I was appalled to read in the web news that a Minister in the NDC government is asking the above titled stupid question that we the jobless and the hungry Ghanaians should be asking him and his government. The bone of contention and the question Mr. Ablakwa should be asking is not the last 500 NDC foot-soldiers ALA “Black Stars supporters” that were flown to South Africa by the disguised philanthropists, but the first 1000 people that were flown at the Ghanaian tax payers expense, while most Ghanaians are dying of hunger and looking for jobs. Has Hon. Ablakwa ever visited the dilapidated children’s block of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in recent times, after running his mouth from one radio station to the other during the 2008 election?

Most Ghanaians have not forgotten how His Excellency, Prof. Mills scorched the four corners of the globe begging for pennies, cents and dimes to finance his campaign. The NDC was so broke that sometimes Ghanaians have to borrow their 4x4 land cruisers and 4Runners to him before he could travel from one region to the other. But what do we see today, the NDC ministers who were squatters about a year and half ago are putting up mansions and castles in as low as six months. Our hospitals are an eye-sore with most patients sleeping on the floors or benches. Our roads are nothing to write home about. Basic amenities such as portable drinking water and electricity are being supplied to us at intermittent basis. Electricity, water and highway tolls were increased by over 100% to Ghanaian most of whom cannot afford one square meal.

With all these national problems compounding and the government blaming the erstwhile NPP government of looting the national coffers DRY, they were able to fly over 600 pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, last year, at the cost of $2900.00 per pilgrim. This amount comes up to about $1,740,000.00. And now another 1000 (+500) to South Africa just to watch the world cup games. Can Mr. Abaca explain to all Ghanaians how much it cost the nation to fly 1000 Ghanaian with our taxes, including the hotel bills? If he cannot, he should better SHUT UP and not try to score cheap political points. Or is Hon. Ablakwa trying portray himself as Mr. CLEAN in the Mills government? He does not look like Mr. Clean but Mr. Con-Man. While nations like the USA, Britain and Germany with an average hourly minimum wage of $6.50, do not pay for their supporters to fly to South Africa, a nation as poor as Ghana, with an hourly and daily wage of $0.22 and $2.56 respectively was able to fly 1000 NDC foot soldiers. While students are still studying under the tree and sitting on concrete blocks in schools in some villages in Greater Accra and other regions.

Where is Mr. Ahwoi? I’m not surprised that Mr. Ahwoi is quite, because the “insider” that criticized his NDC this time around is his PET that he helped cloned. I wonder what the headlines would have look like, if the question had come from Dr. Garbrah, instead of Hon. Ablakwa. Arguably, the NPP government is the most corruptible government post-independence era. Yet the Mills government might surpass that hallmark of corruption in his first term as compared to Pres. Kuffour’s 8yrs. The Mills government promised to cut the “NPP price of petrol” by half, electricity and water tariffs have shot up unrealistically in contradiction to his campaign promise. Ex-Pres. Rawlings sound like a lunatic sometimes when he starts ranting erractically. But the Mills government seems to vindicate at least a word or sentence of his lunacy. Their misguided and corrupt attitude transforms him into a Martyr.

Is this the “Better Ghana” Hon Ablakwa and his NDC government promised Ghanaian? Is it a crime to qualify for the world cup? Do the 30+ million Ghanaians have to starve while 1500 NDC foot soldiers and the greedy ministers chill in South Africa? Can the NDC government let all Ghanaians know in advance, how many hundreds/thousand of Muslim pilgrims they will be paying for with the tax payers money to Saudi Arabia this year? President Mills must remember that it is not the 1500 foot soldiers that will be voting, come 2012, but the 30+ million Ghanaians.

Muhammed S. S. Jawando (LRT) New York Presbyterian Hospital msjawando@gmail.com