The Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Daniel Kweku Botwe, has denied any personal grudge against, Irene Naa Torshie Addo, the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
He clarified that the current development is centred on the chain of command governing the Ministry and the agency in the discharge of their duties, as stipulated in the Constitution and Acts.
Addressing the issue on Asempa FM’s Ekosii sen on Thursday, Mr. Botwe stated, “Nobody has attacked anybody, but since this matter became public, you could see the frenzy with which the media and other people are feeding on the untruths.”
“You could see the orchestration, which is evident that people have been directed to do certain things and make some claims.”
He explained that the letter submitted to the President was a request to call the DACF Administrator for an explanation. However, the leak of the letter into the public domain has resulted in political bashing and misinformation.
“The most important thing is that this matter has unfortunately come out and is in the public domain. I’m not very sure if the entire letter presented to the President is what has come out or only portions of it and how people appreciate it,” Mr. Botwe expressed his concern.
The Minister expressed surprise and disappointment over the leakage of the confidential letter, which was intended for the President’s office.
He lamented that the leaked memo has generated a lot of comments and speculation in the public space.
He said, “While I cannot talk much about it for now, we now owe it to the public to explain its content and the reasons behind it, given the current situation.”
Mr. Botwe indicated that the District Assemblies Common Fund is an agency under the Ministry for Local Government, and as the Minister, he is responsible for responding to questions about the Fund in Parliament and at Cabinet discussions.
He emphasised that many people who have spoken on the matter, including MPs and Parliament’s Local Government Committee members, may not be fully informed about the entire subject matter as presented in the confidential letter to the President.
He urged for a fair and comprehensive understanding of the situation and indicated his commitment to providing the necessary explanations in due course.
Mr. Botwe, however, reiterated his disapproval of discussing confidential matters in the public domain and the political exploitation of the issue.