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Opinions of Wednesday, 19 September 2012

Columnist: Appiah, Kofi

Can Mahama Win Free, Fair And Credible Elections?

Part 1

Wonders, they say, will never end. But one would dare ask, since when did President “Goodluck” Mahama realize that Ashanti was his second home? Is it true again, that birds of the same feather flock together? Does it mean that since the late president declared the Volta Region as his second home to win more votes, Mr. Mahama too, could pull a fast one on the Ashantis to do the same trick? If that were the ulterior motive, then, he must have been day-dreaming. If his wife were probably an Ashanti instead of being a Brong, then he could possibly be justified to make that statement but every discerning mind knew ‘it was because of the votes that prompted him to say that. However, some years gone by, in some parts of Ashanti and other cocoa growing areas, if a rich farmer fell ill and the relatives realized that he would die, some bad elements within the family be it the nephews or the sisters or even the wife would quickly condone and connive to devise some crude method to annihilate him. Some of the wicked strategies included food poisoning or smuggling him from the hospital bed to go and kill him physically. In the case of the food poisoning, they ensured the food that was sent to the patient at the hospital was chemically poisoned so that as soon as he ate that unknown poisoned food, obviously that would send him to the grave either instantly or later. And pathetically, this wicked syndicate oftentimes, with the connivance of the heir apparent, turned round to become privy to the chief mourners during the funeral ceremony. The author does not want to be a modern day soothsayer but if such a wicked orchestration, fraught with suspicion and mystery surrounding his death must of necessity not be allowed to rest. Unconfirmed but reliable sources allegedly point accusing fingers that John Mills must have been assaulted brutally as a result of which he bled profusely through the nose and mouth. His death cannot pass without connotation or coloration with alleged blood-thirsty persons involved in that mastermind. If that were so, or be as it may, then they should be prepared for self-defence on judgment day when the Good Lord arrives during the Second Coming. Since I don’t have any medical knowledge let alone thestudy of pathology, let us leave everything as it were with God who knows all. Prior to the passing on of the late president, almost everybody knew of the diabolical strategy and wicked machinations that Alhaji Bature, the managing editor of the embattled news -paper, ‘Al Hajj’ had waged against the former president, Jerry Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu, to the effect that never ever would Ghanaians tolerate them for their future presidential ambition. This same Bature man had earlier propounded some wicked theory/story in his paper for some shallow minds to believe the dangerous notion purported to be peddled by the Ashantis that never ever would a Northerner become president of Ghana. And this dangerous statement seems to have gained grounds. You think the Ashantis believed the president’s hurriedly prepared vote-catching message at the Baba Yara Stadium after being indoctrinated by a very trusted friend like Bature?
NOTORIOUS YAMIN
Does Mr. Mahama know of the arrogance of one Yamin in the Ashanti Region? Readers will recall some dangerous paths that Joseph Yamin, the NDC regional secretary, treaded during the recent past biometric registration exercise in May this year. It is on record that he single-handedly hired thugs to go on the rampage in and around Kumasi to terrorize and prevent innocent persons from exercising their democratic franchise to register. As you read this piece today, Joseph’s incongruous behaviour, undoubtedly and ably supported by the queen of the Ghana Police, DCOP Rose Bio Atenga, overpowered and countered Kwesi’s genuine police duties with a strong worded police memo from headquarters to nullify the stance (i.e. Gh?2,000.00 compensation for anybody who caused his or the group’s arrest) taken by DSP Kwesi Ofori to grant a blanket approval for Yamin and his platoon to have a field day. This unexpected, but infamous and unethical directive to silence Kwesi Ofori, the district police commander for Tafo Pankrono in Kumasi from Accra proved to the whole wide world that Yamin’s actions and inactions for his daring moves, ultimatum and unruly behavior to set up a police force for electoral victory should not have been issued to show their naivety and unprofessionalism. And ostensibly too, the notoriety of former presidential aide, Nii Lante Vanderpuye of the Odododioodioo constituency in Accra (who could sit the former president down for 90 minutes of his precious time or more) and other similar ones, that were brought to the fore, had the full backing of the power brokers and connivance of headquarters with the eagle’s eye of the Executive Master’s holder in Business Administration, Paul Tawiah Quaye, Esquire, the almighty IGP, otherwise, he would have been brought to book by now for prosecution and court for trial but naught.
JOHN THE ‘PROPHET’
At exactly 12.47 p.m. on Thursday, August 30, in the year of Our Lord 2012, the venue, the Baba Yara Stadium, Kumasi, HE John Mahama, received the holy anointing and instant baptism by the late president to prophesy to all NDC members, loyalists and supporters and indeed the rest of Ghanaians then glued to their radios and television sets that he has been ordained as Joshua – not the T.B. Joshua many Ghanaians know (without Caleb anyway) to lead and take them to the very promised land. Why this mockery and blatant blasphemy? One is really at a loss as to whether His Excellency has ever watched some of our TV screens to see the “risen John Mills” seated at the right hand side of Christ in the high heavens still bespectacled. Did the propagandists really think through that any lucky visitor to the heavens got transfigured and transformed into a new being without any pair of glasses on? Dirty politricks indeed! Heaven, the scriptures say, is a holy place that nobody, absolutely nobody, would ever get there with sickness. Definitely, nobody would enter with any earthly problems; specifically, no problems would be allowed to be over-carried there. There would be no hunger, thirst, obviously no killer school fees and bag of cement or 5-litre paint as entry requirement, no rent for housing accommodation, etc. Again, there would be no judgment debt payment to enable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to have continuity in his chosen field – if ever he had the rare chance to set foot there.
BLASPHEMY
Moreover, what my Bible tells me is that there would be no rivers like the Birim in heaven that the infantile minds like Baba Jamal and his band of charlatans to project the late president as having supernatural powers to cause the flooded river to subside to enable the people around to go about their farming activities. Also, if mortal as he was and born of a woman as well, he could resurrect from death to sit at the right hand side of our Lord still bespectacled in his pair of thick glasses, then, God Save the Queen and this mockery.
GREEDY BASTARDS & THIEVERY = PAYMENT OF JUDGMENT DEBT
Many Ghanaians still recollect somewhere in 2007 prior to the NPP’s congress at the University of Ghana, Legon, the General Secretary of the NDC, then in opposition, vociferously lambasted their arch rivals who fielded as many as 17 aspirants for the flag bearer slot that they were thieves and wanted to get the leader of the so called thieves. Ironic isn’t it? Has he so soon forgotten that when his party won the subsequent elections and formed the next government, he, having been appointed as a member of board of the Bui Dam Project, quickly, turned round to become an agent to supply sandcrete blocks for the construction of the dam that had been started by the previous government so that he could also enrich himself fabulously. Not only did he force to become a supplier to that project, but also, to increase the price of his product three fold. He did not see anything wrong with that wicked deed because it could be that he always washed the face from the chin to the forehead or more so, because of greed, avarice and pure neglect of sense of decency. Has he forgotten the time he branded 17 NPP presidential aspirants as thieves? He now has the guts to castigate at the opposition because his party was in government forgetting that power has always been transferable. The author wishes the general public to cast their minds back to the lifestyles of the likes of the Elvis Afriyie Ankrahs, the Okudzetos, the Koku Anyidohus, the Comfort Ama Benyiwa Does, the Ofosu Ampofos and the rest who cannot feel comfortable in the western style clothes except our local Agbadza clothings, the northern smock (fugus) etc. to cover and disguise their protruding nine month old pregnant tummies. As for Asiedu Nketiah, the least said to describe his lanky features, the better. The scramble for Ghana’s resources day in, day out clearly amplifies the situation that they were in for a term of office, hence their mad rush to become parliamentary candidates overnight. The mad rush by every Tom, Dick and Harry in the NDC is testamentary enough that God will rain disaster on their thievery and ill-gotten gains throughout the world. The gargantuan judgment debt that the government delights to pursue with Okudzeto as the spearhead is ample testimony that Sammy and team of mediocre bastards would leave the political scene come the December 7 elections.
PEACE ADVOCATE By the way, who appointed HE Mahama as the Peace Advocate in Ghana? Why did he pontificate that he was the Joshua of old in Ghana now to lead Ghana and Ghanaians to the Promised Land? But again, the sinister question is, how would John ‘Joshua’ be able to take Ghanaians through to Canaan to cross River Jordan with half rotten wooden planks across the bridge as clearly emphasized by his founder, ex-president John Rawlings? How soon can he remove and replace such unwanted and perceived rotten planks on the bridge which, in human form, could be personalities such as Asiedu Nketiah, some of the Ahwois, Kobby Acheampong, Omane Boamah, Tony Aidoo, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Eric Opoku and Ama Benyiwa Doe that posed danger to their party? The children who, ex-president Rawlings’ illustration involved them as people who could bite hard as venomous vipers and scorpions in his scenario, no doubt, could pass the test of time without the mention of the so called children who happen to be hobbledehoys like Okudzeto Ablakwa, Daniel Tei Otukunor, James Agyenim Boateng, Kwadwo Twum Boafo and such others. Mind you, the timely admonition really is a tall order and an impossible task to perform by the president; but if it should also be frowned upon, it could pose a disaster for the entire party. Would he like to be an action-oriented leader to be proactive to use the whip to avoid the political suicide? If he drags the feet to become obstinate just like his immediate past predecessor did and forgets about the timely advice, then know for sure that you’d drown with all of them to break the limbs and cause loss of lives for fear or favour and render the party as one term presidency. Can our president muster extra courage to cross the bridge with a totally repaired bridge after effectively winnowing or sieving the wheat from the chaff? Well, ‘asem sebe’. ‘A word to the wise …’. Otherwise, the founder, the owner, the former bank-roller, Papa ‘J’ would not trivialize and charge the crowded NDC loyalists that their party was at the verge of collapse and a great fall into the flooded river as such. Listen to Papa J’s charge to HE John Mahama as thus, John Mahama, John Mahama, the next time I see you, I expect that you will be able to rid the party of filth; you have to maintain the integrity of the party and its members; even though my charge is a tall order but you should do something now. How then would ‘Joshua’ therefore be able to lead the ‘Israeli’ Ghanaians to the promised land; when, in fact, while he was the chairman of the Police Council, chairman of the Armed Forces Council, chairman of the Economic Team et cetera, he never campaigned for peace, nor let peace to prevail? Further, he allowed emotions to run him down to consume him to ashes. Again, he gave a blind eye for the retention of police officers like DSP Hamza Yakubu of the Armoured Car Squadron and others like DCOP Ayalingo of Brong Ahafo Regional Command as well as DCOP Hamidu who had since retired from the service have been reinstated to wear uniform to office as if they were still in the service. Furthermore, instead of having a reduction in rank by a step down with the commensurate salary have been allowed to enjoy all the freebies in the service. Is it because there are tribal connections because the president is also a northerner? Ghana was gradually being driven to the brink of tribal …. Hmmm! One really wonders as to why the Mahama-Amissah Arthur government has taken sides in ethnocentric policing in Ghana now. How come that he ensures that the Ghana Police should become a centre of ridicule in the eye of international police profession? Was that tribal act and dereliction of duty not very shameful or was it job for the party boys? If the president really was a man with two balls in between his thighs, then he should act to get these untouchable elements in the police service flushed out, otherwise, I would think he has a hand in it.
THE DIE IS CAST
It is often aid in the Akan language that “Opanin ntra fie nnhwe mma asadua mfo”. The literal translation means that an adult does not have to sit unconcerned to let things go haywire until raising the SOS distress call. You don’t sit down idle to let loose your agents and assigns and chief scribe to rain insults unnecessarily on important and dignified personalities like former president Rawlings and the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana before jumping the gun at the festival grounds at Akuapem Akropong to philoso -phize to cajole the traditional authorities. If the insults were hurled at any ordinary ‘idiot’ Presbyter other than the Moderator, Prof. Martey himself, then he could run away with that shameful act. But the direct attack on the very top echelon of this great church that has millions of followers, then, I am afraid. Mind you, the church cannot be dissociated from politics as it has been an integral part and parcel of politics. There has always been a good association of the two to have rapport. So, for the president to go to the root of the Presbyterian Church to goof was an untimely situation and not the best place. The sermon from Asiedu Nketiah has been well read and very rehearsed by all. ‘Se ne papa atu ne fo a, Osofo Panin Moderator nso maame atu ne fo’. Period! Mr. President, since you have been privy to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah’s nuisance behaviour, you cannot be exonerated and ever be absolved from blame. I say this with certainty because you have been recorded on tape as having castigated the opposition as baloney; in some instances, to quote you, in order to sort of polish your language, you said, ‘the Minority MPs should excuse your language, that it would be foolish on their part if they did not reason with you as you tried vehemently to push your agenda through on the STX Korean Housing deal that later became a fiasco. Meanwhile, Ghanaians would ask you one day for the Sovereign Guarantee that you championed for the State to lose millions of US Dollars.
APOLOGY TO THE GAME OF POLITICS
Having allowed this unruly and unethical behavior to go on unchecked, it is assumed that you, Mr. President, are privy to the blame for acquiescing to the uncouth and rowdy behavior of your followers. You cannot hide behind the smokescreen to surface at the festival grounds only to render an apology which, to me, was unqualified. Nobody, repeat, nobody has appointed you as the PR for this firebrand Asiedu Nketiah. Where were you, and what did you say either to reprimand or to discipline your scribe when he once remarked that the NPP had paraded as many as 17 thieves for primaries to pick the senior or the chief from amongst the thieves? It was to the delight of all NDC members including of course, the hierarchy. What was your action or reaction when the same foul-mouthed Asiedu Nketiah branded his founder, Jerry Rawlings on air to the chagrin of the whole world as a barking dog that had been driven away from the house to make way for peace in their family? Did you dare reprimand him or left him to his fate? Because Asiedu Nketiah had been spared the rod for far too long, he’d gone out of bounds to misbehave to no ordinary ‘idiot’ but the very top notch of a worldwide church. What prompted him to say these blasphemous words at all to this man of God? Does he have an adviser who coaches him to behave whenever he mounts the podium or addresses the press? To caution the Moderator that he should concentrate on reading his Bible and continue to indoctrinate his followers and leave politics to the politicians should never be taken lightly by any sensible being. His arrogance and bluff must be halted now or never, else, he would be devoured by pride. Enough of that unchecked arrogance should not be tolerated. Biblical names like Moses, Saul, Prophet Nathan, David, Queen Esther and many cannot be ruled out that they never indulged in politics to help make Israel co-exist peacefully with their neighbours in their time.
HOLIER THAN THOU
Since the 2008 General Elections, there have been some four NPP activists still languish -ing in police custody in Tamale and they brand themselves, Christians who go to the church for the holy mass or the Lord’s Supper periodically. The writer wishes to personally admonish the president that if he fails to act on this inhuman and undignified act to cause the release of the NPP activists from custody in Tamale, then his religious position in the A-G church as elder should be ridiculed forthwith. The most startling revelation and/or disclosure by the president while in Kumasi was when he was allegedly quoted as saying that he would finish all the gargantuan projects in Ashanti including, of course, the Sofoline flyover, the Boankra Inland port, to ensure that all the roads in Obuasi were to be asphalted and the multi-million hospital project at Bekwai. Hey, Mr. President, what then prevents you from keeping quiet and to embark upon the said projects instead of the big, big promises? If I were you, I’d just go about the onerous duties unnoticed and to only inaugurate them when they were finally completed? Et tu te Brute, Mr. President? How about the Kotukuraba Market and the Robert Mensah Stadium in Cape Coast, and also the Aburi-Nsawam trunk road that has, probably, not seen any major rehabilitation since the 90s? Your Excellency, were you therefore hypnotized by some force majeure to say something against your will to please the gathering for their votes in the upcoming elections? Have you not yet learnt any bitter lessons from the previous vain promises? By: kofiappiah2002@yahoo.com
CAN MAHAMA WIN FREE, FAIR AND CREDIBLE ELECTIONS? PART 2
Wonders, they say, would never end and would obviously never end in this part of the world called Ghana. How come, that there are so many unemployed Ghanaians, yet, common ‘grave digging’ for the expired president was given to our Chinese brothers to perform? We ain’t seen anything yet. Six weeks after the demise of the ex-president John Mills, his portrait photograph still hangs in government offices. How? Why? Who rules Ghana now? Is it the ghost of Mr. Mills or Mr. John Mahama (JM for short) who rules and administers the country with his continuity Team ‘B’ ministers and appointees? Does this duty of photo printing form part of the functions of the State Protocol or what? What’s up? What is happening in the country that we haven’t seen yet? Any clues, hmmm?
MILLS PHOTOGRAPH STILL ON DISPLAY IN OFFICES?
Is it legal or an illegality? Please, the legal luminaries would do us a favour to clarify. A casual visit by this junketing reporter to the offices of the boss of the Controller & Accountant-General Department (Pensions Division) near the Greater Accra Regional office of the Births and Deaths Registry and precisely opposite the entrance of the Novotel Hotel, Accra, led to the following revelations. The author was in the company of another friend but when he was beckoned to the boss’s office, to the utter surprise and dismay of this writer, and a cursory look round the offices saw the portrait photograph of the dead and buried president on 24/7/12 still hung by his wall. Probably, Dr. Afari Djan too, still has a similar photograph hanging in his office hence the strange actions being exhibited by the learned personality. Is this directive on the orders of the president or who? Whose fault is it to change the photographs in government offices and our embassies abroad? And why has this duty not been performed till now? Does the Mahama/Amissah-Arthur government think that all Ghanaians were fools so that they could hang the photos to win sympathy votes from well wishers and sympathizers? Walaahi.
THE LAST STRAW
Probably, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the uphill task of completing roads initiated by the Kufuor Administration i.e. the stretch of 40 kilometer road from Nsawam to Apedwa via Suhum that initially, the NDC government did not intend to tackle nor finish (allegedly on the advice and insistence of foul-mouthed Tony Aidoo) because the NPP would yell for recognition during the inauguration; but due to no uncontrollable pressure, the president was again hypnotized to yet give another firm promise that he would finish the road. How? Only God knows. Anyway, he did not give any firm date for the completion of that project, but, characteristic of him, his political campaign strategy was to resort to the vain promises he has specialized in by canvassing for votes. The NDC would have scored more political marks if only this particular road network had been completed in their first term of office; I venture to say this because the Accra-Kumasi road serves six of the 10 regions in Ghana; also, it connects the neighbouring landlocked sub-regional countries such as Burkina Faso, northern part of Togo, Mali, Niger and others; so, for a social democratic party at the helm of affairs to totally neglect such viable project to resort to fighting for public toilets, gaining supremacy of lorry parks, clandestinely stopping contractors from pursuing the Capitation Grant and disrupting the school feeding programmes, angrily chasing the outgoing government officials for their used vehicles, and, at certain times, even using the state security to snatch such vehicles from the church premises when the officials themselves would be at the church; forcibly ejecting the same politicians from their bungalows and refurbishing them at the cost of Gh?75,000.00 per bungalow: courtesy, Hannah Louisa Bissiw. Furthermore, if you focus on the unnecessary payment of judgment debts at random at the expense of the greedy ‘beneficiary contractors’ and to the detriment of the tax-payer, then, this Nation Ghana should be prepared to weep for this economic mess or misfortune. Did Sammy Okudzeto copy the above message okay? The sad memory that readily comes to mind with the NDC still in control of affairs was - Does Ghana now have a “Saint’ Joshua who would lead us to the Promised Land, and where was he?
PHILOSOPHY
The illustrated philosophy of “now” and the “future” as clearly epitomized by Prez. Mahama in Kumasi was generally, nothing to write home about. To him, his NDC has put everything in place, all the available foundation materials and money for workmanship for the building the nation for a better Ghana Agenda or concept has been finished; all that was needed was an additional four year term to finish by which all our gold reserves believe you me at the Central Bank would be gone, no doubt about that, courtesy, Fiifi Kwetey; not only that, but also, all the oil money that China would be making for the bogusly agreed 15-year period would probably be shared amongst them etc. Remember the STX story and our Sovereign Guarantee of some $295m that the NPP vehemently disagreed has now gone down the drain. On the part of the NPP, they were begging the electorates for an experiment of the free senior high school to end in jeopardy. In a nutshell, all that he said was soliloquy; what he said was a perfect reflection of the nude and his intent provision of clothes as charity to the needy – i.e. in the Akan parlance, “se kwatrekwa se obema wo ntoma a, eye a tie ne din”. How on earth could somebody who, naturally does not delight in wax prints but the traditional smock or nudity, offer you some wax prints if his taste abhorred same? Hear him say his government has been able to lay all the foundations for ready take-off of the developments to make Ghanaians live a livelier, happier lives and a better Ghana indeed. Whilst someone could do some visible structures for even the blind person to notice within the first two years into office, he went about bragging for more time (additional 4-year term) as if he were Oliver Twist asking Ghanaians who, he presumed to be day nursery toddlers. Ghanaians should not be fooled into thinking again that this childish request would be obliged now or at a later date. My brothers and sisters, if by his own admission, he was delegated special powers by his former boss and the late president on a silver platter as the chairman of the Armed Forces Council which shouldn’t have been the case by our 1992 Constitution, someone should have instituted some impeachment process to impeach them as both personalities contravened and trampled upon. In addition, he was the chairman of the Police Council as explicitly defined as his constitutional mandate; chairman of the Economic Team and probably more portfolios that we did not know. Again, luck smiled at him as he acted more than 85% of the presidency. The writer stands for correction as he could be right or wrong. In this case he was more or less the executive president of the Republic having been delegated all the special powers, how come that, he allowed and/or superintended the gargantuan payment of the Alfred Agbesi Woyome’s fraudulent Gh?52bn that could provide sufficient seed money for even the S.A.D.A if not the STX affordable housing projects for the security agencies? What about the Galloper vehicles the African Automobile tricksters or fraudsters have had a field day? Think through and come again, Mr. President.
ACQUIESCENCE
The pidgin English, “Country broke or no broke, we all dey inside” to wit, should this country break or deteriorate as a result of electoral misunderstandings or discrepancies or whatever, all of us including our extended families would be found trapped in the net and engulfed in a civil war. This acronym best fits most of our distinguished personalities and religious leaders who have kept mute over the clandestine moves being undertaken by the incumbent to gain advantage over other parties in the coming elections. But forewarned, is however, forearmed.
THE SCENARIO OF THE BUSH COW
The writer wishes to illustrate the actions and inactions of Dr. Afari Djan to the bush cow. The Akan proverbial parlance that, “for a hunter to kill a bush cow for table and be perpetually haunted to bathe odorous concoctions and traumatized till death was better than to kill it” best fits this doctor of letters – “se wo bekum tromoo na wadware sasa aduro dee, ennee na gyae no ma no nko”. One really wonders whether the Electoral Commissioner has any blood relations with the NDC National Organizer, Yaw Boateng Djan or just name sake. If Dr. Afari Djan persists, as he was bent on doing for the NDC instead of for Mother Ghana, then, the path he has chosen to tread was an illegality despite the constitutional empowerment. His stance clearly suggests that he wants to foment trouble for Ghana. His adamant and entrenched position to authorize his outfit to supervise primaries for the NDC’s 45 parliamentary aspirants was an illegal act. It was ample evidence that he has already killed the bush cow but to get his peace on earth would perpetually be something different as peace would elude his seven generations. Those persons, involved with the planning of mayhem before, during and after the elections as according to Yaw Boateng Djan’s recorded voice on tape just released was a big shame. And take it from the author that whoever plans to destabilize the prevailing peace enjoyed in Ghana, be it one individual or group of persons would, collectively with their extended families, agents or assigns, suffer the penalty of seven generational plagues that were visited on the Egyptians of old from the Lord for he knows the human mindset and the blood-letting expedition they want to engage themselves. It is suggested here that all future students of law should try to follow this test case that was already in the courts to use as a case study if they wanted to aspire to greater heights in their chosen law profession.
WAKE UP CALL One is at a loss to see dignified personalities such as His Eminence Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson of Cape Coast, His Grace Charles George Palmer-Buckle of Accra, Emeritus Peter Akwasi Sarpong of Kumasi, Archbishop Peter Dery of Wa, the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Nuhu Shaributu of Accra, Prof. Kofi Agyekum of the Linguistics Department of the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, the Ghana Peace Council, the Christian Council of Ghana and many more persons in authority to have adopted the positive acquiescence mood. Why do you seem to behave as if you were gaping sycophants? Messrs Peter Blay and Paul Tawiah Quaye, for God’s sake, show your professionalism, reputation and integrity here for posterity would judge you all for not preventing Yaw Boateng Djan’s bluff and perceived destabilization of our democracy to forcing people on your institutions to cause mayhem. This would definitely mar your international reputation and integrity in future and it is imperative you called off his bluff. The intent of both Yaw Boateng and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah to cause mayhem ostensibly and allegedly funded by Dr. Kwabena Dufuor was very worrying. I am at a loss as to why as at now, this trio walk about as free men and not a disciplined Ghanaian professional police officer could cause their arrest for interrogation and possible prosecution. It is a great pity that the finance minister has disgraced Ashantis because one would have thought that the many stories that involved him during the Woyome Gate Scandal should have taught him a great lesson. With the current revelations, the respect I had for him has been totally eroded and dimmed as he has now become an apology to that great ethnic family. Why the delay and feet-dragging till things got out of hand before their shrill voices could, per adventure, be heard from the background when it would be too late to surmount such an eventuality? Where are the clergy, the men of God? Stand up, arise and shine to be counted. Where are the professional bodies of Ghana, the members of the Association of Ghana Industries, the TUC, the traditional leaders, the Ghana Bar Association, the cherished opinion leaders, the civil societies, the so called human rights activists and what have you? Nana Kobina Nketiah, even though you are not to meddle in politics, where are you, please? Let us hear your voice. My Lordship Vincent Charles Roger Archibald Commey Crabbe, where are you? Get on your marks, get set, go out there and preach peace to Afari Djan otherwise, the NDC we see today would never ever easily relinquish power on a silver platter even if they lost the elections genuinely. Why not stand up from among the crowd to be counted? Where are you? Talk, talk, or speak, speak, for yours is to speak to win souls for Christ and help maintain peace. Why have you allowed yourselves to be consumed by the unruly behavior as being exhibited by the over-aged Electoral Commis -sioner who, should have long ago retired to go and enjoy his ESB in the moon? Have these dignitaries so soon forgotten what transpired in neighbouring la Cote d’Ivoire a couple of years back? Thank God in the high heavens, that ex-president Mills was no more, otherwise, someone like his arrogant and untouchable contemporary spokesman and philosopher, Koku Anyidohu of ‘tweapea’ or was it ‘Nsawkaw dua’ (local chewing stick) fame, would have done impeccably worse than his counterpart in Abidjan. Obviously, that diversionary tactic resulted in the dastard and bloody civil war to force President Laureant Gbagbo into the oblivion. Now that he is an ex-president, he finds himself in the limbo and at the behest of his bitterest rival, Prez. Alhassan Ouattara. If he (Afari Djan) were wise and honest himself, he should have thrown in the towel to vacate the position but, being an African as he was, wants blood to spill before the UN called the shots for us. Why the blatant show of power and obstinacy? If the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath, so also was Ghana’s 1992 Constitution made for Ghanaians and not Ghanaians for the Constitution. Period! You have a constitutional right and mandate to do what you intend to do, i.e. the creation of additional 20 constituencies as initially stated by you; but, due to unforeseen and clandestine circumstances, the initial 20 anticipated, has been increased to 45 to give advantage to an individual party. Even despite the electoral road map and even level play ground, the timing was too wrong. It was not conducive now but could only become effective and operational soon after the dissolution of the existing Parliament, i.e. beyond January 06, 2013 vis a vis Article47 (6) that clearly spells that out verbatim.

THE CONTROVERSIAL CI.73, CI.76 OR CI.78
Why has the Constitutional Instrument (CI.73) suddenly changed to CI.76 overnight? Why has he not attempted to implement the ROPAL that has become law to be in operation? Some legal luminaries this writer has chanced upon to digress on the validity or otherwise of the said injunction say that when the case is called on Wednesday, September 12, 2012, for hearing by the Supreme Court it was certain that CI.73 that is the substantive subject matter would be the focal point; obviously, when the panel of jurists sit together to determine the case, they would strike it out since the Parliament would have had a new and different CI.76 altogether before them for deliberations and for another person to decide to file another injunction with the courts, it would be too late and the majority would have had a walk over. Please don’t get the majority mistaken. They know what it is all about. Since they definitely know what they are after, and ulterior motive at the back of their mind, the Lord would never ever let them have their cake and eat it. If Dr. Afari Djan thinks that his stance and insistence to go ahead to do what pleases him were instructive enough to plunge the whole country into blood bath, so be it. I would have thought that he would try to be uncommonly wise to change for the better to save his dying reputation. If after reading this piece or failed to read, surely, a friend would inform you that I said ‘to hell with your nonsense’ because you alone cannot decide our destiny for us and dare say that you could do your worst but mind you, not unless all your family members went to stay in the moon to escape their wrath, Ghanaians should allow him. If you still plan to execute the diabolical plan to show where power lies, please go ahead because you have that power to do what pleases you. But take it from me that your team of experts (as you claim are not the only person at the EC to be confronted with curses) like David Kanga, Sarfo Kantanka, Owusu Pare and Ms Sylvia Annor of the PR, Suley et all) - would forever be visited with seven generational plagues. Personalities like Hons. Cletus Avoka, the Majority Leader; Ofosu Ampofo, the champion campaigner, Yaw Boateng Djan, the field commander and chief executioner, Asiedu Nketiah, the foul-mouthed, playing the ostrich and possibly, Excellency John Mahama, should, collectively be ashamed of themselves if he, as the chief executive, kept mute without dissociating himself from this wicked plot. Also of special mention were distinguished personalities like Madam Bamford Addo; if she too was a bedfellow on the quiet and failed to halt the bluff in parliament, should equally be struck by the generational plagues without mercy. If the accomplices try to act ultra vires and foisted this wicked plan on Ghanaians to, as it were, plunge the country into civil war, believe you me their families and extended families would collectively see no peace until the end of time. The old adage says, it was only a fool who does not reason and don’t think you should be somebody like that. With all the expertise, why was the assembly elections conducted in bits and pieces and tots? Why does he want to please one person or a group of persons instead of all Ghanaians? Just stop the nonsense to avert the inevitable bloodbath or blood-letting. Please forgive me for being harsh for I didn’t want to mean any harm and disrespect to you my dear Dr. Afari Djan. The word ‘disrespect’ cannot be found from any book in my library. The Rt.-Hon. Speaker of Parliament, Madam Justice Bamford Addo, Her Ladyship the Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, please, for God’s sake, forget about the constitution now or never and step in to avert any untoward hardship that could befall our Nation Ghana. My very distinguished Ladies, for the love of Ghana and compassion for Ghanaians and for the sake of God Almighty, please do all you can to empanel a team of seasoned judges without bias to judiciously determine this delicate issue of international dimension to bring peace. Responsible institutions like the CDD, IDEG, IEA, GBA and the latest, TUC have all added their voices to the SOS stress call. They have all added their voices to sound a word of caution to forestall peace but, adamant as Dr. Kwadwo Afari Djan is, still wants to go ahead because he has the constitutional power and mandate to do what pleases him at the expense of the entire populace. The whole global world has set a political telescope and magnifying lens on Ghana. May God forbid for if Ghana should burn tomorrow, both of you will never ever be the Speaker and Chief Justice respectively any more. Have you had the chance to listen to Yaw Boateng Djan’s tape-recorded voice on air that he cannot deny that it was not his? Ghana might sooner than later be contributing refugees to other countries if care is not taken. The author can foresee that. Don’t brand me a soothsayer for the NDC are blood-thirsty. I am irritated. My heart aches for Ghana just as the heart of millions of discerning minds ache. Disrespect cannot be found anywhere near my library. Trust me. Honestly, if he persists, as he was bent on doing, I would only say that it was only the ‘fool’ who does not reason and would do everything that he has planned to do to satisfy the whims and caprices of someone that could be a recipe for electoral disaster and trigger for civil war. Does he just want to plunge the country into chaos and run away to enjoy his ‘booty’?
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
It is alleged that Mr. Kwame Peprah, the ex-convict and former finance minister, during the NDC1 era has, indeed, been allowed without any confrontation and provocation at all whatsoever, by the Ga-Dangbes, to purchase and develop the vast land opposite the 37 Military Hospital. Mr. K.B. Asante, are you alive and kicking? For those who do not know but wish to know, the 50-acre land or more runs parallel towards the Jubilee House from the hospital. It had government bungalows on it, but, have now been pulled down. It has also been fenced half-way and snipers say, Mr. Peprah’s Arab connection would engage some international consortium to develop the 50-acre land soon, and in no time, to showcase some magnificent mansions reminiscent of ‘le Cocotier of Abidjan’ bourgeoisie cluster type of edifices. Do we still recollect Jake’s denial/obstruction by the Ga-Dangbes who strongly agitated to be ably supported by the octogenarian K.B. Asante? The writer would like to conclude this write up with his little French proverb that goes like – “Si tu fais le bien, tu le fais a tois meme, mais, si tu fais le mal, tu le fais a tois meme aussi” i.e. literally, it means, if you do good, you do for yourself, but if you do bad, you do that also for yourself. Why, why, why does someone like the MP for Atwima Nwabiagya, in Ashanti, Hon. Isaac Asiamah of all persons not have his name in the provisional biometric register? It is a shame unto you and your team. Busumuru Kofi Annan, where are you? Please come to ‘Macedonia’ as a son of Ghana now to help or all of us would perish. As a result of the perceived and inordinate ambitions of the NDC, they are bent on visiting mayhem on innocent Ghanaians supposedly with the connivance of Lt.-Col. Larry Gbevlo Lartey, the security co-ordinator, to win the elections. As regards the foregoing, therefore, could Prez. Mahama justifiably guarantee that, having been impregnated now with hunger and thirst for power, would like to relinquish power voluntarily without the use of all the available power at his disposal including bloodshed (but, for which, they would oppose vehemently) to win the upcoming election? Foul means cannot be ruled out. Can he win free, fair and credible elections at all, considering the current track record of elements within their party that has rightly necessitated the timely caution from their former boss? Certainly not, unless by ‘takashi’ i.e. violence or blood-letting that has always been their bread and butter. By:kofiappiah2002@yahoo.com