The Member of Parliament for Kumbungu in the Northern Region, Ras Mubarak, believes the reported plagiarized paragraphs in the inaugural speech of President Nana Akufo-Addo gives reason to doubt the competence of the backroom staff he appointed.
Persons like the former rector of GIMPA, Professor Stephen Adei, lauded President Akufo-Addo’s choice of backroom staff as being impressive, but in a Citi News interview, Mr. Mubarak, a first time MP, opined that President Akufo-Addo’s speech writers exhibited a lack of diligence.
“We were made to believe they had all the men, all the young people who were very competent. But they have demonstrated that, at least from what happened with the speech, they don’t have the men who can think on their feet and think outside the box.”
“They had a whole month to prepare the President’s inaugural speech… I am very surprised as to why they would want to take speeches from other leaders from across the world,” the opposition National Democratic Congress MP stated.
Background
Following the swearing-in of the President and his vice, quotes in President Akufo-Addo’s inaugural speech believed to have been lifted from speeches by two former American Presidents made rounds on social media.
The Director of Communications at the presidency, Eugene Arhin, subsequently apologised for the portions of President Akufo-Addo’s speech which did not acknowledge the sources of some of the quotes.
Some critics have described this as plagiarism but in a statement issued by Mr. Arhin, he said it was simply an oversight and not a deliberate act.
According to him, the President in his speech acknowledged every other source he had quoted. Mr. Arhin’s post read:
“My attention has been drawn to references being made to a statement in the speech delivered by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at his swearing in on Saturday, January 7, 2017, which was not duly acknowledged.”
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