NPP: IN DESPERATE SEARCH FOR A LEGACY

On April 1st the Ghanaweb published some comments supposedly said by the Hon. K.T. Hammond, Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa Constituency in the Ashanti Region who is also the Deputy Interior Minister. Hon. K.T. Hammond said the “President was perfect and selfless President who though would be leaving office soon, had the vision to buy the jet to help ease the activities of his successor”. Deputy Interior Minister emphatically said, “The Presidential Jet will be Kufuor’s legacy”. Hon. K.T. Hammond also commended the President for building the Presidential Palace.

As a Ghanaian, I find those comments very disturbing and I’m wasting no time in condemning them. These comments are very unfortunate, politically suicidal and economically unwise. I don’t want to believe that the NPP is now embarking on a desperate search for a LEGACY.

By those comments, Hon. K.T. Hammond has clearly demonstrated that he presents no hope to his poor constituents. This Minister has clearly told all Ghanaians that the reason behind NPP’s spending, is all about “LEGACY” but not improving the quality of life of the ordinary Ghanaian. As Deputy Interior Minister, he has intimated that he can and even may have compromised the security of the nation in search of a LEGACY. Though we don’t have the evidence to this effect one can confidently say that there is enough “implicit evidence” to investigate this man and his Ministry. If I were President Kuffour, I would sack him. By his statements, the NPP has shot itself in the foot: they have eroded their good records, if any, since they took power from the P/NDC.

Hello Minister!! who told you that buying a Presidential Jet or Building a Presidential Palace, is a legacy? I’m imploring the Minister to scale the importance of jobs, education, health, national security, electricity, roads safety against a Presidential Jet or Palace. Would somebody tell the Minister that in economic sense you don’t borrow to spend on assets which are subject to depreciation, wear and tear if the asset is not going to pay for itself. In a sense, if you borrow to spend on assets that are subject to depreciation, they should facilitate development or be income generating asset to pay for itself. Couldn’t the money be used to equip our Universities with learning tools to aid research?

On the same date, April 1st, , it was also reported on Ghanaweb that due to collapse of school building in 2006 about 125 pupils of Anomansa Primary School in the Suhum Kraboa Coaltar District have been sitting at home following the collapse of their school building by a rain storm two years ago. The school authorities said the school children were now being occupied with basket weaving, farm activities, and other menial jobs to earn a living. Let me say this: a future president, minister, lecturer, business person, scientist or a prominent person who may help our nation could be among these 125 poor children who are wasting away.

Dear Minister, the above incident should clearly indicate to you that buying Presidential Jet or building Presidential Palace wasn’t economically prudent. They are misguided expenditure, wrongly timed, and poorly sourced, purely for self-aggrandisement. Indigenous Capitalism indeed!! Now Mr. Indigenous Capitalism wants to be the next commander-in-chief. No, No!

This is not a legacy. It is a charade. If the President wanted a legacy, he should have started with our educational system: built and refurbished schools, equipped them with resources, allocated money for research and gave our Teachers and workers in the profession some dignity. He should have built and refurbish hospitals, had a drug policy and built state of the art Children Hospitals in regional capitals for the benefit of our children. The President should have made it attractive for the nurses, doctors and other workers to stay in the profession and not leave the country or the profession in search of greener pastures in foreign lands. He should have created jobs and protected local industries. He should have had a transportation policy to support and facilitate developments: Technological innovation should be a priority if Ghana is to be competitive in the global market. He should have drawn up a long-term comprehensive energy policy. He hasn’t tackled the influx of the unemployed to the cities. The President should have had a strong initiative and reward-oriented decentralisation policies.

Lastly, what value has the NPP added to our raw materials since coming into office? None, instead they have allowed their pay masters to turn Ghana into a dumping ground with their factory rejects. No wonder Ghanaians are dying young. Ghanaians have had enough. We have sacrificed and suffered 19 years of intimidation and destruction: seven years of No Policy, Trickledown Economics and cheap talk. Aside all these we have witnessed failure, backwardness and veil of darkness in Ghana’s history under NLM, SMCl, SMCll, AFRC and PNDC.

Hon. K.T. Hammond and the NPP family, if you want a blue print of the way to economic development without worrying about LEGACY, please write to the CPP North American Branch Akokonini@yahoo.com. We would be able to call our Party Headquarters in Accra for a copy of our 7-year development plan (in present day context) bequeathed to us by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who did not care about legacy and opulence but cared very much about all people irrespective of which tribe or region they came from. The time has come: come on board to safe our motherland: Yenara yesase ni.

God Bless our homeland Ghana.