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Opinions of Monday, 18 June 2012

Columnist: Sarpong, Justice

Atta Mills, "Ghana Paa Nie"?

Sarpong, Justice

‘’I am very, very strong, and don’t know the bases for saying that I am dead.

The president said ‘’I am going for a medical checkup. I go there to ensure everything is okey. I am going to see my doctors for some examination then I will come back and continue my work of building a Better Ghana.’’

Folks, that is the the phatic statement issued by your ever 'truthful' President, His Excellency John Fifii Kakra Atta Mills at the Kotoka International Airport on his way out of the country to do medical check-up. Yes, you heard the President alright, he is not going in for any medical treatment but rather for a medical check-up. I would have defended the President against his detractors if he would have said that he was going to New York for medical treatment without even elaborating on what kind of treatment it was since even as a President, he still have privacy to his health records but to use Taxpayers money to junket to USA just for a 'normal' medical check-up is a waste of our financial resource.

President Mills should have done a medical check-up at one of our Hospitals where Alhaji Sinare, the Ghanaian Ambassador to Egypt was praising as having been equiped with modern equipments by the NDC government including Magnetic Resonance Imaging(MRI) machines first and if anything abnormal is found, then he could have gone outside to seek medical treatment, that would not have been outside the realm of reality since even the Presidents and Heads of States from developed countries even come to USA to seek medical care. To board the plane with Presidential entourage to USA just to do medical check-up is an insult to the citizens of Ghana.

If the President cannot do a common check up in Ghana, it shows how good he has managed our health system. What does he mean by 'I go there all the time'? Does it mean when he was supposedly going to conferences, he was seeing his Doctors? Is President Mills telling us that Korle-Bu hospital that is capable of operating on Former President Kuffour's spinal cord is not good enough to do a 'normal' check-up in Sheik Mills? Maybe the hospitals in Ghana did not get the 'gargantuan' better Ghana modernization.

Why is he telling us now? There is no conference going on in New York he can use as a cover to slip out of the country to see his Doctors as usual. When is this President going to level with the people of Ghana by telling the truth?

It is exactly two weeks to the day sunday when Ghanaians last saw this President on the wee hours of June 3rd when he toured the plane crash site at Accra. The President was reported to be crestfallen for seeing the crash site but he was not crestfallen because of the enormity of the loss of life but rather the President was dragged to that site when he was not feeling well.

How can Mills go AWOL in the midst of many conflicts going on in Ghana without going to any of those hot spots or at least issuing statements to the country that the government is on top of the situation to assure the general populace that, our so called "ASOMDWEHENE" the Christian President who wears his christianity on his shoulders care about the people? In his absence, the Chief Imam of Ghana and Togbe Afede, the Awomefia of Asogli state have to step in to stem the tide of conflict that would have engulfed maybe the whole of Volta region whilst the ’I am very, very strong,' Mills was couped at the slave Castle eating his Kenkey he bought from the Makola market without the care of the world. Even the Member of Parliament from Hohoe who was in Holland on state mission cut his mission short to return to the country to be with his people, that is what is called leadership, NOT the leaderless leadership Atta Mills is providing to the country.

Does this President really do care? Five or more conflicts spots have erupted in the country the past two weeks including one at the President's own hometown or near his hometown where the chief head was cut but that did not even bring the President out of his haimish Castle to show leadership. In his absence, 'Co-President' Koku Anyidoho in one of his apoplectic episodes fired a ECG Ashanti regional Director for not providing electricity so that he 'President' Anyidoho can watch the Ghana/Lesotho soccer match. The Presidency of Mills is worse than Don Quixote windmills chasing fables and can be compared to the Barnum circus or a three stooges act.

There is a reason why in USA, the backgrounds of their Presidential candidates are scrutinized and if Mills was a United States citizen, no way will he have passed the scrutiny to seek a seat on the 'Board of Dog cathers' let alone a Mayor of a small town when this man went outside his marriage and had a son he failed to care for. In 2000 when Atta Mills filed his papers to contest for the Presidency of Ghana, on the form where he was supposed to mention members of his family, he mentioned Naadu, his wife and his six dogs without mentioning his out of wedlock son, this was before Ghanaians knew that Mills has a son. Later on when his attention was brought about this 'gargantuan' omission and he was forced to make correction, Mills in his own defense about his philandering character asserted that, his wife gave him permission to go outside and cheat on her so that he can have a child since she Naadu couldn't give him one. I thought one of the marriage vows was 'FOR BETTER OR WORSE'. What kind of marriage did Naadu have with Mills at that time, OPEN MARRIAGE where each could go outside and have their 'groove on'?

Ghanaians, we have tolerated a moribund Presidency for almost four years with people we did not vote for as Presidents making Presidential decisions, Koku firing people and Kofi Awonoor, the Anlo bigot making Presidential appointments, we cannot endure another Mills ceremonial Presidency for another four years of a kakistocracy administration, vote Mills out so that he can take a permanent residency in New York for medical care. He has been in USA three different times this year alone and if this trend continue, he would be in USA six times by the end of this year, Ghana cannot afford Mills and his medical bills, especially when he is not doing his job.

Justice Sarpong

Houston, Texas

(CARDINAL of TRUTH)