If a policy is pragmatic and meant to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, then it is all well and good. But a policy becomes suicidal when its main objective is to deepen the dichotomy between the rich and the poor, the patricians and the proletarians. Woe unto the originator(s) of such obnoxious policy! It would have been better if that (those) person(s) had not been born.
The Nefarious Destructive Cancer, led by newly crowned Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa is toying with our collective destiny by playing chess with our lives. Ghanaians have become pawns in their macabre dance of death. We, the victims know for sure that we are falling headlong into a deepest abyss. But the saddest aspect of the whole “show” is that, there is nothing we can do as individuals and as a group to cushion that fall. The NDC has cut the cord which originally bound us together as Ghanaians. The Centre therefore cannot hold.
Men have become women; women have become lily-livered and are behaving like chickens about to be slaughtered. Children have become addicted to the mantra of “yebedii keke” and will no longer listen to the voice of reason. Everywhere one goes, the message is simple. We have all become blind and are being led by a Bartimaeus. We do not know where we are heading to. Only Heaven knows.
Even our Bartimeous of a leader, surrounded by quacks, liars, rapists and traitors does not know his destination. But the journey whose beginning was based on deceit must continue without stoppage. Ghanaians have lost their reasoning and anarchy has taken control of our collective destiny.
Kenya has taught us good lessons; one of them is that the Electoral Commission of that country is far ahead of its counterpart in Ghana. That is, after the debacle of the 2007 election, the Kenyans have learnt their lesson, whilst Afari Djan and his Electoral Commission continue to pride themselves in their borrowed robes status, on top of their so-called abode on Mount Olympus. It has also brought into focus the issue involving Dede Ayew. Yes, Dede’s issue has opened our eyes to many secrets. Dede had asked for just 24 hours to enable him have appointment with his medical doctor. But Kwasi Nyantakyi and Akwasi Appiah will have none of that.
The New Patriotic Party in a similar mien had asked Afari Djan to delay announcing the results of the Presidential Elections by at least 24 hours to enable certain claims to be investigated, but the Generalissimo of Ghana’s Electoral Commission will have nothing of that. You will recall that the elections were inconclusive on Friday and had to be continued the next day. Common sense dictates that announcing the result after only twenty four hours was a recipe for violence. It appears some ants were bugging Afari Djan in his pants and the only way he could get relief was to quickly announce it on Sunday, a day after the conclusion of the elections. His mantra was “Go to court if you are dissatisfied”. He made the announcement. The result? Afari Djan has jammed! In the process, the whole country found it self in a lock jam.
But the Kenyans have taught Afari Djan, Akwasi Nyantakyi and Ghanaians one great lesson. It can be likened to the Biblical saying in Twi that “PauIo amma ntem, nanso osene adikanfo”. Translated literally, it means, even though Paul came to the scene late, his achievements surpassed those of his fore-runners. It can also be likened to the saying that “it is not the first person who asks for the hand of a woman that will eventually marry her”. So, the bootlickers and praise singers should desist from heaping accolades and encomiums on Afari Djan and his Electoral Commission.
Kenyan’s Electoral Commission announced the results five days after voting was concluded. The Commission took time to investigate alleged cases of electoral malpractices before coming out with the final declaration. Even after those Investigations had taken place, one of the contestants has some misgivings about the declaration and has gone to court. I don’t begrudge him that right. This is the best way matured people should act and behave. They do not gloss over people’s rights and feelings just because they happen to be top dogs. Unfortunately for those of us in Ghana, we have people of the caliber of Afari Djan and Akwasi Nyantakyi, who gloated by selfish and parochial motives choose to forget about the existence of a Universal and Supreme Being and arrogate to themselves the powers which they do not have by dispensing justice in a manner reminiscent of what conquerors do to conquered people. The long and short of it all is that Kwadwo Afari Djan has jammed and it will need the “Solomonian” wisdom of our Supreme Court Judges to extricate us from the web he and his EC have woven around itself and Ghanaians.
Afari Djan and the Electoral Commission have told Ghanaians that nobody voted during the December 8, 2012 General Elections without going through biometric verification. All well and good! Its ally, the Nefarious Destructive Cancer says verification could take any forms, forgetting that C.I.74 which gives guidelines on the conduct of the election specifically mentioned “biometric verification”. When their argument failed to hold, they came up with a hollow one that in one of Akufo Addo’s “doormat”, Kyebi Magistrate Court Polling Station, to be precise, where Akufo Addo had nearly 80% of the votes cast, biometric verification did not take place. Yes, that fact has been acknowledged by the NPP. The party has included that in its evidence to be presented at the court. Whether that was a deliberate ploy by the Electoral Commission or not, I cannot say.
The NPP, by going to court is not saying everything went on smoothly in its strongholds. That is the more reason why it has included amongst its evidence the anomaly that took place at the Kibi Magistrate Court Polling Station. Can we say same of the Nefarious Destructive Cancer?
But suffice it to say that the NDC has at least provided evidence that some people voted without being verified biometrically, a fact which has been corroborated by the NPP, wherein lies the justification in the EC’s assertion that nobody in the country voted without being verified in the December, 2012 Elections? Are these two bed-fellows or “paddies” co-habiting peacefully or they are two strange bed-fellows united by a common hatred for the NPP? In their desire to ensure the destruction of their common enemy, these strange bed-fellows forgot one cardinal principle in life – Always remain in control of your emotions. The truth about Afari Djan’s connivance with agents of darkness and enemies of progress is a story that will be told one day.
Whoever suggested to our newly crowned Emperor, Jean Bedel Bokassa to dole out a whopping GhC50, 000 to each of the 275 Legislators to rent accommodation in the capital should not be given any award for common sense. The NDC’s Administration is as confused as its leader Emperor Bartimeous Jean Bedel Bokassa. During the short reign of the original Emperor Bokassa of the Central African Republic, he like the PNDC, introduced policy whereby pupils throughout the country had to wear a new school uniform. Do you know who was in charge of it? A company owned by Bokassa and his family! And when he fell, what a great fall it was!!
What was going on in the mind of our Bartimeous Bokassa when he gave approval for such gargantuan amount of tax payers’ money to be dashed to the legislators, some of who own three of more houses in the capital? Was it a case of “scratch my back while I scratch your own”? If the total amount for all the legislators had been put into a common fund, wouldn’t it have gone a long way into putting up decent and modest housing for the legislators? If such accommodation was available, a situation would be created so that if a legislator losses his seat, another legislator will take over the accommodation. “How sweet and pleasant it is when brothers dwell together in unity”! What is more than this? It will instill in them the much talked about camaraderie.
Does our newly crowned Emperor’s Bokassa know how to take charge of another person’s property? What do they take us for? Mummified dummies? Omane Boamah was nominated for a Ministerial appointment while he was in South Africa. He had to rush down to Accra for his vetting only to fly back to South Africa the next day. What was so urgent that his vetting couldn’t wait till the end of the Competition? After all, the vetting continued long after Omane Boamah had returned to the country. If it were his own money would he have spent it like that?
This is a government that is devoid of any pragmatic idea as to how to take the country out of the political and economic doldrums it has led us into. An European friend of mine once remarked to me that “Africans spend on luxuries but beg for necessities”. How true is the statement!
This brings me to another issue which if pursued vigorously will eventually lead us to a blind alley. It is the so-called election of D/MCEs . I will shout it to the highest heavens that if our Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa goes ahead to implement this unwise decision, he will go down in history as one of the few unmitigated disasters that have been foisted on the country. If he gives his consent to such stupid decision I will rank him the third most arrogant, self seeking and confused leader that ever bestride this sinful world of ours after Nero, the mad emperor, Iddi Amin and then our own Bokassa, John Mahama. If it goes ahead to implement such odious policy, it will prove pundits right that Mahama’s Government is full of incompetents.
Readers will recall that a similar scenario was enacted when the Constitution Review Commission went round the country to collate views on whether or not our oil should be collateralized. The consensus was that it should not. But the NDC Government doctored the report and today our oil has been collateralized.
What our newly crowned Emperor wants to do is to nominate Five party members for the position of D/MCEs. The list will be pruned down to three. These three party members will mount political platforms to campaign for selection as D/MCEs. What is the logic behind this odious practice? It is unwise, unreasonable, undemocratic, untenable, abuse of incumbency, devoid of common sense and an affront to the intelligence of the average Ghanaian. What does this Government want to go down the path of perfidy to annihilate itself? Why is this Government bent on taking the country down the route of Golgotha in spite of numerous advice and warnings? Is there no single sane person in the Nefarious and Cancerous Contraption to counsel, admonish and even cajole these unrepentant irredentists from taking us down the precipice? I appeal to decent people in the NDC to act now before one man, for selfish and parochial reasons destroys all of us
What Mahama intends to do will result in chaos. The policy is nothing but the perpetuation of the old older in a new form. It is similar to putting new wine into old bottles or using new drivers for the same old vehicles. We can see through the smokescreen. Why should the tax payers’ money be spent on something that could be accomplished without any spending? Emperor Mahama will only prolong the agony of the “condemned prisoners” who happen to be Ghanaians. If the person is to be executed, let the executioner do his job very quickly. Or is it a case of somebody sitting somewhere and pulling the strings in a manner that will benefit a few crafty and unpatriotic ones? If John Dramani Mahama, alias Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa, aka “Ahantanhene” does not have the boldness to endorse the views of Ghanaians as expressed in the CRC recommendations he should say so and not take refuge under any subterfuge.
By the way are his advisers doing the work for which they are being paid to do? What about the Council of State? My mind somehow tells me that these groups of advisers are doing their best, but perhaps, our newly crowned Emperor, basking in his newly-found position with his epaulettes adorning his shoulders has chosen to go down the way of Rehoboam by tying down the hands of those who are supposed to advise him.
I hope I am mistaken in my thoughts. I sincerely hope so, otherwise Ghanaians should be prepared to be at the receiving end of “Bad Boy Mahama who is riding a bicycle with no brakes and descending a hill” According to our version of Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa, danger lurks ahead of any decision he takes. Ghanaians therefore have to brace themselves for the ripple effects of spending tax payers’ money on the Presidents extravaganza.
An aspect of bad boy Mahama’s dangerous agenda for Ghanaians has to do with his decision to sponsor over 200 pastors to go and dine in the State of Israel. It is unmeritorious and foolish to say the least. Moses, when he led the Israelites did not sponsor anybody to pray for the Nation. He led them in prayers. He was also humble enough to accept advice from others including his own father-in-Law. But can we say so of this Rehoboam? I doubt it!
People of jaundiced minds will say Government has been playing active role during Moslems pilgrimage to Mecca. Yes, it does, but it assists everybody, not only the Clergy. My question is: “is the time ripe for Christians to undertake their pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Israel? And if it is time, why is Government sponsoring only the clergy, but not ordinary Christians? The high ranking Ministers from different denominations can afford the cost, but not ordinary members of their denominations.
I doff my hat to the Roman Catholic Church for rejecting bad boy Mahama’s “estacode”. I don’t know where my church, the Presbyterian Church of Ghana stands on this issue. But I would be the saddest person in the church and country if our leaders accept this Greek Gift from Bad Boy Mahama. If indeed, these our Church leaders are spiritually filled, the best thing they could do is to pass on the opportunity to travel to Jerusalem and other holy sites to ordinary members of their denominations. It is only then they will be living Christ like lives.
I will be doing my readers a lot of injustice if I fail to include the increase in the price of petroleum products as one of the unwise decisions taken by the President, John Dramani Mahama, alias Emperor Jean Bedel Mahama, aka Bad Boy Mahama. How could he use hardship to reward poorly nourished and poverty stricken Ghanaians who had aided him in his usurpation of power? Only ingrates and incompetents will further overburden the citizenry by consistently adding to their woes through a relentless geographical increase in taxation.
The increase in the pump price of petroleum products was the last straw that has broken the camel’s back. We are back to square one, for nothing will remain the same again. Ghanaians have over the last four years been reeling heavily under a heavy burden foisted upon them by an uncaring, visionless and incompetent delinquent group of politicians whose dictionary lacks the basic principles of effective planning.
This increases in price of petroleum products have further plummeted the living standard of ordinary Ghanaians to a level never experiences under any Government of the country, military or otherwise. The Eating formulae is now in the ratio of 0:0;1, 1;0;0, 0;1;0; No ordinary Ghanaians, apart from greedy politicians in the ruling party can afford Two or Three decent meals a day.
Imagining paying 20pesewas and GhC1.00 to use the urinal and toilet respectively at a lorry station!. If you are unfortunate and the vehicle does not move on time, then woe is you. Bread is now GhC5.00 and above. A ball of kenkey sells between GhC1.00 and GhC2.00. A plate of Fried Rice costs more than GhC5.00. Cost of spare parts have risen astronomically. Public Utilities are no exceptions, even though their services are yet to improve. It is only school fees that have remained static. But it will not remain so for long. They are bound to go up next term. Even then, teachers have found a way of circumventing laid down rules by demanding money in the name of hand-outs, class tests and many other “somethings”. Imagining asking SSI students to pay fro hand-outs at a village Senior High School! May God have mercy on us all!
I envisage that with the way things are going on, it will not be long before workers start agitating for more pay. If such a thing happens, what will be the logic behind the increase in the prices of petroleum products? Eba saa a na mo nkonim bewo he? We wish to have a situation where if what they are telling us about single digit inflation is anything to go by, prices of goods and services will be within the reach of ordinary Ghanaians, where transportation cost will be affordable, Bank rates very low and school fees affordable. If we have such a situation prevailing in all aspects of our lives, Ghanaians will not need Government to tell them that the world price of crude oil has gone up and so prices of petroleum products should be increased. When that stage is reached, Ghanaians irrespective of political affiliations will demand that prices of petroleum products be increased.
Daniel Danquah Damptey (Damptey_daniel@yahoo.com)(danieldanquah_damptey@yahoo.com)
0243715297.
