School to Re-Orientate Government appointees is a must

I am compelled by prevailing circumstances to cause the reproduction of the above write up which appeared in some local and international media in early November, 2007.

This decision has been taken in the general interest of reader who spend time out of their tight schedules to go through my features. Some have, over the years offered me support through constructive and objective analysis of my weekly features. There are those I will refer to as hyper critics who because of their bias stand do not see anything but condemnation in everything I write. I am however, not perturbed by their stance, since they are entitled to their opinions. What I found distasteful in their comment is their inability to counter the points and arguments I put across, but to insult and call me names. Despite the negative comments I receive from some readers, I feel emboldened to continue with what I have been doing, believing that it will be a great disservice to the reading public if I negate in my duty if I keeps the facts to my self. Our fore-fathers were gifted in the area of herbal medicine, but they kept the knowledge to themselves, refusing to let others into their “secrets”. Even when they went for leaves to be used for curative purpose, they squeezed them before bringing them so that others might not identify the type of leaves they had gone for.

Such people died and that was the end. SO, I have made it my duty to set the records straights with the relevant facts at my disposal. I may be mistaken on some of those facts, but I want to assure readers that whatever I do, I do so with the best of intentions. I will not deliberately twist facts, nor conjure figures as some of our latter day saints are bent on doing just to score cheap political points. I compliment and give credit to whoever deserves it. I have set for myself a certain standards which I adhere to strictly when I compliment or criticize another. And when I decide to criticize or reprimand someone, I do so without minding the person whose ox is being gored.

And that is why I am reproducing one of such articles which was a sort of advice and caution to ex-President Kufuor and all those holding elective positions in the country. The circumstances which made me write such an article have not changed for they are as relevant as they were in those days. He that thinkest he stands, let him/her take heed lest he/she falls.

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Man proposes, but God disposes. Let the NDC not have the illusion that the party will remain in power perpetually. Apartheid South Africa, inspite of all the sophiscated weapons it had in its armoury was compelled by the determination and will of the people to grant independent to the black majority. The Cubans, by sheer determination to succeed were able to thwart the efforts of the United States during the Bay of Pig’s

invasion. Destiny was on the side of the oppressed people. One would say, the Cubans succeeded because mo air cover was provided for the invaders. But the point is that, some unseen hand or force made the then President Kennedy decide at the last minute to withhold such air cover or support. Dr Kwame Nkrumah wrote that “if a change is too long delayed, violence erupt here and thereafter. Not that man wills it, but the past accumulated grievances erupt with a volcanic fury”. It is true that the NDC has not been In power for long. But it is equally true that the way they are going about the misuse of state security apparatus to hunt, haunt and hound it perceived enemies, it will not be long before the victims of their aggression and injustice head for the courts to seek legal redress or hit the streets to draw attention to their predicament. I have always maintained that if someone falls foul of the law, why, for sure, the law must be allowed to take its natural course. But the media hype and trial being unleashed on members of the New Patriotic Party is not in the interest of the nation. I had hoped that if even the NPP did a similar thing to members of the NDC, this period would have called for sober reflection. But the way some of the President’s appointees are going about their assignment, I am afraid national cohesion is being eroded from our political dictionary. I would have loved a situation whereby the NDC will say NPP did so and so things against us. But for the sake of national unity, we will not retaliate.. Let us all unite and build the country.

Infact, the National Democratic Congress is making use of its advantage in the area of propaganda, for that is what it knows best. Not a day passes without the media “unveiling’ one so-called skeleton or the other. If it is not Sekyi Hughes “stealing” some billions of Cedis, it is about top NPP functionaries stealing government cars. Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. The holier than thou attitude being adopted by elements within the NDC will do the country no good.

It is not good to neither sell nor apportion state assets amongst you. Whoever has unlawfully taken state assets must be made to return it. Let all public officers who have served under both the NDC and NPP be assembled and before the national television, let each one of them swear by the Holy Bible or the Holy Koran that he or she has not dipped his/her fingers into the national kitty and taken what does not belong to him or her. It is only by doing so the public will know who the real thieves are! At least, we deserve to know who and who are the thieves and criminals in our midst. Let us decide by ourselves instead of using some kangaroo methods to arrive at just conclusion.

It is not only NPP members who have ‘annexed’ state property. I condemn any person in the NPP who has soiled his/her fingers in so doing, for such an act is a betrayal of our principles. But the NDC cannot claim to be made up of only angels. There are also some bad nuts amongst them who must be flushed out. Infact, if I know who is hiding government property at a secret location, I will be the first to expose such a “felon. Those who know me will tell you I mean business. In the same way we expect the NDC as a party to purge itself of such elements.

About the cars which were sold out and the new Pharaoh who does not know Joseph is asking for their return, I have this to say. Honourable Kofi Juma says he bought it and has a receipt for it. He says the person who issued him the receipt is the very person who is asking for its return with the excuse that it was under-valued.

In fairness to Kofi Juma and the rest, if there is a convention which allows them to purchase those vehicles, they must be allowed to keep them. But such a law must be scrapped now. Now if they return those cars and their monies are refunded, what happens to all that period their monies have been in the state coffers? Shouldn’t we regard it as capital tied down? Wouldn’t they have gained some profit if they had invested the money on some ventures? What about depositing the amount with the banks?

The law was bad in the first place. But if others have enjoyed that privilege, why their colleagues should be refused when it comes to their turn. The cars were valued over GhC9, 000.00. But I heard that during the NDC period those same or similar cars went for as low as GHC30.00 What a rip off! What a total loss to the state! Now who are the real thieves? Â

In the Tuesday, September 11, 2007 edition of “The Daily Searchlight” was a story titled, “Drama at Akwatia …. As DCE storms GCD Mine!” The report was by no other person but Mr. Ken Kuranchie, Managing Editor of the paper.

“The DCE of the Kwaebibrem District Assembly, Mr. Yiadom Boakye, on Saturday stormed the premises of the company’s already mined diamond reserves, estimated to be worth thousand of dollars.

Inquiries yesterday from reliable sources at GCD revealed that the diamond reserves are quite substantial in value. In a conversation with the Daily Searchlight, Mr. Yiadom Boakye stated that he took his action with only armed policemen from the Akwatia Police command and that he did so to safeguard the national interest.

According to him, he had information that some workers of GCD mines who had not been paid for nearly 9 months were going to steal the diamonds in reserve at the company, so he went there upon instructions to go and move them to safe location. He did not disclose the person who gave the instruction”.

I have in many write ups admonished the Kufuor administration to flush out the many fifth columnists who have managed to meander their way into very sensitive positions. The actions and utterances of such appointees, on being subjected to public scrutiny, appear to be diametrically opposed to what the New Patriotic Party stands for.

Let these appointees go through a period of training in the form of workshops, seminars organized by the relevant Ministry/agency before they officially assume the positions to which they are appointed. This suggestion, if accepted will be similar to what happens when a new chief is nominated.

Before he is out-doored, he is confined and put out of circulation for some days. During this period he is taught or made to go through almost all the intricacies relating to chieftaincy. He learns how to walk regally as chief, speak and dance in public. The relevant agency or ministry should design a special module for the training of all government appointees, especially the DCES.

Most for our appointees, especially the DCE’s are behaving in the same way that the (P) NDC appointees did in the early days of their so-called revolution. Examples: “make we no suck/drink ogogoro/ akpeteshie/hard liquor; the next day came the edict, “make we no roast / cook/ fry, sell nor buy plantain, or corn.

The next time we were told not to sell, buy or chew” Suya / chinchiga”. It even became an offence to wear tie to the office.” Now the posers, I know the DCE for Kwaebibrem in person. He does not enjoy the support of most of his relatives because he is a member of the NPP whilst virtually his entire family members belong to the opposition NDC. He should not by his actions nor his utterances create the impression that he is a saboteur or a mole planted in the party. If he had information that some of the workers were planning to steal the diamonds, couldn’t he have asked for armed policemen and soldiers from other places/ contingents/ formation to go and guide the place? Why did he have to use policemen from Akwatia to go and take the diamonds?

Is he aware of the implication of his action? Did he seek permission from the Regional and the Sector Minister before carrying out his action? Who authorized the “forceful removal” of the diamonds? How did many people accompany the DCE to the premises of the GCD and was there an inventory? Who witnessed it?

It is an open secret that these diamonds had been the reserves for many numbers of years and we have never heard of attempts by any group of people to steal them. If there was any such information, the best and proper thing to do as the chief Security Officer of the District, would have beefed up security at the place.

What is the guarantee that what was taken away will be exactly what was taken away when the dust settled? The DCE for Kwaebibrem has, by his action stabbed the Kufuor administration in the back. Mr. President must take stringent measures against the Kwaebibrem DCE. The other day, it was one DCE who was reported to have pummeled his member of parliament, a woman old enough to be his grandmother.

This brings to mind the issue involving the Head –teacher of Padmore Primary School I at Tema, Mrs. Helena Abrokwa. The Tema Municipal Director of Education had ordered the transfer and demotion of Mrs. Abrokwa. Mrs. Abrokwa was alleged to have said in answer to a question posed to her by the media men accompanying the Municipal Director of Education during, ‘My First Day at School’, that there was low enrolment at her school.

This seemingly innocuous remark was what attracted the wrath of Madam Almighty Director, who, without thinking of the effect of her action, gave an executive fiat or a fatwa “Mrs. Abrokwa, I don’t think you fit into the scheme of things in the new dispensation. You are to report at ……… primary school next week, not as the person in charge, but to take orders from another. In other words, you are demoted”. These seem to be her words and I can imagine how elated Madam Almighty Municipal Director felt after her Executive fiat or fatwa. I can also imagine the astonishment and the look of consternation on the face of all those following the Municipal Director especially the Media.

One thing we must realize is that a decision taken at the spur of the moment can make or mar somebody’s future. The Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service have realized how the action of one of their officials has dented their image.

They know their Municipal Director of Education has erred and that has boxed them into a tight corner. Both the Ministry and the Ghana Education Service would like the teacher to be re-instated. But they want it to be done in such a way that they would not appear to be losing face.

This is why there is much buck-passing between the Public Relations Units of the Municipal Office at Tema and the Ghana Education Service Headquarters in Accra.

We have not forgotten what happened in the seventies when a young Ghanaian long-distance runner, Juliana Ohemeng, nicknamed Abetifi Mustang, who used to run bare footed was dropped at the last moment from an international competition, for what may people suspected to be her ugliness.

Don’t get me wrong, please. Public outcry against the decision from people all over the country was enough to make the powers that be have a change of mind. The girl was ‘airlifted to the venue of the competition.. Even though she arrived there after her event had already taken place, one lesson was learnt – Justice must prevail at all time. Mrs. Helena Abrokwa did nothing wrong. If the Ministry or GES did not want her to answer questions in the presence of pressmen, the Municipal Director ought not to have taken the press to the school in the first place. Teachers, as moulders of children’s character should teach the pupils placed under their care the truth no matter whose ox is being gored. What did the Municipal Director of Education want Mrs. Abrokwa to do? Tell lies? By demoting and transferring the teacher, the Tema MDE appeared to have used a sledge hammer to kill a mosquito Mrs. Helena Abrokwa must be re-instated. She should also be compensated for being subjected to psychological trauma. This will send strong signals to all government appointees and implementers of policies that they are not the Lord of all that they survey. It will also be a lesson to all and sundry how the over-enthusiastic action of an official is likely to misfire and bring the name of a whole organization into disrepute.

In the wake of such increasing unruly behaviour of some government appointees, there is the need to introduce an orientation scheme to educate such officials and bring them in line with what obtains in any civilized organization Officials like the DCE for Kwaebibrem and the Tema Municipal Director of Education, as well as the DCE who was alleged to have slapped and punched his Member of Parliament and a host of others are a disappointment and betrayal to our aspirations. Whatever positive points the Kufuor’s administration may have scored by frustrating the desperate efforts of fifth columnists and nihilists to hijack very sensitive ministries and agencies to enable them plunge the country into chaos are likely to be nullified and negated so long as we have such appointees who are yet to come to terms that there has been a change of baton /guards and that the new order is a direct antithesis of all that the old order stood for.

The act of bullying and forcing one’s will on others without reasonable cause or justification will no longer be tolerated.

Appointees and implementers of Government Policies must realize that. Daniel Danquah Damptey.

Danieldanquah_damptey@yahoo.com 0243715297