(Part One)

Last week, I think the date was 10th September, 2009. The government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) through the ministry of Information met up with the media to trumpet its achievements since it took over the affairs of this country some nine months ago.

It was one of the deputy ministers of information Samuel Ablakwa who did the talking. I think a certain picture was painted giving the impression that, in nine months of NDC rule everything was perfect and that Ghanaians were happier than before.

I honestly was laughing at myself when I was reading that news. The reason was that, no day passes without members of the NDC jumping and flying from one radio station to the other telling Ghanaians that, they should ignore the opposition parties for wanting to judge them in nine months. Yet the same government which says it should not be judged in nine months in office was all over the place judging itself and citing certain achievements, that made me wonder if they were talking of my country Ghana whose capital is Accra, and in West Africa or they were talking about the old Ghana empire whose capital was Kumbi salih!!

In any case my understanding of the government meeting with the press to shout out its “successes” in nine months meant that, it was telling Ghanaians “You can now judge us don’t you see that, we are even judging ourselves” mind you this was not the first time that, the NDC started judging itself and scoring itself the highest of marks. President Mills did it even in his first 100days in office.

I have a perspective or judgement too of what the NDC rule in 9months is and I will attempt to enumerate here for readers to make the true judgement of the NDC rule in nine months. Firstly in nine months, the NDC has increased the prices of fuel astronomically that has brought about untold hardships to everybody in Ghana. It must be explained here that, the increased in fuel prices came after the NDC promised in its campaign manifesto that, it was to reduce the prices of fuel no matter how much fuel will cost on the world market once it is in power.

Secondly, in nine months NDC officials through the transitional team spent over 1.3billion Ghana cedis on tea and kebabs at the very time they themselves told the whole world the country was broke.

Thirdly, in nine months in office the NDC government have had the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) prevent Ghanaians from travelling contrary to the laws of the land. It must be added that, some Ghanaians have also had their passports seized without a court warrant.

Fourthly, in nine months in office, Salifu Maikanni was allegedly assaulted by the BNI and he died the following day and up to date nobody have being arrested in connection with the allege assault that led to his death.

Fifthly, in nine months in office, three supporters of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) were butchered to death in front of a police station at the Agbogloshie market by persons alleged to be NDC supporters and no fly have been arrested as of the time of writing this article.

Also in nine months of NDC rule, supporters of the NPP in Tamale have had their houses burnt and some killed and nobody have been arrested.

Again in the nine months of the NDC rule, several persons have been killed in Bawku with the security agencies being accused of involvements in the killings and the alleged killer who was named as a certain corporal Sammy by the MP for Bawku Central has not yet being arrested.

Contrary to its promise before it was voted into power that it will promote rule of law in the country for everybody, Ghanaians are now being interrogated by the BNI without their lawyers in some cases where the lawyers are allowed to be around for the interrogation of suspects they are chased away in the middle of the interrogations.

The NDC government while in opposition promised to create employment for Ghanaians if given the mandate. In nine months after receiving the mandate the promise to create employment for the youth and university graduates have being replaced with official freeze on employment into the public sector of Ghana for two years. As of the time of writing this article I just read a news item stating that over 587 graduate Teachers have being refused employment into the Ghana Education Service compounding the incidence of graduate unemployment in the country.

While the NDC promised to fight drug barons out of government, it is rather encouraging the drug business by releasing drug barons as it is now in government who were lawfully convicted by courts of competent jurisdiction of the land. I hope readers have remembered the release of Tagoe and Alhaji Abass. No wonder the release of these drug barons have served as a motivation to others to go into the cocaine business and only last week a certain EXOPA chief executive together with others were arrested with substances believed to be cocaine. The funny thing here is that, the NDC is citing this as its resolve to fight drug dealers. When in actual sense their release of convicted drug barons is the remote motivation for this drug crime.

Another “achievement” of the NDC in nine months is that, while it was busy taking away vehicles from ex- government officials it was around the same time selling to themselves state tractors!! I mean the Bagbin and co. tractors saga

In nine months in office ex-sports minister Muntanka Mubarak used state money to boy diapers for his baby and went on trips with the girl friend at the expense of the state. It must be explained that, even though the NDC in nine months of its rule is accusing its predecessor of massive corruption, it has a different name for this case of Mubarak!!

What must also be brought to light is that, in nine months of NDC rule, some workers of the National youth in Employment Programme(NYEP),The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and some security officials have being sacked from work. It must be explained that, some other persons were sacked at the ministry of foreign affairs. Infact there have being more dismissals of Ghanaians from work than there are jobs available to Ghanaians!

It must also be explained that, in nine months of the NDC government, perceived media houses are being threatened with closures e.g. Choice fm in Accra. This was after some NDC thugs stormed anFM station in the Brong Ahafo region and beat up journalists and other workers.

We have just being told by an NDC serial caller one Dr Asemfofro that, in the nine months rule of the NDC, cars and monies are being shared to NDC serial callers at the seat of government that is the Osu Castle. It must be explained that Dr Asemfofro was all over the radio stations in Ghana shouting on top of his voice about what he said was an open discrimination against him in the sharing of booties at the castle.

There are lots of things that have happened in the nine months of the NDC rule that we don’t have to keep quite over. After all it is our Ghana, and we must be highly concerned about those who are charge with the affairs of the country and what they are doing with the mandate we gave them.

In the nine months of the NDC rule I am personally at a lost as to who is the true foreign affairs minister of the country. Since the NDC took over chairman Rawlings has travelled more than all the trips that, the President, his vice, and the foreign affairs minister have undertaken. He travels to represent Ghana in some cases, and I always wonder to myself why the foreign affairs minister or the vice president are not mandated to do these trips if the president is so busy with other things.

After ruling Ghana for nine months president Mills has now ‘confessed’ that some of his ministers were not leaving up to expectation. He has also admitted that, the public relations out fit of his government were weak. The irony however is that, he is not yet ready to do a reshuffle and instead blames every thing on the NPP!!

All I want to say in conclusion in this part one of my personal perspective of the nine months rule of the NDC is that, they should be so sincere with Ghanaians and appreciate the face that, while those in government have free electricity, free water, free fuel, free food, free per diems, etc, a larger majority of Ghanaians are still grappling with basic necessities of life including what to eat, where to sleep and even what to wear!! My advice to the NDC is that, they must engage themselves in programmes that will be of very direct benefit to the people and stop this hourly and daily propaganda all over the place including now on face book.

Akilu Sayibu, UK. Email: Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk