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Democracy, Autocracy or Nepotism?

Fri, 22 Apr 2005 Source: Bonsu, Seth

Things are really falling apart in Ghana.

The ordinary person is finding it hard to live within his means so the poor guy has to resort to any ways and means to survive, with the government being the looser. The former president is finding it difficult to subdue himself under an authority because the authority has stripped him clean of all his benefits. Ghanaians don't want people who understand and speak to the complexities of modern problems.Rawlings therefore as a Ghanaian has every right to respond to all the gibes and talk about the malfeasance and nepotism that he thinks is taking place.

As a result of this the NPP government sees Rawlings as a threat and whenever his name is mentioned, a state of emergency has to be declared.The agenda of the government is to sell Rawlings to Ghanaians as a monster so that there will be much hatred for the opposition party which can always put them in a good position when it comes to election time. Their dislike for him has congealed into a glittering hatred.This is hardball tactics. Ghana works best when no one party has advantage over the other.The remarks by Rawlings about the president being compared to the most notorious armed robber are obnoxious, outrageous, egregious and patently offensive. Such incendiary remarks are an embarrasement to the NDC party.His bravado really exceeded his constitution.Whatever benefits are due to Rawlings should be given to him forthwith.

"Return the fox and restore the balance" as the saying goes.God brought NPP to power because NDC was corrupt to the core. It was on a scale staggering even for any government in Africa.

The NPP who came in at the right time to save Ghanaians has a different version of democracy. Theirs' is a narrow and corrupt version and they are willing to go to any length in intimidating their critics. The few riches in Ghana still has been shared as spoils by a small inner circle and the president looks on unconcerned. By so doing, he leaves himself open to manipulation.It is in this glum context that corruption has run riot in the country.

The zero tolerance the government harped on at the beginning is no more in existence.They campaigned against the NDC and promised that if they get elected, they would be different. They lied. Not only have they failed to achieve that goal, they have gone in the exact opposite direction.When it comes to manipulating the rules, pork barrel spending, the government have rivalled and sometimes trumped the party they replaced. This cycle of disgrace and scandal should stop.I really don't blame the former or the present government because it seems the elections in Ghana have been placed on a bidding block by two parties and the bidders are the commercial interests that are destroying civic values and the access of people to their own government. The MP's are enamoured with following party lines they forget that the reason they are in parliament is to establish laws that meet the needs of their constituents.

Kwame Peprah was incarcerated because he made the government loose millions if not billions of Cedis. Why is Dr. Wereko Brobbey not facing the same music?. Instead he is laughing all the way to the bank with billions of Cedis as resignation package.Why this big amount is even beyond the wisdom of Solomon. He has been insulated from any punishment because of his affinity to the top echeleon.

Alhaji Bamba was also exonerated because he was the president's right hand man at that time.Is there any justice in that?. The arm of moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.NPP is now practising the politics of deceit and envy and the media obediently go along which is a serious journalistic betrayal.Anybody who does not believe that things are not going well for Ghanaians is deficient in reasoning.

Nobody forced us to join the HIPC. We did that out of our own volition and we are now paying the price for that, hence the dictations to us by IMf to increase gas prices.Dan Botwe recently said the government does not owe Ghanaians any explanation as to why Peter Ala Adjetey was not sponsored to be re-elected. Nobody will buy that pablum. What the Hon. minister has to know is that members of the NPP government are the employees and the citizens of Ghana are their employers. The employees have to account for everything to their employers.It is therefore insulting for Mr Botwe to say those stupid things. That hubristic and chutzpah behaviour will in future prove to be the achilles heel of the party. The subtext of his bombast is that they don't care a hoot about the citizens.

I pray to the Almighty God that our leaders are going to be sensitive and help the ordinary Ghanaian stand on his feet since a few people misuse the money at the expense of others. I pause for a reply.

Seth Bonsu ( Mr. Tee)
Denver , USA


Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.

Columnist: Bonsu, Seth