The killers of private businesses at work again

In the developed nations, there are private family enterprises that were set up in small garages, centuries ago, but have become household names today, and thriving. Examples are the Toyotas, Kawasakis and Nissans of Japan; Tata and Mahindras of India; and Samsungs and Daewoos of South Korea. These enterprises were supported and encouraged by their governments, and the once humble enterprises have become global conglomerates employing millions of people, globally, and making huge volumes of financial contributions, by way of taxes, to their respective countries.

At the time of Independence of both Ghana and South Korea, Ghana was far ahead of South Korea in all aspects of socio-economic indices. But six decades later, Ghana is still a third world country whose economic status must be given credibility by the IMF before we can be taken serious on the international stage. On the other hand, South Korea is counted among the world's most prosperous.

This level of under-development of Ghana's economy can be partly attributed to the senseless victimization of businesses by some individuals who crashed-landed on our political scene, not because they had something positive to contribute to our advancements, but were rather motivated by the sheer pangs of hunger in their bellies.

Such people were under the illusion that society owed them a living and therefore were so angry at anything that was successful. We have had situations where the mere number of bottles of beers in one's refrigerator was tantamount to how corrupt he was. More absurdly, at a point in our nation's history, hardworking/successful people were accused of corruption, put before 'kangaroo' courts and thrown into jail for the crimes of having 'pot bellies'.

In all that, our country survived and we never slipped down the sloppy road of civil strife which had been the lot of many countries around us in the West Africa sub-region. It is for this reason that we have often taken things for granted and always fallen into the trance of self-delusion that we can go on with irresponsible behaviour because Ghana is the only country God loves, and for that reason, reckless pronouncements will never land us in trouble one day.

Indeed, Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings led a campaign of state vendetta against Ghanaian businesses, when in January 1994 he mounted public platforms and invited Ghanaians not to patronize goods manufactured by four leading entrepreneurs.

The victims were Akenten Appiah Menka, who was manufacturing a popular local soap, Apino Soap; the late Appenteng, owner of Panbros Salt Industry in Accra, who also owned an intravenous factory in Koforidua; Kwame Safo Adu, proprietor of a pharmaceutical company; and Kwabena Darko, owner of Darko Farms.

All the four personalities were identified as opposed to the dictatorial tendencies of the PNDC, which begat the NDC. Following this directive, the heavy hand of state machinery was deployed in a witch-hunt against these personalities and their products. One needs no ghost to explain why most of these business concerns have collapsed.

President Mahama is leading a political entity which was given birth to by the PNDC. It had therefore been the prayer of all right-thinking Ghanaians that Mr Mahama and his followers would not only complain about lack of local produce on the market, but that they would be instrument for change. But here we are again with his Chief of Staff resurrecting the state-led campaign against business in the country by urging Ghanaians not to patronize Kalyppo.

This whole Kalyppo storm began when an attempt by the NDC to make fun of Nana Akufo-Addo, NPP presidential candidate, by posting a photograph of him sipping from a small carton of Kalypoo fruit, backfired, with his supporters adopting the brand to rally political support.

Now, without offering any scientific proof, President Mahama's Chief of Staff found it prudent to use a political campaign platform to launch a crusade against the product, claiming that it is not good for the health of the adult population. The only crime of the company that produces Kalyppo is that it is being promoted by an opposition party.

Now, after presiding over four years of uninterrupted power crisis which has resulted in collapse of many businesses and rendering hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians jobless, one would have expected the Chief of Staff to be rather outlining measures put in place to create the environment conducive for the revival of the businesses that have been collapsed through the incompetence and anti-business policies of his government.

His campaign against Kalyppo, a real act of total recklessness, might seem a normal platform talk, but with the antecedents of his political tradition, this brings back echoes of terror on private enterprise; and as a people, we must rise, call him to order and reject NDC's shameful vendetta against prosperity and progress.