about this
matter, that is why I am still sitting here." Justice Sophia
Akuffo said.
Asked if there was a mistrust for government, Justice Sophia Akufo
said "paper talks, paper talks, empty talks flies with the wind, yes. So a
press release is one thing, a letter in response to a specific request is
another thing all together, because when we've reached a point where we are
feeling uncomfortable even though we are holding government bonds, listen it is
a trust issue, yes.
Asked if the matter will be taken to court now that the programme
has been closed by the government, Justice Akuffo responded, "the
representative for the association, Dr Anane Antwi will address that.
Also Read:
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