The person who ask this would not be unpatriotic.The question carries no malice, it carries no bias, no hatred. Just a simple question.Would somebody explain to me why the government in Ghana is always fighting scandal after scandal?.Their blunder sheet is as long as the grocery list for summer camp.Unless the President admits wholeheartedly that there is a problem in Ghana called "corruption"and that his zero tolerance is non- existent,it would continue to be harzardous to the health of any person who would be running for re-election on the ticket of NPP in 2008.The inescapable conclusion is that the government needs thorough reform.
Whenever corruption is on a roller-coaster, government must answer. Also government must not exist so that the citizens may be cheated and deceived.Government must exist so that the citizens would enjoy life to the maximum.
This office made loud promises about crackdowns and cleanups but now the only thing it seemd to do is offer protections. Some people might think Mr, Raymond Archer (Reporter) is working hand in glove with the opposition and using the latest scandal at the Castle to grandstand or embarrass the NPP administration.Journalist or reporters are obliged to maintain their neutrality and not take sides or crusade for issues while on the job. That would be unprofessional activism.Mr Archer's CV in this field is one of the best if not the best in the world.
Chairman Harona Esseku should have had the inclination and the ability to make sophisticated judgement that he was granting an interview to a person who was well-versed in interviews and as such should have selected his words and sentences with caution. He rather became so free with his tongue and dropped the bombshell of "kickbacks" within the administration which is going to have serious repercussions on the government and the President.The tension is now causing static. Mr,Archer has now become the lightning rod for criticism by revealing the secrets of the government. Under pressure, Mr,Harona Esseku ( chairman) is now denying what he said but he has forgotten that the whole thing is on tape.
All the political parties in Ghana are plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of the Ghanaian people. Nobody has been subpoenaed from NDC era to now for corruption so it continues unabated.The only people who were imprisoned were Selormey and Kwame Peprah and even that was done because of partisan or political vendatta just to satisfy the people of Ghana and score political points.
When the Chairman of the ruling party exposes his own party by telling the truth about what is happening in the government,then you know that we have turned the corner.If it is proven that there were kickbacks from contractors then this mistake will add to the already huge well of cynicism that the people feel about their government.
The opposition party which should always be checking the government on all fronts and letting the citizens know what is happening are not doing that because they were doing the same thing when they were in power.They seem to say "every body does it so it doesn't matter".From Bamba, Dr.Anane,Wereko Brobbey to Hotel Kuffour.Everything has been swept under the carpet.If justice was to be followed or applied to the letter, somebody would have been languishing in prison by now.
Nothing has been done and nobody has been charged.Politics is a learned craft and this Government has made a raft or rookie mistakes from rhetorical combactiveness incompatible with their appeal as zero tolerance party to enriching an army of Ministers', DCEs who are incompetent and promoted to positions they have no business holding and doing well out of the party's attempt to do good.They practise a culture of deceit, corruption and cronyism and under the guise of patriotism and christianity.
It might sadden me that upon all the malfeasance, Ghanaians will be narrow minded and vote the party into power again just to continue from where they left off. The party or government has truly forfeited it's right to be trusted and the forfeiture occurred on the day the chairman granted the interview. It is always risky to write the obituary of an incumbent party or politician but I hope what was done to NDC, Ghanaians will do the same to this Government come 2008 to stop the bravado and confident smiles they have put on.It is a civic duty to disagree with an administration gone wrong, for freedom depends on ordinary people who are willing to fight for it even when the dark side looks like an easier choice.
The NPP hierarchy has decided to force the chairman to step down all because of politics and because they want to hold onto such positions for years and decades, protected by the same factors that put them there.They are all shills for the President and the party they belong to and not for the welfare of the country.Whenever the former President (J.J) talks about corruption in the government, a state of emergency is declared that he is either too vociferous or unpatriotic.Though his administration was not better than the present one and they are all like toads,they croak alike.
Much of the country or nation is now one catastrophic injury away from falling into poverty. Citizens cannot afford three square meals a day, clean water is a problem in many parts of the country and young boys and girls from school are becoming frustrated because of lack of jobs.Why don't the government use some of these kickback money to help the people?. Only power and greed is their lodestar.Ghanaians therefore should not sit on the political sidelines whiles the government sells the country to the highest bidders.If truth is the engine of our democracy, then we are now reading the first page in a thriller that will end either in resurrection or the disgrace of a party in power.
Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.
