Why Crucify Osarfo Marfo For Telling The Truth

As it is always said, "It hurts to tell the truth but in the end, it brings comfort". If indeed Honourable Yaw Osarfo Marfo, the former Finance Minister in former President Kufuor's government had said as it is alleged on a leaked tape, I personally see absolutely nothing wrong about it.

He is alleged to have said (if the voice is not doctored as he claims), "even though about 90 per cent of Ghana's natural resources are concentrated in Akan-dominated areas, people of other ethnic extractions whose home regions have no resources, are the one governing the country"

Is what he said, if truly he did say it, true or false? Are not about 90% of the nation's natural resources concentrated in Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern and Western regions? Are these regions not Akan-dominated areas? Is Ghana not currently being governed principally by people of Northern and Volta extractions?

In Ghana today, as viewed at all levels of the civil service, Government appointments and Government ministries, and at recruitments into the army, police, navy etc., one sees only non-Akans being offered the top-notch positions. These positions are not given to them based on merit only, but solely on the fact of their ethnicity. Where then is the regional balance when almost all civil service appointments go to people from the North and Volta regions? Is this not evidently observable in President Mahama's government? Check the underlying links for further information.

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=234317 (Suppression of Ashantis under the NDC government (30 March 2012) http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=301450 (23 February 2014) http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=340175 (24 December 2014) http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=316293 (12 July 2014) http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=307957 (3 May 2014) http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/artikel.php?ID=293880 (3 December 2013)

Why should Ghanaians be afraid of speaking the truth? Is one afraid to be accused of tribal bigotry when the truth is said? One should only be ashamed of telling lies, but not the truth. The Akan areas in Ghana grow cocoa, but almost all scholarships offered by the Ghana Cocoa Board go to people from the areas where cocoa is not grown. How does one make heads or tails of this problem?

I was in Ghana during Election 2012 campaign. I bear witness to the instances where then presidential candidate John Mahama who doubled as the temporary President, made public pleas to the people of the North, asking them to vote for him because he is their kin. While the NDC were openly campaigning for the votes of people of northern extraction throughout the country citing tribal affinity in favour of candidate John Mahama, the NPP did not do the same.

I was of the strongest opinion that NPP should do the same, but they could not, for the fear of being accused of practising tribal politics as they are doing today to the supposed doctored voice of Mr Osarfo Marfo. I believe in a battle of wits when it comes to politics but not docility, presumptive evidence of weakness, if not foolishness, in the eyes of your opponent.

Why should the Akans be afraid of playing by the same rules as those from the other tribes? If by playing tribal or ethnocentric politics as done by the NDC will result in the level playground for all, why should the Akans not do so? Why should they feel psychologically and morally guilty when expressing tribal views in support of whoever they want? Why should this advance feeling of moral guilt hamper them from campaigning effectively on the same pedestal as the NDC to win elections or to get their kindred recruited into the civil service, if not to get top Government appointments?

Akans please do not allow anyone to use negative tribal politics against you. Do not allow anyone to play on your sentiments or to underrate your intelligence through false accusations with intent to subjecting you to a witch hunt.

John Mahama was the first to start tribal politics and he is not ashamed of it. Upon all the obvious incompetence and unprecedented acts of corruption displayed on daily basis by the members of his government who are mostly of northern and Volta extraction, he keeps on offering all the positions one can imagine of to them.

I personally do not hate the Northerners or the Ewes as my best ever friend, the late Kwadwo Mahammudu of blessed memory, was a northerner. He was my classmate. I used to dine with him from the same bowl right from class one through to each time that I returned to Ghana on holidays from abroad until his demise in year 2008. I still have friends who are from the north. However, I hate to see NDC or some of the northerners when they publicly campaign on tribal basis in favour of their kind while making Akans feel guilty when the Akans do same.

It is about time the Akans wised up. Do not be obliged by the negative opinions constantly expressed by the moles within the NPP of whom Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe is very typical. By his actions and inactions, sayings and unspoken words, he does not wish NPP well. He is supportive of the NDC winning all future elections despite all the clearly observed ongoing corruption in perpetration and perpetuation by the NDC and President John Mahama that is ruining Ghana socio-economically. Such moles must be ashamed of themselves. They are stomach politicians who do not wish Ghana and the suffering Ghanaians well, period!

If Mr Osarfo Marfo had said as it is alleged, it was not with any bad intention, but only to express his bitterness at how President John Mahama has conspicuously been practising negative discrimination against the Akans.

Rockson Adofo