Opinions

News

Sports

Business

Entertainment

GhanaWeb TV

Africa

Country

Ghanaian Leaders Letting The People And The Country Down

Sun, 2 Sep 2007 Source: Adofo, Rockson

It dampens the spirit of any concerned Ghanaian to see their leaders always fumble when confronted with simple issues requiring the application of logic. The gullibility of the Ghanaian leaders is unceasingly manifesting whenever baited with loans and grants. Oh, what a sad situation we are compelled to put up with. Intelligence and wisdom most often escape our leaders when the mention of an offer of loan or grant is made by any foreign donor, hence the disgraceful flip-flopping circuit on certain loan applications by the government.

It has become a daily occurrence for our people entrusted with the administration of the nation and our public institutions to be unconscientiously on issues and dealings about the interest and the security of Ghana. Hence, the accusations, and counter accusations; charges and or imprisonment of some government and public functionaries for causing financial loss to the State. When will this disgraceful act portraying the hollow-mindedness of the African end? One or two cases out of the numerous occurrences will be cited to buttress my contention, leaving the discerning readers to make their judgments.


Firstly, the Peoples' Republic of China has offered Ghana a $600 million dollar loan without interest to construct the Bui dam, a second hydro-electric power plant in Ghana to supplement the dwindling electric power generation from the Volta dam. Our leaders as usual, exhibiting their ignorance, lack of in-depth perusing but swift to praise and accept mentality, started taking credit for been able to secure interest-free loan for Ghana with the entire attendant hullabaloo.


However, it must be noted that a Chinese will not offer you a grain without exacting from you a hundredfold or a bagful. The Chinese are astute commercialists who can easily outwit the dimwit, in this case the Africans, who always sit with arms folded between their laps yawning for manna from Heaven. Ghanaians are always waiting to be spoon-fed by the Whites in acquiescence to their dictum, "who never enjoys reclined with honey dripping into their mouth?"


It is common sense that in this time of great need for electric power, viewing from the perspective of the load shedding with the concomitant economic ravages to not only the State but also to individuals, such loan offer is deemed a dream come true. Does it then mean the offer is not to be scrutinized but accepted glamorously on a silver platter as God send, with all the gimmicks? My interaction with the Chinese reveal how they are the number one racists hating the skin colour of the Blackman, and would normally not have anything to do with us if it was not for commerce and their secret aspiration to cleverly expand their global influence. The Chinese are usually silent over their actual intentions but gradually reach their goals riding on the ignorance of the unsuspecting donee.


Then again, the same Peoples Republic of China has offered Ghana a $5 million loan towards the construction of a $6.7 million Ministry of Defence Complex in Accra. The complex when completed would accommodate the Defence Minister, his deputy, the Chief of the Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and their administrative staff. The Beijing Institute of Architectural Design designed the complex, while the Quingdao Construction Cooperation Group of China is undertaking civil works, according to the GNA source of 19 April, 2007.

Here are a few questions posed which require intelligent answers. Has Ghana got experts in electronic sweeping to detect and ensure the Complex is not bugged after completion? If it was bugged, could we debug it? Why on earth should we allow strangers not only to design but also, construct such a sensitive building on which national security and safety are hinged? Are these reticent squinted-eye people not able to plant listening devices to remote-monitor the Ghana government military plans? Where at all is the intelligence of our leaders? Most of them have lived and studied abroad yet, they behave as though they missed their turn when God was sharing intelligence and knowledge. It is a grievous mistake made, allowing the Chinese to construct after designing the complex. Like any other Whiteman who wants to keep the Blackman in subservience, they may be up to some dubieties of some sort.


I quote Dr. Claudia Eberlein, senior physics lecturer at the University of Sussex, to sum up my annoyance at the utter folly of our leaders. She says, "When it seems like you're getting something for nothing, there's been a mistake". Ghanaians are happy all the Chinese loan offers are interest free. The good White intelligent physicist has said it all. When will our Ghanaian leaders grow up to be wise enough to read the minds of those they run to soliciting loans every now and then? Though the renowned poet and novelist, William Shakespeare once said, "there is no art construction of the human mind in the face", meaning it is difficult to read one's mind looking at their face, stretching our brains doing a little intelligence work could help avert the same dehumanizing pranks we always fall a victim to. Why oh why, Ghanaians?


Last but not the least, a Zimbabwean Indian family compelled by the harsh policies of President Robert Mugabe to relocate to London operates a corner shop at Peckham, a suburb of London. Mr. Manu, a work colleague, made a trip to this Indian corner shop early one morning intending to purchase a few essentials for the day as usual, but only to be made a fool to his utter disbelief. The head of the family joked at the protruding belly of Mr. Manu by faking to throw a fist punch at it, simultaneously saying, "you are useless, you Ghanaians". Mr. Manu jerked backwards to avoid the Indian's fist catching up with his belly.


According to Mr. Manu when the Indian shopkeeper realised his fault, seeing how he Mr. Manu was trembling like a leaf and about to punch the Indian in the face in a pugilistic style, the Indian then apologised. He said he had not meant to insult Mr. Manu as an individual but as part of the Ghanaian or the larger African community. He explained himself saying, "Africa is in the midst of plenty yet, they are poor. Give the African leader a bottle of chilled beer and an eighteen year old beautiful girl, and grease his palm with a small amount of money, you can get whatever you want from him". He further said that is the reason why they Indians, control the economies of Africa because they resort to the tactics just explained to pave their way through. Mr. Manu then calmed down, walked away without doing the intended shopping. What a shame?


This is the perception of Indians about Black Africans. I think the man had spoken the truth however our attempts to deny it will be. Are these not the same Indians we have run to for a $30 million loan to construct our Presidential palace? Are they not the same people that designed the palace and have their construction engineers doing the job? May I pause to ask, did they top up their offer with some of their beautiful Indian ladies? Never! How could they give us loan and add their women on top. The reverse would have been the case were Ghana giving them the loan. Surely, all the money will go back to them with our beautiful young girls frolicking in their backyards at the crack of their finger. The Indians are also seen as Whites in Ghana, and they command immense respect at the complete ignorance and stupidity of many a Ghanaian with our leaders inextricably inclusive.

The incompetence, lack of foresight and lack of farsightedness as exhibited by the Ghanaian leadership can laconically be summed up in Jean Marie Lepen, France National Front Party leader's words " today, a stranger will come to your home, eat your soup, sleep in your bed, and ask to sleep with your wife". For this reason, he hates foreigners to the core though, I disagree with him. Are the Indians not doing exactly what Jean Marie Lepen dreads in Ghana? Do they not jump queues where there is any? Do they not treat us worse than dirt discarded of their shoes with a whiff? Was it not in Ghana that an Indian timber Merchant poured boiling water into the ears of his two night staff found dozing off and only given a slap at the wrist as his punishment, under the regime of the dreaded J.J. Rawlings?


Anyway, I will round off my views on the disastrous quality of the current Ghanaian leadership by asking, can they merit what the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said about Nelson Mandela as read from the London Metro Newspaper of Wednesday, August 29, 2007? Mr. Brown said and I quote, "I'm proud to welcome to Downing Street the most inspiring, the greatest and most courageous leader of our generation. It's such a privilege to have Nelson Mandela and his wife, Graca Machel, here today and I'm looking forward to our discussions"


Long live Ghana! May Ghanaians live to resist the incompetence, selfishness and lack of foresight of their leaders!!

Rockson Adofo, London

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.


Columnist: Adofo, Rockson