Waiting for the Crocodile Tears to Dry

By Dr Alfred B Cudjoe

When I switch on my radio, glance through the newspapers or watch the TV and follow analyses being made on current events, like the Victoria Hammah revelations or confessions caught on a secret tape recording, a traditional word of wisdom comes into my mind: Wait until the frog dies, then you will see its full length.

Indeed the way the whole saga is being analysed in the news media demonstrates that, on an occasion such as this, politicians, some journalists and social commentators are only interested in sensationalising issues and in the process avoid the actual implications that they really have.

The Deputy Minister of Communications, Ms Victoria Hammah, was recently allegedly caught on a secret tape recording saying, among other things, that she would not quit politics until she has made $1 million. Following the scandal that the revelation generated, she was fired, although the President has not assigned any reasons for the action.

This development is undoubtedly a dramatic one given the political climate that the country has been thrown into of late. The dust is yet to settle on a recent revelation by a senior member of the ruling NDC (National Democratic Congress), Hon Alban Bagbin, that the President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has surrounded himself with so many uncommitted characters that it is very difficult or even impossible to approach him to offer him the advice he needs to fight corruption within his government. Also looming in the background, with equal political weight, is a threat by organised labour, led by the TUC (Trades Union Congress) to go on a nationwide strike on 18 November if recent increases in utility tariffs are not reduced. Although the intended strike has been called off, there are other problems that the government has to deal with.

The most disturbing aspect of political developments of this magnitude is that they are just politicised and allowed to die off without being properly analysed and the appropriate lessons learnt. So far, the main opposition NPP (National Patriotic Party’s) reaction is a typical example of using politics to belittle serious issues. In various statements issued by a number of officials, the party takes a serious view of revelations on the tape that the Minister of Gender, Nana Oye Lithur, might have influenced the decision of the Supreme Court in the case that declared President Mahama’s election as valid.

In his analysis of the tape saga on Joy FM’s current affairs programme News File, the editor-in-chief of New Crusading Guide, Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, re-echoed the fact that revelations made on the tape should not be taken slightly because of their damaging effect on the nation in general. He was, however, not sure that Nana Oye Lithur had the ability to influence the Supreme Court judges as allegedly being claimed by Ms Hammah on the tape.

It is disappointing, however, that the analyses of revelations made on the tape so far have not touched seriously on the issue that is in the interest of all Ghanaians, irrespective of their political orientations – the ever-growing corruption among our politicians, those who preside over the economic destiny of Ghanaians. Victoria Hammah’s talk on that tape should not be dismissed as mere woman gossip but as revelations by an insider, a top politician. It is an admission, albeit unintentionally, of a fact that lies at heart of our body politic. It is an issue that makes people ask why is it that the more endowed an African country like Ghana is with natural resources, the poorer it is.

A Vice-Chancellor’s Concern

While delivering his speech during the matriculation of newly admitted students at University of Education, Winneba, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, noted with concern the extent to which this country has been plunged into corruption and indiscipline. It is a worrying phenomenon, the VC observed, which explains the fact that over 50 years after independence Ghanaians still spend time brooding over the slave trade and the ills of colonialism instead of moving on. The result is that the nation still relies only on structures and infrastructure built before or just after independence. Prof Asabere-Almeyaw, therefore, challenged the youth, especially the students listening to him at the time to work seriously towards reversing the situation.

The Vice-Chancellor’s genuine concern is a demonstration of the fact that the problem of corruption nationwide is no longer the concern of the ordinary citizen of this country. Ghanaians will be pleased to learn that some people at high places are also disturbed by how the wealth of this country is being used to enrich individuals, leading to a national disaster that can only guarantee a bleak future for the youth, such as the students taking their matriculation oath on that fateful Saturday, 2 November 2013.

Preceding the Victoria Hammah tape revelation saga was Hon Alban Bagbin’s, another insider’s, concern that President Mahama was not making himself available for advice on how to fight corruption within the ruling NDC. Although some politicians and commentators, especially within the NDC, are trying, as expected, to dismiss Hon Bagbin’s public remark as politically motivated, it contains a lot of food for thought. Ms Hammah’s revelations only amounts to fully opening the Pandora’s Box that her senior colleague had earlier attempted to open.

Now that the cat is let out of the bag, Ghanaians no more need anybody to provide answers to the question, “Why do people enter politics in this country?” This is where lies the actual lesson to be learnt from what the Deputy Minister for Communications said in a private conversation and was recorded by an ordinary driver who might have been appalled by the corrupt practices of his bosses. Humble personalities like the driver might be taken for granted and overlooked but they are people whose analyses of issues go further than one can imagine. It would not be surprising if it turned out that his action was prompted by his being appalled by what he was witnessing around him. That driver, humble though he is, could no longer remain a passive witness to corruption of that magnitude while he and others like him wallow in abject poverty.

From the Horse’s Own Mouth

Ms Victoria Hammah’s declaration that she now understands politics (in Ghana) and that she will not quit (politics) until she has made $1 million dollars is pregnant with meaning. This is a young politician speaking naively to someone she trusts and bringing out her genuine feelings. It would, therefore, not be out of place to conclude that what she is saying is a true description of what happens among our politicians. And this explains some facts about politics in Ghana. Almost every Ghanaian wants to become a politician, with some using fair or foul means to become an MP, a minister, a DCE or the like. It is for the same reason why we witnessed eight months of election petition, since both NDC and NPP are only eager to “milk Ghana small”.

In this context, it is no good news that the NPP is looking for ways to resurrect the election petition with the claim that an NDC minister (according to Ms Hammah’s tape) allegedly influenced the judges. Such a move would be would put all of us into reverse gear. Ghanaians are no longer interested in any protracted electoral litigation, even if there is any truth in Ms Hammah’s allegations. The same NPP won the hearts of Ghanaians by accepting the verdict of the Supreme Court and the nation has decided to move on as a result. Any progressive thinking Ghanaian should now be interested in making sure that the Mahama-led administration works in peace and have no excuse for not making the best out of the mandate given them.

An important thing that is worth pursuing from the tape’s revelations, though, is the hint that Ghanaian politicians make millions of dollars from politics. Politicians, irrespective of their party orientations, need to wipe off the crocodile tears they are shedding because of Ms Victoria Hammah’s revelations and provide answers to the moral issues raised on corruption. One of the most appropriate steps to take now is for a neutral body to be set up to investigate the issue of corruption among politicians, as the first step towards inserting in our constitution provisions that will make it difficult for the President and his appointees, MPs, ministers of state and the like to continue to embezzle state funds, using difficult to detect sophisticated methods to cover their tracks.