Opinions of Monday, 16 July 2012

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

'The Great Ashanti Project', Open Letter To President Mills

Sarpong, Justice

Your Excellency, first let me extend my warmest greetings to you, Mrs Naadu Mills and little Sam, your son if he is around. Ghanaians are yearning to see the three of you in person or at least in the papers. congratulations for your successful medical check-up as you told us yours was and jogged at the tarmac at Kotoka International Airport to prove how medical check up can energize and turn almost a cripple into a world class marathon jogger.

I never knew there was something called 'successful medical check-up', is there something called 'Failed medical check-up? I guess you Mr President has had one,so who am I to dispute your assertion? As a citizen of our great country Ghana, I wanted to be with you in person in New York City when I heard you were coming there to get your 'temperature' taken since that is a major medical problem that cannot be done by these 'poor trained medical personel in Ghana' and you as President deserve the best medical care that is available, so USA is the place to be. I counted my change in my cookie jar, not enough to buy a plane ticket from Houston to New York so I boarded the Greyhorn bus three days before your arrival at JFK International Airport, since my investigation revealed that, there was no Delta Airlines flight from Ghana to LaGuardia International Airport on that day. I arrived at JFK International a little bit late so I cannot tell whether you were on that flight or not. I went back to my modest motel 6 lodging since that is all I could afford and Ghanaian Taxpayers did not help me to a four or five star hotels you and your entourage were comfortably cocooned in. The following day, I combed most of the hospitals in New York City to offer my support and prayers but my search was not successful. I later found out you were actually not in New York City but was lodged at the five star expensive Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C when you were not getting your temperature taking for five days.

Mr President, sorry for meandering from my main purpose for this article/open letter to you.Your Excellency, what is the meaning of 'Great Ashanti project' you complained to American Embassy in Ghana about before the 2008 elections as leaked by Wikileaks? Some of us have waited long enogh for you to explain what you meant by that but you have failed to do so and a lot of guessing have been going on including some people who believe you are an anti-Asante or put in another word, you are ethnocentric. Sir, you cannnot blame some people for believing that you hate Asantes when even your own Finance Minister Duffour is alleged to have said that, Ashanti region should not expect any development projects since the region did not vote for your NDC.

Mr President, this would not have been an issue but during your administration, Ghana has been polarized on tribal lines because of the appointments you have made and pronouncements from you and your administration. You were supposed to be "ASOMDWEHENE" but 'ASOMDWE YE' is lacking in Ghana since your administration has witnessed more tribal incidencies than any administration in recent memory. I for one do not care who you appoint to run the country with as long as they are Ghanaians but when your deeds reflect your appointments, then I have a big problem. Not only did you complain about the 'Great Ashanti project' but you went to Central region and uged them to vote for you because "Adze wo fie oye" which in itself is tribal in nature. Where is "fie"? Is any part of Ghana not part of this "fie" you are talking about? Mr President, if "Adze wo fie oye" is your mantra and policy, then I will suggest this country become a federal State where each region can keep more of its resources inside of that region for its development.

Your Excellency, you wear your Christianity on your shoulders Bible thumping, preaching virtues but you practice vice through discrimination against some regions that did not vote for you, that is really wrong and no true Christian will do that. The Bible extols us to love our Enemies as ourselves but it seems you might have lost that page in your Bible.

Your Excellency, you were born at Tarkwa and some people even call you Tarkwa Atta but Western Region where you were born is not your second home as you told Ghanaians. The only connection you have with Volta Region is that region voting overwhelmingly for your Party but that is where you call your second home, that is your prerogative Mr President but you should have considered where you were born and spent your formative years, As an Akan yourself, Mr President, you might have heard this popular Akan proverb; "KWAYE A, AGYE WO NO, YENFRE NO KWAYE WA". I now reside in Texas having resided in four other states in USA but I call 'SHOW ME STATE' of Missouri as my home in USA because that was the first state I went to University at when I came to USA and support all professional teams from the St Louis area. Mr President, I am not trying to be disrespectful, far from it but as a citizen who contributes much towards the development of my motherland, I think I should be able to voice my views when things are done to divide the country on trbal and regional lines that does not bring a united country.

It seems some few projects that were ongoing in Ashanti region when you assumed power have been abandoned because the region did not vote for you, for example, the Sofoline interchange project and the housing project at Asokore Mampong. Some of these house have reached roofing stage but they have been abandoned because the region did not vote for you, that is really sad and 'juvenilistic childish'. Mr President, you might not have won that region but look at the big picture though. You got more votes in Ashanti region than any other region apart from Greater Accra and Volta region so why should your policies geared towards punishing this region that contribute more financial resource to the country than any other region? Gold is the biggest earner of all natural resources for the country and more than 90% of Gold come from Ashanti region. We also produce Cocoa like Western region so why should we be denied our fair share of the national cake?

Your Excellency, I did not want to compound your problems when you returned from your medical treatment or is it medical check-up from USA since I thought you need time to recuperate but I saw you in pictures inspecting the Accra-Kumasi road. Whilst the Achimota to Nsawam portion of this road according to you is satifactory, the Nsawam to Kumasi portion was not and can you blame the contractors when they know you really don't care about that region.

Sir, you inherited a united and Peaceful country on January 2009, please leave it as you met it whenever you leave office as you don't want your legacy to be the President that destroyrd the unity of our country. Enough said.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)