This is according to the Managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on September 14, the veteran journalist said the comment by the president exposed his weak memory on issues to which he should be privy.
“There have been all kinds of interpretations to what the President said in that interview in the Volta region. There are those who are saying the president merely is talking about his own memory capacity and he is saying that he cannot remember what really happened. Whether the woman fled on her own accord or that she was deported.
“If that is the case, it is still a source of worry. You have a president who can forget such live issues and [it] actually expose his memory weakness. It is worrying in any democratic institution.
“In the US, when Biden showed for example that his memory was not that strong, you saw the public reaction. Even if that is the case [with President Akufo-Addo], there’s some concern,” Kwesi Pratt said.
The veteran journalist stated that it is very important to trace the various agencies that were to responsible for effecting the purported deportation order in 2018.
He indicated that he was surprised such measures have not been followed through since the whole Aisha Huang debacle began to unfold.
He further wondered why some agency heads were still at post stressing that it was a “strange” development.
“If indeed the deportation order was flouted, [forget whether it was court or executive], I think it is important to establish which agencies, authorities for giving effect to the deportation order.
“As far as I know, nobody has taken any measure to find out why that was the case and it is strange that all of these institutions remain intact. Their leadership have not suffered any consequence. That is extremely strange,” Kwesi Pratt said.
What President Akufo-Addo said
Speaking in an interview on Stone City Radio in Ho during his tour of the Volta Region, President Akufo-Addo said: "… I am not still sure whether she was, in fact, deported or whether she fled the country the first time and has now come back or whatever. There still seems to be some uncertainty about it.
"Whichever way it is, she has become a sort of nickname for all that the 'galamsey' represent and also, unfortunately, for the involvement of Chinese nationals in this illicit trade," he said.
Akufo-Addo, however, indicated that the government was committed to fighting the menace.
The comment by the president generated a lot of reactions with many demanding further and better explanations.
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah in offering the explanation said the president’s comment said it was a figure of speech and the most important thing was that Aisha Huang was repatriated in 2018 contrary to earlier reports that she was deported.
“First of all when the question was asked, which was the question premised on deportation and (you listen to) the entirety of the president’s answer, you get clarity on first; the figure of speech that he used that he’s not too sure whether it was deportation or whether she fled on her own.
“But what is important is that the security agencies have not gone to bed like some are assuming and that when she found herself back into the Ghanaian jurisdiction she was arrested, she is now before court,” he said in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM on September 13.
Meanwhile, Aisha Huang has been denied bail together with her three accomplices. They have been remanded in custody for two weeks.
You can also watch this episode of People & Places here:
DS/SARA
Managing editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr.