Brouhaha Over Ex-President's Office Accommodation

INDEPENDENCE CAME TOO EARLY?

The shock of the Ghanaian times remains the fact that two ex-Presidents of the nation chose to operate offices from the same Accra-Ridge vicinity yet, one is granted the all-clear while the other is demonized beyond description. If truth has to be told in its entirety as regards the brouhaha over a decent office accommodation for former President J. A. Kufuor, then the objective Ghanaian society ought to agree that independence in 1957 must have come a little too early.

Unable to decide as to which side of the chewing stick to begin chewing from, politicians have stretched issues to the point that the nation has now been caught in the quagmire of double standards and endless talk.

Wednesday January 7, 2009 brought in its wake a most ill-adviced, badly-thought-out ejection of the former first lady, Mrs. Theresa Aba Kufuor from her office behind the Police Headquarters.

Embarked upon under the pretext of executive assets recovery, the exercise had been under the command of former Naval commander and Agriculture Minister, Commodore Steve Obimpeh.

But by far the monumental boo-boo has been the messy handling ofte ex-President as regards his half a dozen cars that have been taken away, and the seemingly unending talk about his office accommodation.

The fear among the larger populace is that gradually ethnocentrism is creeping into our body politics which, if left unchecked, could turn out a dangerous powder-keg likely to blow up any day without warning.

Thankfully Ghana has Rwanda, Liberia and Somalia as perfect examples and the cost of human lives that hit those countries and painted a most horrific picture of Africa, is still a dent on the continent’s self esteem. If indeed Nzemas and Ahantas wake up tomorrow just as the patriots caucus from the West have just done under the leadership of Kwesi Biney, former DCE of Ahanta West has just done over oil-fields claims, the Adansis shove off everybody else to take possession of their gold mining fields, this country could turn our a disunited rag-bag fit only for the incinerator basket. In times past a most embarrassing experience was showcased when former President Hilla Limann was abandoned to fend for himself until his medical bills at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital became a burden he failed to carry till icy death came knocking.

Presidents are nobody’s idea of useless clowns for if for nothing at all, once-upon-a-time they were voted into sovereign power by the majority of the people of the nation.

Their ability to attract investors, bridge the peace gap n strife torn areas, and their exploitation of international contacts to rake in foreign aid for the national good need not be down-graded.

Going by the clout, pedigree and general comportment of Transitional Team chairman Mr. P. V. Obeng, President J.E.A. Mills must have been notified of his predecessor’s willingness to use the Ridge facility for an office complex.

And if two gentlemen who, in times past held the highest office all prefer a particular vicinity, wherein comes the great triumvirate of complainants in the shape and form of the Ga-Dangbe Youth, Osu Traditional Council and the National Security?

What is food for the goose ought to be good for the gander which is why independence for Ghana in 1957 was quite definitely too early.

With our eyes off national goals and our hands off the plough, we could well head towards galloping straight into a huge ditch because of a lack of priority and utter disrespect to elders.

1992 would have done for independence for a seemingly liberated Ghana for after all there are enough tell-tale signs to the effect that by the way politicians are carrying on, they are storing enormous trouble for the future. First President Kwame Nkrumah may have got it wrong because events after him keep pointing to the fact that, the Ghanaian is after all incapable of ruling and living at peace with his neigbour. The negative element of vindictiveness looks to be a most wicked tool in his arms.