Opinions of Saturday, 17 July 2010

Columnist: Damptey, Daniel Danquah

A Better Agenda for Ghanaians Indeed!

1) President Mills promised to give Ghanaians “The Brave New World” but has taken us to the “heart of darkness”.
2) President Mills who promised to hit the ground running is not only crawling, but moving backwards.
3) This is the first time in the history of the entire world that a sitting President (Professor Mills) has publicly acknowledged the fact that indeed, he is Captain of Team B.
4) This is the first time in the history of this country that a sitting President (Professor Mills) has insulted the intelligence of Ghanaians by saying that “Ghanaians complain too much”. So if the President is killing us with taxes we should keep quiet like some mummified wrecks.
5) This is the first in the history of this country that a sitting President has made a public declaration to drastically reduce the prices of petroleum products but ended up increasing them by geometrical progression.
6) Professor Mills as Presidential candidate of the NDC held a placard during a demonstration against the sale of Ghana Telecom with the inscription, “Ghanaians are capable of ‘mismanaging’ their own affairs”. Today, Professor Mills, as President, has mortgaged the soul and spirit of the Ghanaian nation to a South Korean company. If this is not sakawa or 419 of the highest order, then what do you call it?
7) The NDC government under President Mills allowed the BNI to use remote control to ‘murder’ an innocent woman who was seven month pregnant on the frivolous allegation that she had cheated her relative of some money. Till date, the culprits have not been brought to justice; neither has a committee been instituted to probe her mysterious death. But when a Deputy Minister in his government lost his wife at the Police Hospital, Government set up a committee to investigate the cause of her death.
8) The NDC government under Professor Mills has appointed an octogenarian, Dr Koranteng (formerly of the Police Hospital) as Ghana’s Ambassador to the Russian Federation. What future awaits the youth of this country under President Mills?
9) The outgoing NPP administration handed over the three alleged murderers of Issah Mobilla to the incoming NDC government. But Mills’ NDC Government “assisted” the Ewe member of the group to escape from lawful custody and kept this a secret for over six months before informing Ghanaians.
10) This is the first in world history that a prominent politician who had spread a hate agenda/campaign by making certain unsavoury, caustic and disparaging remarks about a particular tribe in his book is rewarded with one of the highest offices in the country – Chairman of the Council of State.
11) For the first time in the history of this country, a chattered plane hoisting the Ghanaian Flag was ‘arrested’ and escorted mid air by military helicopters to an airport where the plane, the crew and passengers on board were put under a 24 hour surveillance. By the way what happened to the plane? Has it been released?
12) For the first time in the history of this country, electricity was deliberately cut to Parliament House to coerce the august assembly into approving the increase in its tariffs.
13) This is the first time in the history of this country that members of the ruling government, from the highest papacy to the lowest clergyman have put up mansions within six months of coming to power. The President himself, Ama Benyiwa Doe, John Abu Jinapor and a DCE in the Volta Region.
14) The Takyimanhene kidnapped the Tuobodomhene and subjected him to inhuman treatment but Mills NDC Security Capos claimed they were not aware of the incident. Are we safe in this dear country of ours? Can we sleep with at least one of our eyes closed? Definitely the answer is “No”!
15) President Mills is the first President in this country to increase rates at toll booths from C800.00 (8 Pesewas) to C10, 000 (GhC1.00). Yet the NDC led by President Mills claim they are social democrats!
16) President Mills, his Ministers and the NDC have acknowledged the fact that building a one room apartment at $50,000.000 is affordable. Where do we get that kind of money from? The GFA should consider employing some of us as coaches so that in two months time we can also become landlords.
17) For the first time in the history of this country, a whopping sum of C750 million was used to renovate a bungalow for one of the President’s appointees. And this did not go through tender as stipulated under the Procurement Act. Money swine! Who talk say money no good?
18) While $20,000.00 was given to each member of the Black Star group who participated in the recently concluded FIAF World Cup Tournament in South Africa, Mills approved an amount of $72,000.00 to rent accommodation for one of his appointees. And the players “reward” are subject to taxation! Scam of the highest order, one might say.
19) Opoku Manu, Ashanti Regional Minster and Chairman of the Regional Security Council openly incited NDC activists to beat up any political opponent who contradicts them during discussions.
20) This is the first time in the history of this country that a re-run election was declared a jihad by one of the contestants. “Yes, I have declared this election as a jihad, not only in the mosque, but also elsewhere” (Baba Jamal) And sure, a lot of people were maimed, brutalized and property of law abiding citizens vandalized. Yet the miscreants, vandals, savages, barbarians and perpetrators of these heinous crimes, including the one who was seen firing a pistol indiscriminately are walking the streets of Akwatia and elsewhere free people. The one whose utterances caused the panic and should have been arrested if Rose Atenga Bio had been the Regional Police Commander Was retained as Deputy Regional Minister. Definitely, this crime will not go unpunished. The perpetrators will surely be brought to justice. It may not be now, but Ghanaians should rest assured that as long as we serve a Living God, those crimes committed against man and humanity will be redressed at the appropriate time.
21) NDC Member of Parliament for Asawasi Constituency is the first Minister in recorded history of this country to have traveled out of the country with his girl friend.
22) Dr Kumbour is the first in the history of this country to have openly denounced and rebuked his Deputy, Rojo Mettle Nunoo over a major policy issue.
23) For the first time in the history of the world, economic refugees, masquerading as handicapped sportsmen were aided by public officials ‘to escape from the fires scorching Mills’ Ghana’, ostensibly to represent the country in sports for the handicapped. Till date, those corrupt officials have not been brought to book.
24) As if that was not enough, we had refugees from Ghana fleeing to neighbouring Togo. But wait a minute! Were the people actually Ghanaians? Was it not a ploy to get those ‘refugees’ who might actually be Togolese nationals registered as voters during the recently concluded revision of voter’s register?
25) An Ivorian national, Nana Ekuban Olivier was appointed Deputy to dismissed boss of the Confiscated Vehicles Committee. What is the President’s agenda on domestication? Did it go with the demise of Mr Domestication, (the late Dan Lartey)? Does the President still stand by his mantra, “Ghanaians are capable of ‘mismanaging’ their own affairs”?
26) Vehicles seized from hard-working Ghanaians abroad on flimsy excuses were sold to party cronies and appointees of Mills government some at ridiculously low prices sometimes as low as Fifty Pesewas. Will Kwabena Agyei, Chairman of the NDC come out to defend himself on the allegations levelled against him by Carl Wilson? He has to, otherwise probity and accountability should be expunged from our statute books. This could happen only in Mills’ Ghana.
27) Where in the World, apart from Mills Ghana, can we have a Deputy Regional Minister still be at post after he had assisted a ‘criminal’ who was alleged to have murdered a colleague to escape from justice? The alleged murderer was actually pulled from under the Deputy Minister’s bed. God is watching for judgement day will soon arrive!
28) The saga of Ghana’s first slap in Parliament occurred on 27TH July, 2007 when the NDC Member of Parliament for Yagaba/Kubori, Abdul Rauf Tanko Ibrahim delivered a hefty slap on a colleague NDC MP for Juaboso, Sampson Ahi
29) “The Cedi is appreciating the dollar” reminds me of the Great DC Kwakye of Oda in the sixties. Would readers please tell me which of the NDC Members of Parliament said that?
30) Yes, the cat is out of the bag, and Agbesi Nutsu has said it all. He made the startling revelation on Wednesday, 14th July, 2010 during the newspaper review segment Programme at Net 2 hosted by Fiifi Boafo. Other discussants were Obeng Busia, Osei Mensah and Samuel Abu Jinapor. He was in charge of getting jobs for NDC foot soldiers in public/civil service and was paid by Government. But he wasn’t satisfied with that. He wanted some “bush allowance” or what you might refer to as the teacher’s copy in addition. And female NDC applicants desperate for jobs were strolling in and out of his office. Come and see girls/ladies! Beautiful and ugly, young and old, atea adonko and oboshie/ ngozi or fatty bum bum, tall and short, oyibo and black beauty. They came in their numbers. Yes, ‘fa wo to begye golf’. My good friend started “harassing” them for sexual favours. And this was at The Castle, the Seat of Power! He got fired by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Segbefia
31) Ghanaians should not forget what the Mills administration has done to their families. District and Municipal Chief Executives of various assemblies are pulling down buildings of law abiding Ghanaians on the excuse that such buildings were constructed on waterways. Sometimes, these stone hearted appointees order buildings to be pulled down without prior notice. Such property owners and their tenants are thrown into the streets. What do we call such people? Meanwhile another group of people are affected by floods or incessant rainfall and also thrown into the streets, but these second batch are referred to as the homeless. But a critical analysis of the situation reveals that while the second group has to do with natural disasters over which we have no control, the first one is man made and shows man’s insensitivity and cruelty to his fellow human beings. Such people should also be classified as homeless.
32) Professor Mills is the Third African President to have so openly harassed and shabbily treated his mentor who was instrumental in the former’s ascendency to power. The first was President Paul Biya who passed a sentence of death on his predecessor, (Ahmadou Ahidjo) on the trumped up charge of attempting to overthrow his government. The second was the late Levi Mwanawasa who openly humiliated his predecessor, Chiluba with charges of corruption. Then we have our own President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, supported by his ministers and other appointees attempting to “cut ex- President John Jerry Rawlings to size”. “Friends today, enemies tomorrow”, so the saying goes.
33) This, they attempted to do in the theatre of absurdities. The quixotic drama occurred when two people, purported to be journalists were taken to the Rawlingses’ house at Ajirigano, ostensibly, to take pictures. The ‘plotters’ then set some men purported to be security men at the house of ex President Rawlings after the so-called journalists. These ‘security personnel allowed one of the two ‘journalists’ to escape to enable him to make the spurious allegation that his colleague had been ‘kidnapped’ by the security at the house. Well, the cat is out of the bag. You can fool the people for sometime, but you cannot fool them all the time. The treatment being meted out to the Founder of the National Democratic Congress, ex-President Jerry John Rawlings by latter day saints who have no idea of how the party was founded should be condemned by all people of good will. I share a different political ideology from that of the Rawlingses but that does not mean that if I see evil being perpetrated against my opponents I should keep quiet.
34) Ghanaians have been taken for granted by the NDC Government led by Professor Mills. Nothing seems to be going in the right direction. The purchasing power of the average Ghanaian has plummeted to a very low level. Everywhere, everybody is complaining, except perhaps, Mills’ Ministers and other appointees. Nobody is happy with the trend of affairs. Even the founder of the NDC who unilaterally foisted our learned Professor as the party’s Presidential Candidate is not happy with the slow pace of the President. And just recently Sekou Nkrumah, one of the sons of the late President of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah has added his voice to the critics of President Mills. Everyday is like a passion week in the country. Electricity and water rates have gone up, yet we have epileptic supply of these utilities. Life in the cities is no different from life in the villages. Escape to the village and a greater shock awaits you life. There is no kerosene at the village. Armed robbery and petty thievery are on the ascendancy. One can hardly sleep with one eye open not to talk of having both eyes closed. People are cut down in the prime of their lives. Where do we go from here? Do we have any other place we can call our home, apart from Mills Ghana? Where is the tonic President Mills promised Ghanaians?
35) It is for this reason that I make a strong and passionate appeal to all patriotic Ghanaians to embrace the tenet and ideals of Vision 2012 which has the return to power of the NPP under Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s Presidency as its core message. We cannot postpone to tomorrow what we can do for the country today. Our elders say where there is a will, there is a way. Nana Akufo Addo has the will. He definitely has the solutions. Vision 2012 is on course and Nana Addo Dankwa is cruising all the way to Jubilee House. God bless you as you make a wise and informed decision to embrace Vision 2012.

Daniel Danquah Damptey (Danieldanquah_damptey@yahoo.com).