Opinions of Tuesday, 2 August 2011

Columnist: Asare, Noah Dugubrame

Veep, E. T., Nana Kunadu And Others Conspire Aginst Mills.

Wonders they say, shall never end. After the historic Sunyani Coronation, one would have thought that all plans to unseat Pres Mills was over. Although he remains the flagbearer of the NDC, there is a serious conspiracy within the ruling party to blackmail the Mills led administration and to make him unmarkettable to the Ghanaian electorate. Prominent among the people leading this plot are Vice president; H. E. John Dramani Mahama, Social Welfare Minister; Hon E. T. Mensah, Embattled candidate for Flagbearership position of NDC and the wife of party founder; Nana Kunadu Agyemang Rawlings and finally, spokesperson for the former first family and A Deputy General Secretary of the same ruling party Kofi Adams.

The reason for this mischievous plan is yet to be uncoverred. A message has been cooked for public consumption which will erode away any remaining reputation the already tired law professor has got. The aim is to let Ghanaians, especially those at the grassroots detest his style of leadership and to simply get tired of him even before 2012. It is aimed at revealing his shortfalls to the general public. Being people close to the presidency, anything they say about Pres Mills is believed to hold a lot of water. Therefore, if such prominent members of the ruling party comes out to condemn their own presidential candidate it will easily stay with the public and cost his candidature the greatest defeat ever.

It has been planned to mute all his praises and sound louder his errors. In essence when evil is said about someone these elders know that it travels faster. They have therefore decided to lunch the stinky elements into the air to diffuse any good anybody at all may preach about the president. The focus and particular direction of the conspiracy is starting with the difficulty his leadership has brought to Ghanaians.

The first to start the smearing campaign against the president is the vice president. The one closest to him. Because if it had come from Nana Konadu or Kofi Adams critics would have said it is a FONKAR game. So the veep starting it was a perfect plan. So that when the others did it later, it will only look like a buttress of an already made point.

The vice on his part, to highlight on the rise in cost of services, complained bitterly that Hotel Prices had shot up too high. As quoted by the Deputy NDC General Secretary he said; "Most of our four-star hotels charge beyond $200.00 and $250 a night which is expensive....". The whole vice president was complaining that Hotels are charging too high just this last February. If the second gentleman of the state is complaining that cost of services have gone up under the watch of the president who dare challenge such a revelation.

Immediately after him was Hon E T Mensah, the Minister For Social Welfare who on his part also made it known how expensive Ghana has become under the watch of Prof Mills when he said; "tourists who visit the country spend four times the amount they would have spent if they went to another African country.". Apart from revealing the hardship Mills brought to Ghana he was also vortually driving out potential tourist who may have listened to this statement. One thing stands clear, both the Minister and Veep are in agreement that The Mills led NDC has brough an unpresidented level of hardship upon the people of Ghana and anyone who mistakenly found himself in Ghana in these bad times. The times when Mills was president.

When it came to the turn of Nana Kunado aka Madam BOLD she took her chances and punched hard. She was in the middle of prominent African women drawn from 25 different countries. At the same venue there were joirnalists and other Ghanaians. Spectators also followed to the venue. The land was fertile for any propagation and she did it well saying: “By the time you leave here, you will find out that Ghana is one of the most expensive countries on this continent today. Very, very expensive. We have to find a away of knocking that down,” she stated. "If we cannot go into serious production. I think that we are going to have a lot of problems.” “If we are able to go into massive production of various things or in various areas, it will help reduce the number of people who are not working because I have a vision but that vision is to see that young people are employable and are employed because it is possible." “I believe the economy can be run differently.” “We have to put young people to work and we have to train them so that indeed they can be put to work.". Read the her second line well: "very, very expensive" she stressed. In the days of Mills your dollars wont be enough. Ghanaians are dying.

The Deputy NDC General Secretary came on the scene as if to defend his Madam but rather added insult to injury. When he was asked about the assertion of Nana Konadu that Ghana has become too expensive he said yes, and that what his madam said was not in dispute, it is a fact that during the reign of Mills, Ghana has become very expensive. He then added his own contribution: “Gradually, Ghana in some areas is becoming a expensive. I happen to be in the Western Region…in 2009, this year I happen to visit Western Region again and cost of some basic things have all of a sudden shot up,” he said on Joy FM’s news analysis program Newsfile Saturday which is also telecast on MultiTV. This is not a song from Nana Addo's camp. Pres Mills' own vice, his minister, his party founder's wife and his own party deputy General Secretary are the ones trumpetting the difficulty he has subjected Ghanains to.

Instead of addressing these issues and difficulties facing Ghanaians they are busy buying presidential jets fitted with a million dollar entertainment gadgets.

The Akuapems have a saying that "ade a enye de na enye.". Pres Mills administration stincks of incompetence and his own people are leading the front to make it known. Mills has not been able to address the need of the ordinary Ghanaian. Their pains and sufferings has increased since he came to office. These sincere men could no more hide their feelings but to say it loud. I was in Bolga in late 2008. A guinea fowl was 30 to 35 cedis. I bought five to Accra. When I asked my friend Yesterday he said one was between 100 and 120 cedis. I could not speak a word. Meanwhile we are told inflation is in a single digit since 2009. Living has become unbearable under Mills.

This is the consporacy, maybe not deliberate but their thoughts rhyme. Ghana has become too expensive under Mills. Vote for a change that will reflect in your living condition come 2012.

Noah D Asare. Frankfurt, Germany. 004917674298893.