Would the SP please investigate NDC’s $10M fundraising cash for diaries?

While I do not want to acquiesce to the widely held assertion that politics is a dirty game, one would not be far from right for suggesting that the political terrain is full of propagandists and manipulating geezers.

We should, however, not lose sight of the fact that political opportunists and cozeners are not limited to Africa, it is a global phenomenon. However, in my humble opinion, it is our part of the world (Africa), where political insobrieties and gimmicks are obsequiously entertained by the citizens.

Perhaps, more than anything else, this is so because we have greater number of unlettered folks, many of whom cannot choose between unrepentant tricksters and morally upstanding politicians.

If you may remember, somewhere in October 2015, the news went around that the erstwhile NDC government had spent a staggering $10 million to publish presidential diaries. It was, indeed, a profligate spending by a licentious administration.

However, the then presidential staffer in Mahama’s administration, Stan Dogbe, came out and explained: “no government under the NDC has spent a pesewa of the public purse to produce diaries.”Such dairies have always been paid for from corporate advertising proceeds, and the canvassing for such adverts is the responsibility of the company selected to produce the diaries" (myjoyonline.com, 19/10/2015).

Well, if the same people can extort Millions of dollars from corporate bodies for presidential diaries, then where is their justification for blaming the Trade Ministry’s decision to support a fundraising company? ‘What is good for the goose is good for the gander’.

It beggars belief that despite the wanton corruption, the arrogance of power and the crass incompetence exhibited by the erstwhile NDC administration which resulted in massive economic meltdown, the NDC faithful would still have the audacity and moral authority to accuse others of non-existent corruption.

It is absolutely true that the opposition is obliged to put the incumbent government on its toes. But does the opposition NDC have to grumble and criticise for criticising sake?

Given the bizarre circumstances, one cannot help but to giggle over the minority NDC’s renewed zeal to expose and prevent perceived incompetence and corruption in the NPP administration.

Dearest reader, isn’t it puzzling that the NDC faithful would have so much time on their hands to chase the Trade Ministry over the seemingly convivial fundraising gathering?

Since when did well-planned fundraising event become a tort? Well, wonders shall never end, they say.

It is, indeed, quite ironic that the minority NDC operatives are gleefully hopping around the globe (from United States to Luxembourg) with the view to detecting a perceived corruption by the serious and committed NPP government. How strange?

Let us be honest, if the minority NDC operatives were that good at detecting and preventing sleazes and corruption, why did they go to sleep over the scandalous corruption cases involving the infamous Bus Branding, NCA, SSNIT, Brazil World Cup, Mahama’s Ford Expedition vehicle, GYEEDA, AZONTABA, SADA, SUBAH, the purported $200million debt incurred on the faded STS housing deal, the dubious Embraer 190 Aircrafts and hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces and over a US$100 million oil revenue loss between 2011 and 2013 as reported by the Public Interest& Accountability Committee?

Indeed, a large portion of the country’s resources went down the drain due to irrevocable mismanagement and the wanton sleazes and corruptions perpetrated by the officials of the erstwhile administration.

The erstwhile NDC government even managed to allocate judgement debt amount in the national budget (around GH800 million).

Apparently the Progressive Nationalist Forum (PNF) estimates that monies lost to corrupt and dubious transactions under the presidency of John Dramani Mahama amounted to GHC5billion.

However, the total of my calculations in respect of all the recorded corrupt and dubious transactions exceeds that of the PNF; I recorded GH7 billion.

Make no mistake, dearest reader, the NDC apparatchiks are trying their level best to convince their aggrieved supporters of their consuming desire to recapture power in 2020.

In fact, Kweku Baako Jnr was absolutely right when he asserted some time ago that the minority NDC operatives were rather seeking to ‘internationalise their incompetence’.

Isn’t it somewhat ironic that the opposition NDC operatives have soon found their voices and squalling and scolding at the roof top about alleged sleazes and corruption in the NPP government?

To me, the alleged extortion of the expatriate businessmen and women is an illustrative case of let us give a dog a bad name and hang it.

Obviously, the NDC apparatchiks are trying their level best to bring to the fore the non-existent sleazes and corruption. How pathetic?

Well, that is the beauty of democracy. The minority NDC operatives are within their democratic right to whine and speak their piece and criticise the NPP administration as they see fit.

Having said that, the NDC faithful ought to exercise a great deal of circumspection and consider criticising constructively and put forward alternative policies and programmes.

Well, I would like to believe that the supposedly NDC anti-corruption crusaders will give their full support to the Special Prosecutor, Mr Martin Amidu, who will certainly detect, prevent and deter the corrupt practices in the country.

In sum, some of us, as a matter of principle, cannot end our arousing disgust anyhow and anytime soon over the erstwhile NDC government’s inborn predilection, the irreversible incompetence and the corrupt practices which nonetheless destabilised Ghana’s macroeconomic indicators.

K. Badu, UK