Good morning my brother Ras Mawuli, we are disagreeing because whatever the Ghana government will be send to Philippines shall be coming from the coffers of the people of Ghana. I wish this issue can be discourse without with sounding personal or mentioning names.
The Ghana government is like a destitute in a market square being driven by share pride to give away her last dime, just because others are donating generously. How sane is a Samaritan, being good, without first being a Good Samaritan? The call for Ghanaians to support the idea of Ghana sending aid to the victims of the Philippines natural disaster, while millions of Ghanaians go to bed with empty stomach, is actually by a very small minority who have fed so well.
It is however painful that our so called “the poor of Ghana”, who form the majority of the citizens, are so conditioned that they do not have a mind of their own, making them depend on the opinion of some few rogues. Our government is aware of the gullible nature of our poor. Muting out the idea of the need to send our widow might to the Philippines, is actually to test our opinion on this, for their action.
Larry Gbevio Lartey is not an ordinary Ghanaian and not a stupid person for that matter. He works very closely with the presidency and this Philippines thing, coming from him means a lot. It is just a test of what we Ghanaians want our government to do with our money. It is testing whether our poor want the choice of satisfaction that comes with giving out their “lean bread” to others, while our own people go hungry?
How many children are currently in Osu Children Home? How many of them have had their breakfast this morning and how many more millions of children in Ghana are out there waiting to be absorb into such facilities, if it is available to them? Every child in Britain is the responsibility of the state for his/her basic needs.
Every British child is in a very decent school, that comes with quality and affordability until the child is 18, as stated by the law. The parents pay if they can afford to, else the state pay fully for the best education of the child. How many children in Ghana roam the street till they become criminals, for people like Gbevio-Lartey to eventually gun them down faking up armed robbery on them, or condemn them to the heinous Ghana prison condition?
Are we, Ghanaians going to Philippines because others are sending aids there or we are going to do so, because we have something to gain from doing it? The Europeans and the Americans are doing that to justify their right to decide how in the future, the Philippines will be managed. What they give today as good gesture, is not for charity as most think. No, it is to consolidate their position as World leaders and to legitimise their selfish future interest. Is this the same with us? Are we planning to send military forces into Philippines for regime change in the future? Are we planning to be like the American and the European governments that change other governments if such individuals are not working in their interest?
Americans and Europeans have large multi-national industries operating in the Philippines from which they make billions of legal and illegal money, back to their county. The destitute of the Philippines are in such a poor condition because the Americans and the Europeans are not paying their tax in the countries where their industries are operating. It is also because of local corruption among those in government in the Philippines, who keep their stolen money in European and American banks, than creating jobs at home. The disaster is just part of the story.
The so called aid by the Americans and the Europeans is just to give back a drop of the profit made out of the people in that country. If we in Ghana are being asked to give generously by persons like Gbevio-Lartey, what will be in this for us as Ghanaians? Are we to expect our reward in Heaven, as preached by the Gospel? Are we not paying our fair share of the UN contribution of our GDP? If some international criminals are looting the money we all contribute to the UN than for the purpose it was intended, why ask us for more? Do we not have our own problem at home?
Ask a Ghanaian to mention one single industry we have in the Philippines and he will say, the Ghana Embassy or High Commission in Manila. This useless embassy that cannot help Ghanaians when the Philipinos are treating us as criminals is all that we can boast of in the Philippines. I am very sure that if any of these countries will be having any industry on the land of the other, then it might be the Philippines exploiting our resources and running our children like slaves in Ghana, than we on their land.
The Europeans and the Americans have a lot of their citizens in Philippines. Most are managers and staff, working in the Philippines and paying taxes to their state governments. Most Europeans and Americans are also there are tourists. These two reasons justify why the Americans and the Europeans have to send in something quick, in time of need, to alleviate the suffering of the Philippines else their own citizens might be attack by desperate people or have others to take advantage of the situation. Is this the reason for us to send our resources as well?
The Chinese are also doing this because they are trying to establish their interest after gaining control of things within their own nation. 80% of whatever the Chinese state or people are sending to the Philippines is made in China, by the Chinese. Are we giving out “kenkey” and “banku” to the Philippinoes or sending them the imported goods into our country with borrowed money? Who are we fooling here, if none but ourselves?
Please, the rich gives to make more and not just for sake of giving. What are we giving for? Just for the sake of it when our own people languish in abject poverty?
By the way, what happened to the US$3m the late President Mills gave to the Haiti disaster? Did the money got to the intended victims or an opportunity for some people in the Ghana government to swindle the people of Ghana? Did we also remember the US and the Brits complaining about corrupt French Aid workers pocketing the so called aid money to Haiti? Do we need anyone to tell us that this so called disaster relief appeal is the biggest scam in our modern time? Are we aware of the salaries of these Aid directors who earn US$80,000 p/a?
I'm sincerely struggle over why Gbevio-Lartey of all people, should not be educating us on the nationally security effort about fighting crime in Ghana, than the Disaster relief donation in far away Philippines. What could be the motive here?

Kofi Ali Abdul-Yekin
Chair/Coordinator
ACTION GROUP OF AFRICA (AGA)
yekali2002@yahoo.com