Echoes From Not Too Far; Letter To President Mills

Congratulations on your hard fought victory. I know the Campaign has not stopped flowing.

Sir, I have noticed with grin interest the number of articles popping up the internet and the media at large, painting your predecessors with the darkest charcoal pigment. Well all too soon, you and your party are the purest angles in bright white satins in Ghana today. Sir, this period calls for celebration but please just lend me your ears as during search joyous mode, one may easily forget the character trait of the Ghanaian. Just like the Jewish, they will hail you Hosanna Hosanna and in a week’s time, shout crucify him, crucify him. Please consult our Lord and Master Jesus Christ on this.


Sir, let me start by cautioning that, 49.77% of Ghanaians voted for your opponent. If I haven’t lost grips on my basic mathematics, that is approximately 50%. You might not need the hearts of every soul to successfully rule Ghana but Sir, losing the trust and confidence of 50% of your subjects to my little knowledge in governance is too shaky. You need to be sober and respect your opponents.


Sir, I can confidently tell you that in just 100 days on, your popularity of about 50.23% with Ghanaians could dwindle or increase based on what you do. My advice is that, the NDC government was rejected in 2000 and I’ll advice you don’t bring back those old tags that were rejected.


Sir, in case you have not access very well the challenges ahead, I’d like to point out some few things to you. In my candid opinion, you are taking over from a government that has performed creditably well over the past eight years. The legacy of their achievements cannot be brushed under the carpet at all. On the campaign platform, it is easy to criticize but in reality, it is equally easy for the electorate to compare.


Noticeable achievements of the NPP are cataloged below and Sir, you can only count yourself successful if you do more than this. If not, count yourself out.

a. The edifying Presidential Palace. Sir, no matter what controversy surrounded the building of this National monument; it is a great achievement and a lasting hallmark of the Kuffour government. It shall always be seen and just as the motorway is synonymous to Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, so shall the Jubilee Palace be to J. A. Kuffour. You led your party to oppose it under the disguise that it was a misplaced priority and that we still didn’t have adequate health services and educational infrastructure. This must be an eye opener. You don’t need to solve all problems before building a nation. It will be interesting to see how you will place your priorities right. The nation must develop in all sectors.


b. Sekondi, Tamale stadia and the face lifting of Accra-Kumasi Stadia. Sir it is worth mentioning that, in our entire 50 years of existence as nation, we could only boost of two old dilapidated stadia. Building two with a third one under construction is no mean an achievement. Sir, your challenge will be how many can you build for Ghana?


c. Development in Tamale. Sir, I was shocked to know Tamale airport has been upgraded to an international airport by the erstwhile NPP government. Sir, by all standards, that is very impressive. The NPP government did well to bridge the gap between the North and the South. Sir, your challenge will be to do more.


d. School Feeding Program and Capitation Grant: President Mills, I hope you agree with me that, that programme is a very good one that has to be developed further for the benefit of all Ghanaians. Well as controversial as it might sound, it is certainly one of the best educational policies ever implemented on our motherland Ghana. Sir, any deviation from this policy will spell doom for you. The challenge is to polish it up and perfect it.


e. National Health Insurance: Sir, flashing back to the late 90’s, people went to hospital and were told “money na hand, back and ground” in other words, it was “cash” and “carry” which was not friendly to the poor Ghanaian. Though your party resisted so much the introduction of this good policy, it has shown it was a good policy. Once again, it is a hallmark of the NPP government. I heard you say once that your government will make it entirely free. That will be a great achievement. But until then, you predecessor has scored very high marks there. When the euphoria is over, Ghanaians will be looking out for these things.

f. Bui Dam Project. Sir that is also a monumental project that Ghana needs to solve our energy problems.


BEWARE OF THE KWESI PRATTS


Sir, if you want peace in your administration, then please appoint Mr. Kwesi Pratt as your minister for water affairs. This same man if you remembered championed crusade to bring the NDC down and joined forces with you to bring the NPP down. Just follow the trend. He will bring you down. I quite remember President Kuffour failed to appoint him after the 2000 campaign and since that time, he quickly lost love for the man he had campaigned heavily for. A word to the wise needs no repetition.


Sir, don’t forget you will face stiff opposition. You will be required to inform Ghanaians why you take every decision. Why you reshuffle your ministers and why you chose not to engage an existing minister’s service. These things you accused your predecessor of.


Don’t forget every budget you bring out will be tagged “Empty”. Don’t forget that though you have CJA on your side now, MJA will soon rise to organize demonstration on every policy you make. After all that is the beauty of democracy.

Sir, don’t forget any time you travel, how much you spend and who you travel with will be extensively discussed on radio every morning.


Sir, in the nut shell, if you fail to get any of my concerns right, trust me, the 50% you got will be a 38%. I conveniently promise you that.


CONCLUSION


Sir, there will be no honey moon. Some of us will be following your prospects with keen interest. There is only one option for you Sir. It is to perform better than your predecessor. Once you out perform your predecessor, then we can leave in a better Ghana. Sir, should you fail in any aspect of your job description, the owners of Mother Ghana will not spare axing you out. I wish you all the best and Sir and remember some of us in Kodobeda. We voted for you but we are not enjoying the Champaign. I already have my Odoka all the same.


God bless Ghana

Yours truelly, Kobina Dankyi