Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Zita Sarbah Okaikoi, Ghana’s Ambassador to the Czech Republic
threw diplomatic decorum to the dustbin when she launched a verbal tirade on
Bright Simons, one of Ghana’s foremost technology innovators, on social media
platform Facebook.
According to Zita, the Mpedigree Founder who is also a member
of policy think tank, IMANI Ghana had made remarks that appeared to suggest
that South Africa rejected her as Ghana’s High Commissioner.
“It has come to my notice that one Bright Simons, who should
know better is peddling falsehood about me and the government. I wish to put on
record that I, Zita Okaikoi was never at any point in time posted to South
Africa by H. E the President,” Zita charged.
According to Zita, it was the media
and “people like him (Bright Simons) who at the time when I was announced
ambassador designate started speculating about countries that we could be sent
to and I believe one of the newspapers posted me to South Africa.”
Diplomatic
Reasons
The former Information
Minister said that “there is a reason why the country of posting is not
announced and it is for diplomatic reasons. So I guess I need to educate Bright
Simons to help him out of his ignorance,” adding “and there is also a reason
the ambassadors stay in Ghana for a few months before they leave.”
She said “an agreement has to
be sent to the receiving country first. It sometimes takes three to four months
for a response to come. And when that is done, you go through your visa
preparation etc before you can leave.”
Kenkey
& Fish
She said “it's not like Kenkey
and fish Simons. And we also do the same for diplomats who come to our country.”
“But to the point you made
about South Africa rejecting me, if you had been more diligent, and not laid in
your bed to just think of creating mischief with my name, you would have gotten
out of your bed, gone to the South African embassy (sic) and found out if at
any point in time I was posted to them as ambassador designate.”
Legal
Threats
She threatens to take legal
action against Bright if he peddles falsehood against him for not cross
checking the information before putting it out.
“You just decide to mislead
people on your page with lies. If you dare write any falsehood about me again,
I will not be responding on Facebook. We shall be meeting in court for you to
prove your lies. I have served notice to you. I am sure Simons can use his time
to do better things than paint the image of our country black. Nation wreckers!”,
she charged.
Simons’
Comment
Bright Simons crime was that
he had posted on Facebook that “reports from the country
suggest that South Africa finally accepted Ghana's choice of High Commissioner.”
“If my records are right, the last High Commissioner was Mr.
Lee Ocran, who was accredited in 2010. He was then appointed in 2012 to the
Education Ministry. If my understanding is still right, the South Africans then
rejected, for failing to satisfy their diplomatic expectations, a number of
appointees, including former Information Minister, Ms. Zita Okaikoi.”
He had said “the effect is that for nearly three years (essentially throughout the
current administration) we have not had a diplomat of full standing in Africa's
most advanced economy, and have had to make do with an acting legate, simply because
we refused to send to South Africa someone that country considers worthy of
full diplomatic station in that country.”
“Apparently we have had these
problems with a few other diplomatic appointments too. So, people are announced
as diplomats, and then they sit in Accra for months doing nothing. SMH,” he
added.
DAILY GUIDE checks indicated
that General Henry Smith, a former Defence Minister was also posted to South
Africa before re-routing him to the United States after the US government
allegedly rejected Dr Cadman Mills brother of the late President Atta Mills who
was posted to that country.
Dr Mills is said to have
packed out of the Mahama administration because of frustration.
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