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Opinions of Sunday, 24 January 2010

Columnist: Amankwah, Nana Kofi

Wrong For Ghana To Donates $3M to Haiti

My follow countrymen and women, Attah Mills and his administration have proposed a donation of three million dollars to the people of Haiti for earthquake relief on behalf of our nation; politically is vital for not only Ghana but also the entire Africa to contribute. It has taken too long for the African countries to act; we should have bee the first nations to act on behalf of brothers and sisters.
Ghana is a religious country in times like what has happened to the Haitians we need to help for humanitarian and brotherhood reasons. However, at the same time the government cannot just hand over three millions dollars cash into the hands of Haitian President Rene Preval, a criminal whose reputation has been annihilated by corruptions against his nation. If Attah Mills’s administration does not find an amicable way to use this money in order for the Haitians people to benefit, it will surely land in the pockets of Rene Preval. This earthquake that has occurred in Haiti recently is devastating to Ghana, which is important for Ghanaian to share their pain and sympathies for their incalculable losses within Haiti. In America from first grade school children to high schools are busy collecting donations and other institutions even supermarkets and shops across the country are collecting donations on a daily basis to support these victims.
As Africans we should have been the first to show to world that we care about our own, three million dollars is just a token as compared to the Americans, Chinese, France and other nation’s contribution towards the Haitians. Yet this doesn’t mean that Attah Mills should just give this money to the Haitians authorities just like that. Right now the Haitians ports of entry ships do not even have space for ships that want to offload their supplies to the victims. What Attah Mills should do with our nation,s donations is to find some honest Ghanaian building construction Company and award him that $3M dollars to start immediately to either to build community clinics or schools for the Haitians, which they desperately, need. Asona Construction Company at ringway estate at Osu-Accra is one of the most reliable companies in Ghana; Many NGOs that come to the country award their contracts to them. This will also represent our nation’s benevolence towards the Haitians rather than handing over three million dollars cash to Rene Preval and his crooks. As soon as I found out that the government was going to donates $3m to the Haitians, I contacted my Haitian friends who released the information about President Rene Preval who is a former New York City taxi driver. The Haitian communities in New York City especially in Brooklyn and across United State of America have accused him of embezzling $87 Million dollars from the Haitians coffers, money which he has deposited into his secret Swiss bank accounts. Rene Preval, a New York City Community college dropout and former cab driver, has not been honest with Haitian. Rene Preval has no fear of God. He has no path to honour and no path to morality. This opportunist has the audacity to complain that he too has lost his house. However, he failed to mention the $87M dollars of Haitian funds he has in his private accounts.
The most astonishing thing is the moment this earthquake occurred there was no heavy-duty machinery equipment to pull people from the wreckage. While Rene Prevel has stolen the nation’s funds for his selfish interests people were dying as a result of his greediness. We all have also seen the images and also talked to people who have been on the ground in Haiti. The situation is very sad. Right now United Nations (UN) are at the command post in Haiti; Ghana would do better to hand over our donation to the United Nations rather then to Rene preval. We Ghanaians should not rush and donate $3M dollars cash to Rene Preval. The majority of the Haitians are now saying Rene Preval is not a person who has sufficient personality and integrity to run the economic affairs of Haitians. He does not have any intellectual capability to run the country. Rene Preval was Jean Bertrand Aristide hand- picked successor. When he came to office many Haitians believed he would fight for the underclass people in Haiti to improve the living conditions but not so. Around the world we have people who are leaders and from humble beginnings and do not forget about their roots, but Rene Preval has forgotten that he was just a taxi driver before.
From; Nana Kofi Amankwah (New York)