Bawumia deserves an open retraction & apology

Irrespective of the context and influence under which it was said, the sacked Minister of State at the Presidency, Charles Adu Boahen had no business uttering words to the effect that the Vice Presient, Dr. Bawumia will “need just USD200,000 token as an appearance fee and some positions for the Vice President’s siblings to get his backing and influence in establishing a business in Ghana,” as contained in the latest expose by Anas Aremeyaw Anas.

In simple, direct and clear language, the statement can be best described as a reckless loose talk from a public servant.

Yes, the Presient has sacked him. That is commendable on the part of the President. But that should not be the end of the matter.

Charles Adu Boahen should be honorable enough to offer a public apology to the Vice President for throwing his name out there in such a cruel manner as captured by the Anas video.

The Vice President, in protecting his Government and party would not sue for defamation. The best he would do is what he has done on his facebook page on the day the news broke.

He posted on his facebook wall: “My attention has been drawn to a video by Anas Aremeyaw Anas (as posted on his social media handle) showing the Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, apparently using my name, inter alia, to peddle influence and collect money from supposed investors. I would like to state that if what the minister is alleged to have said is accurately captured in the video, then his position as a minister of state is untenable. He should be dismissed summarily and investigated.
“I am not aware of any such meeting held by Minister Adu Boahen or a supposed “appearance fee”. My most cherished asset in life is my integrity and I will not allow anyone to use my name to engage in corrupt activities.”

Unless Charles Adu Boahen had a premeditated mindset to tarnish the reputation of the Vice Presient, and said what he is alleged to have said on purpose, his conscience should have been pricked by now to offer a public retract the statement and apologize to the veep.

He should have come clean to let the world know whatever he was captured to have said on the video are not true and do not reflect the personality of Dr. Bawumia.

His silence even in the face of the public uproar does not paint the picture of a man who erred and is sorry for the mishap.

What does he gain by the silence? How does he feel now that the world knows what he had said about Dr. Bawumia? Would it hurt in anyway if Charles Adu Boahen comes public to disassociate the veep from the current mess he finds himself in? Anyway…