Ghana’s new president, Nana Akufo-Addo has kicked off an embarrassing plagiarism scandal, just minutes after he was sworn in.
Part of his inaugural speech, where he promised honesty of purpose and reduced taxation, among other things, was found to have been lifted from the 1993 inaugural speech of former US President Bill Clinton.
He was also caught red handed in lifting a portion of the speech by another US president John F. Kennedy made in 1961.
On 20th January, 1961 President J. F. Kennedy during his inaugural address said, “if a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it can’t save the few who are rich”.
Akufo-Addo in his inaugural speech said the same thing on Saturday.
The speech writers of the new Ghanaian president appear to be in love with the rhetoric of American leaders as they also lifted Former President George Bush.
According to Ghanaweb.Com, President Akufo-Addo urged citizens to be active partakers in the running of the country. But checks by the online news platform showed that it came from George Bush’s 2001 inaugural. Bush then told Americans:
“I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation. Let us work until the work is done,” he said.
Although Akufo-Addo’s director of communications has apologised for what he called an oversight in failing to attribute, the intellectual theft was absolutely unnecessary as it only degraded the import of the new president’s message of hope to Ghanaians.
Among other things, Akufo-Addo made a solemn promise to protect the public purse and insist on the value of money on all projects.
He said his business of leadership is to serve and Ghanaians should not expect any less from him.
Quoting one of his mentors Kofi Abrefia Busia, a former president, President Nana Akufo-Addo charged all to regard politics as an avenue of service to their fellow human beings.
‘‘Our success or failure should be judged by the quality of knowledge of the ordinary man and the standard of living he enjoys”Akufo-Addo who beat then incumbent John Mahama in last month’s presidential election said.
The plagiarism scandal that has emerged is another warning to speech writers to get original in their acts. The internet police are watching everyone!
