Opinions of Thursday, 26 January 2012

Columnist: Kufuor, Appiah Danquah

For God's Sake Jake Hand Over Ridge Residence

In the continent of Africa and the little space that God has given to us called Ghana, there are some issues which make you wonder whether the Good Lord did us a big disfavour by giving us an insight to the written language “education”. To exacerbate our problems the ‘devil” added politics into the potent mixture of greed, incompetence and poverty stricken Africa. For example, every issue in contemporary Ghana is seen within the context of NDC or NPP. A time will come when even the food that we eat will be a determining factor in our political allegiance.

It is a bloody shame- we have lost the ability to debate, analyse, convince and use data and statistics to argue our point. Just last week a young gentleman was jailed 2 years for stealing 2 fowls in our NPP and NDC country by a learned Judge. Two days ago a young lady from the Volta Region lost her life due to her inability to pay for the cost of blood. These are not phantom stories, they are not numbers, they are real people, citizens of Ghana and they all have families.

What angers most ordinary Ghanaians is the sheer hypocrisy and “joined-up” economic crimes being committed by the educated elite on the majority impoverished souls. Bear in mind, the Arab Spring Awakening was begun by a small petty trader in Tunisia who set himself alight. Why? “his small kiosk” his only means of earning peanuts was going to be demolished

What has got my back up? As reported in the news, the Supreme Court (SC) has directed its registrar to serve hearing notices on Okudzeto Ablakwa and Emmanuel Omane Boamah in the case in which the two are challenging Hon Jake’s right to purchase a Government bungalow he occupied as a Minister of State. The two were seeking a declaration that by virtue of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258,284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the Government was obliged to retain and continue to use in the public interest the property in dispute.

Folks you know what, our most learned Judges and brightest legal brains decided to adjourn the case sine die. For Heaven’s Sake “Learned Judges”, do not confuse us mere mortals with big legal jargons. Haba! Do we need the Supreme Court to decide on this issue? The Former Minster of Housing, Lands Commissioner and all those involved in this shameful and disgraceful sale of this property must bow down their heads in shame.

The patience of most Ghanaians is fast running out! Many Ghanaians live in abject poverty, suffer daily treatment of poverty psychosis, are hounded out of their shed in the name of the law, and are sick and tired of our elected politicians, educated ones, opinion leaders using Articles and legal procedures to confuse them.

Even my “uneducated” aunties at Nkawie knows that the palace built by the late chief of Nkawie belongs to the whole village and is meant as a living quarters for the current chief- and cannot be sold to any ex-Chief. What about our Learned Judges?



Haba, Haba, Haba! Why, Why, Why- awurade yesu hun ye mobo. Just let us assume that

Alasdair Darling, the former Finance Minister in the Labour Government decided to purchase

his official residence, No 11 Downing Street after leaving office – what would have been the

reaction? Folks are you aware that the first Chancellor to occupy No 11, was Lord

Henry Petty in 1828 and it still serves as the residence of the current Chancellor George

Osborne.



Hon Jake, Please return this property and stop contesting this case- you will and must not be

allowed to acquire No 2 Mango Street, Ridge.



Kufuor, Appiah-Danquah