Paul Adom Otchere, host of Good Evening Ghana, has accused one of Ghana’s longest-serving Head of State, Jerry John Rawlings of masterminding the collapse of most Ghanaian owned businesses during his administrations.
Adom-Otchere alleged that most of these companies were collapsed and handed over to foreign interests because JJ Rawlings, who was twice a military leader of the country, wanted to keep hold of power.
He feared, according to the journalist that the business owners could become powerful to the extent of influencing decisions and funding people to rise up and oppose his reign.
His remarks were contained in an editorial he broadcast on his show in support of General Overseer of the Action Faith Chapel International, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams’ comments to the effect that there is a subculture in Ghana where we prefer destroying the local businesses than encourage them to grow into global giants.
Delivering his sermon on Sunday, September 1, Archbishop Duncan Williams observed, “I don’t want to be political but if you look at people like Zoomlion and others, Zoomlion is a Ghanaian, but every government that has come will go after Zoomlion because they don’t understand why a Ghanaian should make it that big”
“The level of insecurity, jealousy, and envy in this country is amazing. Our political system is designed to enhance jealousy and envy. We have become a society of bringing down one another”
“Nigeria came up with policies to help one of their own to become huge and greater than foreigners,” Duncan Williams said passionately.
Making his submission on Tuesday on his show, Good Evening Ghana, Paul Adom Otchere placed the blame, largely, at the doorstep of former President Rawlings.
“Ghana needs only two Dangote’s to survive. We have had about 30 of them. Government after government come and they throw them away starting from Rawlings and he is the most guilty of this matter. JJ Rawlings is the most guilty. JJ Rawlings’ regime is the most guilty of this thing. I hope that he has regretted it by now because that was dastardly – pull down every Ghanaian because you are afraid that they are too strong to take you out of power. That was the reason as we have read in the books” he bashed.
He cited an example of how the former President, then a military leader, shut down one of Ghana’s leading industries, Tata Brewery on flimsy excuses.
“Mr Siaw was shut down by the JJ Rawlings people in 1979 that they said that he has some issues with taxes and the company and the assets of the company were sold to foreigners. Later on, when Mr Kufuor became the President, the family of Mr Siaw went to Court and they got some things back because the government of Mr Kufuor recognised that what was done was wrong.”
The social commentator advocated for an era where Ghanaian companies are not shut down or destroyed because they have erred in obeying the laws.
Paul Adom Otchere explained that where companies have flouted rules, individuals whose actions and inactions caused the company such damage should be the only people held liable for wrongdoing.
“You can punish individuals who are responsible for some of these things, even if the person is the majority shareholder, you can still punish him,” he noted, ABC News can report.
“All the people whose companies have been shut, they have not gone broke, it is the 1, 200 people who they employ who go home, who have nothing to hold unto. It is them who are most affected.”
“The banks that you have collapsed the owners are not broke, they are not going to go broke anytime soon. It s the people who work there who have had to go home, all they had was monthly salary of GHC2000”
