Mahama's crocodile lamentations about ethnicity

President John Mahama delivered the keynote address at Sunyani last Saturday at the official opening of the 2014 National Festival of Arts and Culture; NAFAC. As usual, he grabbed the opportunity to act as show boy and some peace champion. Read some details of the Saturday/Monday editions of Daily Graphic, Peacefmonline, Ghanawebetc and capture some high sounding and lofty ideas when Mahama sought to denounce ethnocentrism in Ghana socio-political spectrum in the strongest of words. ''The deliberate attempt to create division and rivalry among Ghanaians on the basis of ethnicity is unhealthy for national development. This unfortunate development could undermine the unity and cohesion of the nation – ethnicity diminishes our rich cultural heritage and emphasises our differences instead of reinforcing the positives of our cultural diversity - we must see our cultural diversity as unique platform for building our synergy into a common force for good. - He also discounted violence and political intolerance which traces its roots to ethnicity and added that his government will ensure balanced development across board--- etc. ''

I pity President John Mahama. To me, President Mahama acted throughout from a holier than thou attitude. His lamentations about the negatives of ethnocentric practices were insincere. This is what the British refer to as crocodile lamentations. He himself represents the proverbial cow dung splatter; with its characteristic deceptive hard surface with its subsurface slipperiness and stench. There is nothing of practical value which has been demonstrated by Mahama, Mills and his broader NDC to serve as a lesson to Ghanaians- with regard to what Mahama lamented over. In other words, what I am saying is that Mahama and his NDC are the greatest exponents of ethnicity in Ghana political spectrum. Everything about Mahama is ethnocentric. The NDC is all tribalistic. Prof. Mills demonstrated it and Mahama is continuing the disastrous path.


Mahama's weekend admonishings referred to, remind me of the famous adage- 'yedekentedaadaafunu''. Don't mind Mahama. He is just at it, playing with words to deceive the people. He is one of the greatest ethnocentrics around and fire will burn him. Many examples of Mahama/Mills/NDC reprehensible ethnocentric behaviour will be recalled here:


Mahama/NDC scholarship agenda is damnably ethnocentric and they should stop it. For instance, did his own (Mahama) policy whereby out of the 100 Ghanaian oil/gas students on scholarship in NORWAY in 2009/2010, there was no Ashanti representation, promote Ghana's balanced development and emphasised cultural diversity? Again, Mahama implemented his policy whereby out of 250 medical students on scholarship to Cuba only two (2) Ashantis were in the group. The Ashanti Region representations were wickedly worked out such that, the Salifus, Issas, Bukaris, Agbes, Dogbes, Gadzankusetc who lived in Ashanti were selected to represent Ashanti Region in the diabolical arrangement. In the end, only about two (2) Asantes really found their way to Cuba.


It is provocatively annoying that, Mahama/NDC deliberatively schemed out such ignominious anti-Asante ethnocentric policy and now turns round to call for an end to ethnocentric tendencies which don't promote inclusiveness, unity and oneness. Fire burn John Mahama and his wicked divisionists who continue to throw dust in the eyes of the people.


Furthermore, Mahama and his cohorts are openly pursuing an ethnically perfidious recruitment agenda. How come that, more than about 80% of the workers in a National institution, the GHANA IMMIGRATION are from one geographical region; Ewes? This is not normal. Evil hands are clearly masterminding this perfidy. And it pleases President John Mahama.

The Police, the Army, the Civil Service, The Fire Service, Prisons, Boards of Parastatals, Directors at the Ministries and the Public Service are all Ewe-dominated and to some extent Northerners and Gas. There are sprinklings of other regions and tribes amongst the lot just to create a false nationally balanced picture. In local parlance, this is referred to as-'y?dekentedaadaafunu'- indeed, to wit- they cover the corpse with rich kente to flatter it. Na who cause am? To which direction should the call to stop tribal acts which is unhealthy for national development be directed? President Mahama should direct the call to himself and to his willing cohorts.


The criminal neglect of the Nsawam-Suhum-Apedwa Road is another example of lop-sided ethnocentric development aimed at punishing Ashantis and gradually de-emphasize Kumasi and Ashantis in the national scheme of things. They are now enthusiastic to direct scarce resources to construct the Eastern corridor to cut off Kumasi in the National transportation system. This will fail. The laudable dualization of the economically feasible Accra-Kumasi-Techiman Road baked in Kufuor cabinet is lost in the Mahama stinking cabinet in favour of the less economical Accra-Hohoe-Bimbila road This is an artificial creation. It is a sinful act and it should be exposed.


In the same way, the Kumasi international airport has now been relegated under the Mahama foul-smelling doormat in favour of the Tamale international airport against all transportation development experts' advice that indicates that the Kumasi international airport, as Ghana's second international airport is more economic than Tamale international airport. Mahama action defies economic and technical sense but he is just adamant due to the deep-seated tribalism he is pursuing.


The two main cities in every country rank first in first-class transportation connections by rail, by road and by air. Morrocco is proud to connect their two main cities, Casablanca and Rabat with first-class transportation network just to reap economic benefits. Similarly, Cameroun ranks Yaounde-Doula link as a top priority. Nigeria has its share in Lagos-Ibadan and now Lagos-Abuja highways whilst India has New Delhi-Bombay to boast of. With all the problems in Zimbabwe, President Mugabe knows that he can never joke with the highway between Zimbabwe cities, Harare and Bulawayo under no circumstances.


Why is it that when it comes to Ghana, the second city Kumasi is being treated like a charcoal cover rag by Mahama/NDC - out of tribalism, out of jealousy, out of spite, out of tomfoolery, out of madness, out of envy? Do we have transformational leaders in this country? Where is the Council of State? Where is our Parliament? Don't we like economic development in Ghana? Where is the Ghana National Transportation Development Plan? Fifty years ago, great and broad thinking President Kwame Nkrumah was talking about the GOLDEN TRIANGLE as a transportation development hub in Ghana. Even in that ancient era, Nkrumah knew what Kumasi and Takoradi meant to national development.

Now, instead implementing the grand scheme at the Ministry of Transportation, the little minded and narrow thinking President John Mahama wants Accra-Hohoe-Bimbilla-Yendi –Tamale to be rather a development hub in a voodoo development plan which is understood only by his like-minded ethnic jingoists. Mahama wants to create something out of nothing. Despite his many years' experience as a politician, he sounds too artificial and mediocre in economic development concepts. Does he make economic sense overall? Why are we doing this to ourselves? Ghana deserves a much more accelerated development but Mahama is not the deal as a leader. He is too mediocre.


President John Mahama must take the lead and desist from his attitude of deliberately- 'creating division and rivalry among Ghanaians on the basis of ethnicity. It is unhealthy for national development.' Mahama must stand up and do reality check and stop his hypocritical, shameful and useless lamentations as he did at Sunyani, about ethnocentric practises in Ghana of which he is the mastermind..


John Yawose