Stop Attacking Bagbin � Govt Directs

Government has instructed functionaries of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to pull a break on the incessant attacks on former Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin, for raising teething concerns about Mahama�s presidency. Mr. Bagbin has in the past few days descended heavily on the Mahama-led administration for lacking the political will to fight corruption and also surrounding the presidency with characters who make the president accessible to party apparatchiks, highly impossible. His outburst has received vitriolic attacks from persons considered to be managing the day-to-day activities of the president. For instance, a presidential staffer, Stan Dogbe called Mr Bagbin a liar. In a long respond on his facebook page on November 1, Stan Dogbe questioned: �Couldn't our honorable senior had made his views known about the fight against corruption without attacking the president unjustifiably and lying against him? Hanna Tetteh, Minister for Foreign Affairs, using the same social media network, counselled Mr. Bagbin to concentrate on his appointment as one of the �three wise men� in charge of government special projects. But the presidency is calling for a cease fire. REGRETTABLE Minister of Information, Mahama Ayariga told Joy FM on Monday that he personally met Mr. Bagbin to �try and understand� his concerns and solve them. �We have met and we are discussing this particular difficulty and we are working towards resolving it, Mahama Ayariga noted, adding; �And I just thought that it will be helpful that party members, who are all on radio, responding or attacking would stop doing that so that we can resolve the issue amicable�. However, he said Mr. Bagbin going public was �regrettable�, but assured that his accessibility to the president would be resolved. Mr. Ayariga, who also served under Mahama�s predecessor, appreciated the �difficulty� in maintaining the balance of pleasing party functionaries and meeting government duties. �One aspect will suffer,� he underscored. OFFICE LIKE MARKET Nevertheless, the Information Minister maintained that President Mahama had always been accessible at every level of his political career. �Even when he was a Vice President, I recalled that, his office was always like a market every morning, and so he runs a session in the house before going to the office, he will run another session when he returns home... So he has generally been an accessible person...and I can assure you that he still remains very accessible.� CORRUPTION Touching on the issue of corruption, Mahama Ayariga asserted that he �totally disagrees� with Mr. Bagbin that the government lacks the will power to deal with it. Additionally, he indicated that the administration spent eight productive months battling his legitimacy in court, but once this is over, the president is taking measures to �deal with every single issue of corruption� in accordance with the rule of law. For instance, he announced that the president would soon present to Parliament for enactment, a bill on public officeholder accountability. President Mahama has �shown commitment to fight corruption�, he said, adding that persons mentioned in the GYEEDA report would be punished by the various institutions. FAMILY AND FRIENDS; RANDY ABBEY Responding to claims that President Mahama has turned the presidency into family and friends, the Information Minister simply said, �I am compelled to disagree with him�. Mr. Ayariga said roping in Randy Abbey, a friend to the President, as a stumbling block to party members, �will be carrying matters too far if we go to that extent�. All things being equal, the Minister described President Mahama as someone, who listens to criticism, tolerant and insisted that he �has nothing personal against Bagbin� for his outburst. He promised the president would sit down with Mr. Bagbin as practicably as possible to solve the issues.