Does Pastor Otabil really want the state out of hospitals and schools in Ghana?

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Francis kwarteng 9 years ago

Brother Kofi Ata,

Excellent work.

For the most part, I can assure you that Otabil did not know what he was taking about. I am still trying to make sense out if his launch speech.

I am done with my series on his laun ...
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Brother Kofi Ata,

Excellent work.

For the most part, I can assure you that Otabil did not know what he was taking about. I am still trying to make sense out if his launch speech.

I am done with my series on his launch speech and there is much to add. But your piece is quite refreshing in its analytic power.

Thanks.
Mike frm Ho. 9 years ago

Good article. Good reasoning. Good argument. Good english language. In fact, anytime I read this man's articles, I feel educated. I read one yesterday and this one today. I wish for more to read, Sir.

Good article. Good reasoning. Good argument. Good english language. In fact, anytime I read this man's articles, I feel educated. I read one yesterday and this one today. I wish for more to read, Sir.
Kofi Ata, Cambridge, UK 9 years ago

Prof, I have been following your politico-christian series on this subject and enjoyed reading them. Let's keep up the debate in the interest of mother Ghana.

Prof, I have been following your politico-christian series on this subject and enjoyed reading them. Let's keep up the debate in the interest of mother Ghana.
Francis kwarteng 9 years ago

Thanks Brother the Kofi Ata.

Yours is also insightful and exciting read. I have drawn my friend's attention it.

A very powerful piece indeed.

Thanks.

Thanks Brother the Kofi Ata.

Yours is also insightful and exciting read. I have drawn my friend's attention it.

A very powerful piece indeed.

Thanks.
SARPONG 9 years ago

I think Pastor Mensah Otabil went too far in that clarion call asking the state to get out of the running of hospitals and schools.

Even in USA, the epicenter of capitalism, the state does not leave the running of hospita ...
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I think Pastor Mensah Otabil went too far in that clarion call asking the state to get out of the running of hospitals and schools.

Even in USA, the epicenter of capitalism, the state does not leave the running of hospitals and schools to private enterprise. Though the federal government does not in run schools per se, we still have department of education that mainly caters for student funding . The running of schools is left to cities to run their own independent school districts.

The federal government also operates the Veterans hospitals and the counties also operates hospitals. In DFW area, we have the Parkland Memorial hospital where President Kennedy was rushed to for medical attention when he was shot in 1963. Another county hospital here is John Peter Smith Hospitals. These hospitals cater for mostly people without any insurance and even illegal aliens can go to these hospitals to access medical care without any fear of getting arrested by the immigration service.
Sapatey 9 years ago

I reproduce below, a slightly edited reaction to Otabils reckless presentation on this platform on the 22nd February that seeks to promote the vulgar tenets of capitalism upon Ghana.

Without being aware of the fact, Otabi ...
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I reproduce below, a slightly edited reaction to Otabils reckless presentation on this platform on the 22nd February that seeks to promote the vulgar tenets of capitalism upon Ghana.

Without being aware of the fact, Otabil is a hapless victim - as most Africans are, of the trap of imperialist education and I definitely do not agree with his assertion that the govt must free opportunities to the people. That is pure unalloyed bullshit!

Has anybody - govt or otherwise, stopped anybody or for that matter, any Ghanaian from establishing or conducting any lawful business of his or her choice? Yes, the bureaucracy is frustrating and diabolical but that does not constitute a monopoly or an act of barring anybody from pursuing legitimate business.

Why should govt use the taxes of poor deprived people to establish state institutions and opportunities for greedy swine whose only source of success is the privilege of contacts with people in power and authority?

Why should govt use the taxes of poor deprived people to create opportunities for greedy covetous leeches whose only aim is to create exclusive wealth and privilege for themselves alone? And Otabil wants to do this this in an under-developed country where over 90% of its citizens are woefully deprived? I think mammon has gotten into his head.

Mr Pastor Otabil, we all know that it is the same kind of undue privilege of contacts with a certain notorious NDC Minister in the past, that enabled you to criminally and undeservedly acquire a parcel of govt land that had been designated to be used as a major international leisure and tourism enclave. This is where and what enabled Otabil to put up that grandiose Central whatever church from which you have continued to exploit the poor and vulnerable sections of our society who do not know any better. This is what in turn, has made you become a millionaire overnight.

Did the NDC govt stop Otabil from reaching those goals by virtually stealing property belonging to the people of Ghana to set up his business church of mammon?? No! So why should govt go the extra mile of being charitable to greedy swine? Entrepreneurs should be given the freedom to pursue their initiatives so long as such initiatives dont amount to stealing state property.

This is what I hate about the so-called leaders of the Christian church. The hypocrisy, the dishonesty and the two-faced lying is simply unbearable. It makes it seem as if 'Jesus Christ died for us in vain'.

The basic and fundamental principles of the Christian church commendably avers to say that, we must love one another and that the sentiments of honesty and modesty must be upheld at all times. However these clever confidence tricksters, who label themselves as Pastors, Bishops, Prophets, Evangelists and other comical titles by their inappropriate usage, by their assertions, contradict virtually everything that the substance of the Holy Book asserts. Does Otabil know what he is talking about when he says that “ ... the state must stop “monopolising” and “hijacking” business opportunities from citizens and rather be an “enabler” for private organisations and individuals to do business, and also run the country.”?

What Otabil is saying in short is that Ghana should remain not only a capitalist state as it has been for the past 50 odd and painful years, but we should in addition, crank up the system to insensitively increase the tempo of the system of greed that among other crimes against mankind, have led to the most despicable crimes in human history – that is slavery, colonialism, two world wars and other wars inspired by greed and covetousness in-between that have caused man alone, to kill more than two billion members of his own species.

Mr Otabil, how do you reconcile this evil posture of yours with the fundamental principles of the Christian creed that you falsely profess to stand on at the expense of a congregation of gaping idiots and goons?

In any case, Mr Otabil, I insist that people who want to run their own businesses should establish their own and do so instead of engaging in corrupt shenanigans with their corrupt collaborators in govt to under-value and sell-off state institutions and property to their cronies.

If you want govt to exclude itself from running critical state institutions, how many Ghanaians do you think are financially and practically qualified to buy and run such large and vital institutions? It seems to me that you have swallowed hook, bait and sinker, all that hogwash that imperialism extols about capitalism. The state is very well capable of running any business alongside private business if we can get disciplined, honest and dedicated govts.

The private sector in this country have had their way for over 50 years without any hindrance in this country and I would like you, Mr Otabil, to tell us how many purely Ghanaian success stories have emerged from that sector in that time span.

Govt has out of the difficulties of this situation, run institutions and companies for the convenience of the people and will have to continue to do so for a very long time to come because govt is the only local entity that has got the financial strength, the means and the capacity to do so without isolating or abandoning the people who put them into power, from the economy of the nation.

Prematurely pushing govt out of the economy, will only open the floodgates of a dog-eat-dog situation in which poverty and crime will flourish abundantly. Basic social services which once our non-capitalist Third World salaries could afford to patronize, will balloon to heights which will be accessible and convenient only for the luxurious lifestyle of a small clique of greedy capitalists and inaccessible to the majority of the people of the country. So much for “thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself”.

It is these same treacherous so-called neo-liberal capitalist schemes which have landed us between a rock and very hard place where today, the people and the govt of Ghana virtually own nothing of any critical substance in our own country. The only people who have the means and who own anything of any meaningful substance are ‘foreign investors’. This has landed us 360 degrees right smack back into a situation where in the very near future, a small cartel of foreigners and their local errand boys will be calling the political and economic shots of our country. At this point where we would have become mere workers or slaves for these foreigners, we would have reversed back into a pre-1957 situation of colonialism. This is what the great visionary, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, aptly described as neo-colonialism.

Finally, Mr Pastor Prophet 'Too-Known' Otabil, if your utterances appear to be against the NDC govt, lets admit that it is not because they are not practicing what you are proposing – unbridled capitalism. The NDC govt is thus far the most neo-liberal capitalist govt that this country has endured in our history. For crying out loud, they have even put those who proudly vaunt their neo-liberal credentials as their credo – the NPP, to shame in this regard. The only reason you are moaning is that you do not fall within the benefits and privileges of the NDC ambit of cronyism. As you may very well know, cronyism is an essential tool of neo-liberal/capitalist practice. Perhaps you might simply have to wait for your cronies to assume power some day in the near or distant future to enjoy the benefits of your preferred system of glamorized slavery
Africa 9 years ago

Kofi Atta - get in touch:
contact@africanpod.com

Kofi Atta - get in touch:
contact@africanpod.com
Greg 9 years ago

I have two things here! .If Akuffo Addo should become president in the unlikely event ,Ghana would become a drug hub.
Secondly, Otabil must be stoned in public for all the negative side side of his quest,when it comes to th ...
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I have two things here! .If Akuffo Addo should become president in the unlikely event ,Ghana would become a drug hub.
Secondly, Otabil must be stoned in public for all the negative side side of his quest,when it comes to the country Ghana! .He is an extremist in business ,call it extreme capitalism & this a man who claims to be a pastor or man of God! .He is rather an agent of lucifer!.
Opinionman 9 years ago

I like your intellectual analysis of the topic. Good job and keep it up.

I like your intellectual analysis of the topic. Good job and keep it up.
Karass 9 years ago

Well done mr,god bless u

Well done mr,god bless u

Paa Kwame 9 years ago

It is interesting how pastors in Ghana delve into subjects they have little or no knowledge in just because they have the platform and members of their congregation take the untruths and half truths without questioning them.W ...
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It is interesting how pastors in Ghana delve into subjects they have little or no knowledge in just because they have the platform and members of their congregation take the untruths and half truths without questioning them.Where ignorance abounds, pastors, prophets and what have you reign.
Kofi 9 years ago

In a nutshell, the state can leave actual delivery of services to the private sector, and focus on regulation and helping consumers pay for the services. This approach is already prevailing in the construction sector, where a ...
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In a nutshell, the state can leave actual delivery of services to the private sector, and focus on regulation and helping consumers pay for the services. This approach is already prevailing in the construction sector, where actual construction is done by private contractors, while the state focuses on putting contract specifications together and paying for the job done.
Similarly, private contractors can run schools and hospitals; and submit users' fees/bills to the GETFunds and NHIS' for payment respectively.

Such an approach will open the economic space significantly, allow for a more rational use of resources, and limit the scope for corrupt practices and better enforcement of regulations.

Unfortunately, if the decentralization policy and election of DCEs is any guide, no politician is willing to commit to such an approach unless under duress (eg. ECG rationalization or the divestiture of SOEs in the '80s). Actually, the only successful such transformation (the telecom sector) started under the watch of this president as then deputy minister/minister of communication. So perhaps there might be hope down the line.
Ghanaian To The Core 9 years ago

Brother Kofi, it's not a wrong approach. Even in advanced or developed countries, the state regulates the activities of the private sector, while in most cases it trains its health care officials. Should Ghanaian doctors, nur ...
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Brother Kofi, it's not a wrong approach. Even in advanced or developed countries, the state regulates the activities of the private sector, while in most cases it trains its health care officials. Should Ghanaian doctors, nurses, etc, be trained by private universities in Ghana? How many can afford the fees and how many doctors will be trained in a year to serve the teeming population?
Mensah Otabil is wrong to a great extent. We know he is an entrepreneur. I just hope he is not advocating such measures for his own parochial interest.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard 9 years ago

Kofi, Otabil's argument is essentially a political/ideological one. It is difficult just to extract the "socio-economic analysis" from the ideological debate.

You seem to want to say that Otabil is calling for a complete ...
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Kofi, Otabil's argument is essentially a political/ideological one. It is difficult just to extract the "socio-economic analysis" from the ideological debate.

You seem to want to say that Otabil is calling for a complete handover of things by government to the private sector. I think the man knows more than to argue crudely that way. That is why he is saying the state should act as the enabler (for private sector) when the crucial question is what kind of enabler the state should be. Otabil is just arguing like the neo-cons and the ultra-right everywhere who are calling for a smaller government rather than government as a leviathan.

To be sure, it is a dangerous argument, but not so much because of what you are arguing.

Otabil's argument is just a restatement of the NPP position. The NPP ideologues will like it but, perhaps, not the manner in which he presented it because that enables people to easily see the crude face of capitalism. The party wonks make a more sophisticated form of the argument - but it is still the same argument.
Kojo Billy Duncan 9 years ago

Kofi, I appreciate your analysis and will wish to recommend that readers augment your opinion with the works of Ha-Joon Chang and Ilene Grabel.

Kofi, I appreciate your analysis and will wish to recommend that readers augment your opinion with the works of Ha-Joon Chang and Ilene Grabel.
Amanfo 9 years ago

We have really struggled to come to terms about those comments attributed to Pastor Otabil.
A man of divine God calling for the complete abolishment of policies that sustain the poor, the very thing Christ spoke for which h ...
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We have really struggled to come to terms about those comments attributed to Pastor Otabil.
A man of divine God calling for the complete abolishment of policies that sustain the poor, the very thing Christ spoke for which he proclaimed he is following.
Over the past years, systematic approaches have been put in place to do away with the what Christ preached at the mount. Its very unfortunate when comments are made by people who seem to be preaching to give hope to the poor but, their actions are entirely against them.
There is no way the state (government) can sit idle and allow pure profits making entrepreneurs to take control of the destiny of any nation.
Does the pastor knows the consequences of his call? Perhaps, he knew and pretended contrary, perhaps he doesn't but, he should allow common sense to tell him what will befall the poor when his calls are heeded to.
The state deserves better than these apolcaytic calls.
Thank you
Kwame 9 years ago

Religion heart of the heartless world.
It is a fact that religion does not have a human face,it is a cruel institution formed to add more pain and sorrow to human existence. Religion is formed on falsehood about nature and s ...
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Religion heart of the heartless world.
It is a fact that religion does not have a human face,it is a cruel institution formed to add more pain and sorrow to human existence. Religion is formed on falsehood about nature and society.
A look at the history of human civilization has proved that all of human suppression and oppression were created in the temple, let it be the cruelty of Moses, the priests of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Thomas Aquinas - the Inquisitor, slavery, colonization, racial segregation, apartheid, neocolonialism and neoglobalism, enforced by the church with slavish submission of their members who are told to dehumanize themselves to get to heaven after death.
Let it be the miserable girl who blew herself up in a town in Cameroon in order to get to heaven taking the lives of other people.
Currently we are witnessing Islamic inquisition just like the Christian Inquisition of the dark ages. Thus whiles man was able to free himself from the dark ages of religion another religion is taking man back into the dark ages.
We wrote about how water continue to be provided free of charge to citizens of North European countries. When in Africa it is the church that call for the privatization of water, education, electricity, among others. The matter also lies in the fact that church goers are just gullible and can not see the outright swindle that the church subject them to.
lankwei 9 years ago

Otabil sounds like a carpetbagger with the ultimate aim of creating an oligarchy!

Otabil sounds like a carpetbagger with the ultimate aim of creating an oligarchy!
boss 9 years ago

Wow Kofi Ata, how can you extend what Otabil said to this so called analysis. It is really a stretch to attribute what Otabil said to your analysis on having business men running the state. What he said is true. Government sh ...
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Wow Kofi Ata, how can you extend what Otabil said to this so called analysis. It is really a stretch to attribute what Otabil said to your analysis on having business men running the state. What he said is true. Government should be the enabeler. Governments come out with policies and legislations that would allow the private sector to thrive. This is what has made the developed nations what they are today. I fail to see where Otabil is asking for business to take over governance issues. I am not a member of Otabil's church however I do agree with his statement. Your article is really a tretch of what he said.
kaketonti 9 years ago

GET LOST IF YOU CAN'T ELABORATE.IT'S BETTER HE LEAVES THE BIBLE/CHURCH BECOMES A POLITICIAN

GET LOST IF YOU CAN'T ELABORATE.IT'S BETTER HE LEAVES THE BIBLE/CHURCH BECOMES A POLITICIAN

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Does Pastor Otabil really want the state out of hospitals and schools in Ghana?

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