Opinions of Sunday, 21 February 2016

Columnist: Philip Kobina Baidoo Jnr.

Pastor Otabil, a threat to national security?

Opinion Opinion

I couched my title as a question to trigger your thought processes from the word go. Although some of the species in Otabil’s profession cannot escape such description, it belies the imagination for any sensible person to label him, particularly, as such. However, according to Mr Solomon Nkansah, the communication director of the ruling party, he is. I don’t have to tell you my position whether Otabil is a threat to national security.

On the other hand, it takes a lot of arrogance for the current government whose incompetence has plunged the country into destitution to accuse this man of God, who’s soothing words are more like a balm unto the countless problems his congregants face, as a threat to national security.

Unemployment is a bigger threat to national security than any unguarded statement that Pastor Otabil will ever make. Inflation is another lethal weapon that destabilises the nation. The question that anybody reading this piece should ask, did Otabil cause the crippling unemployment Ghanaians face or the incompetence of Mr Nkansah’s NDC government? Let us joggle our memory to about four years back after the last census. The figures,undoubtedly, made clear what we already knew that the population of the country was notching up. Any precocious sophomore will know that when you have population increase, for example, demand for electricity will shoot up.

Can anybody remember their debut action after the census? They increased the number of MPs and district councils, which we could do without. These acts drain the national purse without any realisable tangible benefits or capital. Yet, they went ahead to implement these brainless, so-called, constitutional requirement nevertheless, in obvious contravention to the huge protest from concerned citizens. I bet in their childish responds to this imbecility they will claim that President Kufuor also did a similar thing. Of course, Kufuor did a comparable thing, but is it sensible to repeat the foolishness of the past. Why do we learn history? It is only a fool who will repeat the mistakes of the past.

This government shouts from rooftops to be on the side of the common man. Nonetheless, they did not think about the energy needs of the common man who were at the receiving end of their bungling management of the energy crisis. Most of the rich people in the Ghanaian society, they do not hesitate to bash, did not suffer as much as the poor their heart bleed for. Just imagine a single teenage parent who sells pure water to earn her daily bread.

Without electricity for an up and coming entrepreneur who has bought a little freezer to manufacture ice blocks, how is this teenage girl going to survive with her child? For three years and over, the country was intermittently denied electricity, which destroyed industries, including small businesses, that employ the Ghanaian workforce when plans could have been made earlier to solve the problem. For inexplicable reasons, they sat on their oars for the electricity crisis to overtake us while spending money to put new 45 MPs to parliament just to blow hot air.

Currently, the Fulani herdsmen who are causing so much problems in the countryside, I believe they promised to solve it according to their last manifesto. What have they done about it so far? Guess what, the word nothing will be too polite to describe their actions on the subject. All that they know is talk, steal, connive with their cronies at the National Service Secretariat to rape the country, and they have the incredible temerity to accuse a man of God who brings comfort and sanity to the minds of distraught Ghanaians as being a threat to national security. Should I talk about the Gitmo detainees?

It is beneath contempt and waste of time to even write about it. Mr Solomon Nkansah, this is the zenith of all diversion to cover the incompetence of your party, and nothing else. You will do well to advice your leader to embark on steps to reduce inflation, which is killing Ghanaian businesses. If they want guidance I wouldn’t hesitate to offer my help. Other than that just shut up and continue the raping of the country.