Physician and political activist Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy has condemned the National Cathedral project, calling it a “textbook case” of financial loss to the state and a powerful example of failed leadership at all levels of government.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, July 19, Dr. Kennedy criticised both political and religious authorities for what he described as poor judgment and misplaced priorities in the midst of pressing national needs.
“Nothing has shaken my confidence in the common sense of Ghana’s leadership more than the National Cathedral,” he stated.
“From the president who conceived it to the cabinet, who saw nothing wrong with it, to the parliament that gave it money, to the religious leaders who signed off on it and lent their good name to it it is unconscionable for a country that cannot get clean water, for a government that couldn’t even complete the Krofrom market, for a country who have kids who go to school under trees.”
Dr. Kennedy argued that the use of public funds for the cathedral, estimated at $100 million, was deeply irresponsible.
“If there ever was a cause of financial loss to the state, this is it. It is a textbook case,” he said. “$100 million of a poor country like Ghana’s money into this project, it broke my heart because the government ought not to be in the business of building cathedrals.”
He also criticised Ghana’s democratic institutions for failing to act in the public interest. “We had a politicised Supreme Court that was signing off on things that the government was doing,” he said. “We had people in parliament who wouldn’t stand up and ensure that the right things are done.”
According to Dr. Kennedy, the principle is simple: “Our government shouldn’t be building cathedrals or mosques. It shouldn’t be paying for people going to Mecca. We know these things, these are fundamentals.”
Referring to the audit conducted by Deloitte and Touche, he pointed out that the board of the National Cathedral made statements that were not backed by facts or documentation. “The Deloitte and Touche report said for two years, the board of directors have made material significant statements in which the facts did not reconcile and there were no supporting documents,” he noted. “That is why the thing stopped there.”
Dr. Kennedy further revealed that the board initially refused to release the full audit findings to the public. “You know that the National Cathedral board itself didn’t want to release the audit report. They were just waving it at us and saying, ‘See, there was no wrongdoing found,’” he said.
Dr. Kennedy described the project as tainted from the beginning. “The whole National Cathedral is a crime scene, from conception to the end,” he said.
“And yes, there are people who may only be embarrassed for moral failings, but there were a lot of legal wrongs that went on there.”
“Let the National Cathedral stand as a sentinel in the night, warning about what arrogance and power and hubris and people full of themselves who have lost their moorings about the national interest can do to our republic,” he warned.
Source: myjoyonline
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