....Placate Their Ineptitude With Plain Propaganda and Platitudes?

The myriad of NDC’s promises vis-à-vis what Ghanaians now have to endure on daily basis are directly opposite. Prof Mills promised Ghanaians Paradise and yet have delivered Sheol. We are now living the reality of the adage, “a promise is comfort to the fool”. Ghanaians have been short-changed after been cajoled and pummelled with a barrage of promises to vote in a certain direction. No one word can encapsulate how the ordinary Ghanaian feels right now. To say that the average Ghanaian feels cheated, disappointed, hopeless and even helpless is to state the obvious.

Ghana under “asomdwee hene”

Ghana, land of peace needed a leader with vision, dynamism, policies and programmes to address the needs of our people. Instead, we were sold a so-called “asomdwee hene” in the person of candidate Mills. How come the one whose party campaigned on burning Ghana “…..like Kenya…” being referred to as the “asomdwee hene” is another matter. Ghana wasn’t at war then, and never has been; so was there the need to saturate the political atmosphere with “asomdwee” when in actual fact it was the NDC who were threatening war? It goes without saying though that this subtle threat of war by the NDC blackmailed the electorates to vote for Prof Mills. The import of their campaign was simple: vote for Prof Mills or else there will be war. Two and half years down the line and in the face of increasing levels of joblessness and hopelessness, all we keep hearing on daily basis is that; “President Mills dee, oye asomdwee hene” (As for President Mills, he is a man of peace). An “asomdwee hene” under whose leadership the NDC as a party has known no peace? In the past, Goosie Tandoh, Frances Essiam, Dr Obed Asamoah among others had to leave the party and yet the “asomdwee hene” didn’t have a clue on how to make peace with them! How ironic is that!?! In not too distant past, NDC foot soldiers were chasing DCEs and MCEs out of office whilst today, “GAME”, “OLONKA” and “SADAM” are taking turns to pummel Nana Konadu into submission just to enhance the chances of “asomdwee hene” Mills in the NDC primaries. The poor woman is literally having her eyes gushed out for President Mills to win the NDC’s primaries. As if the above were not enough; the chaos, anarchy and strife in the country have now reached Accra, the nation’s capital. Under the watch of the “asomdwee hene” Mills and for the first time in the history of our country, the Gas now have 3 different “Mantses”. I believe folks still have a clear memory of the Bunkpurugu-Nyooyoo –Togo refugees’ saga. Need I mention the impasse between Takyiman Hene and Tuobodom Hene? The list of attrition in the country is endless. If the President cannot maintain peace in his own party how then would he have the wherewithal to bring same in the affected arrears of the country as whole? “Asomdwee hene” indeed!!!

Campaign of lies and Propaganda

I careless about those who, like ostriches, refuse to see or hear evil about the realities of the day; the truth must be told and some of us wouldn’t keep quiet in the face of petty insults. The fact that the NDC campaigned on lies and has ruled by propaganda since they came into office cannot be contested by any sane mind. Prior to winning power in 2008, the likes of Fifi Kwettey, Koku Anyidoho, Okudjeto Ablakwa, Omane Boamah, Kobby Acheampong and others made it their stock in trade to lie and denigrate the integrity of those in the NPP. It is on record that when Fifi Kwettey appeared before the vetting committee of parliament he conceded that his lies were “mere campaign talk”. When the NDC assumed power, they declared every member of the “Osono” party “corrupt”. As a result, the likes of Asamoah Boateng, Kwadwo Mpiani, Dr Wereko Brobbey, and Akoto Osei among others were all arrested at some point. To date though, none of them has been found guilty in any court of law. Would anybody with a modicum of conscience take the NDC seriously on anything they say about Kuffour’s appointees? Do readers remember the 1.6 million jobs Okudjeto Ablakwa conjured? This is a figure the Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, E T Mensah even claims the government is not aware of. The “Ya Naa murder tape” is another denouement that unfolded right before our eyes. This was the single most potent campaign weapon of the NDC in 2008 but thank God though that today, Ghanaians know better. In November 2010, the Finance Minister read his budget statement and highlighted the construction of 170 schools. From that time to today the NDC is unashamedly claiming to have constructed between 1500 and 2000 schools. A load of tosh of course! The infamous STX deal is still hanging in the balance. I don’t know if readers are aware that this deal was approved by the NDC majority in parliament close to midnight and at a time when all the NPP members of parliament were out preparing for their national congress. The razzmatazz about the sod cutting was but a mere publicity stunt to score cheap political points. Readers may also recall how the NDC sprung into action to claim glory shortly after Gbagbo has been forcibly removed by the international force led by France that Prof Mills played a leading in bringing peace to Ivory Coast. How the President played a leading role in a war he rather chose to “dzi” his “fie asem” is a mind boggling conundrum. That’s the logic of the NDC’s propaganda machinery. Absolute bunkum and a truckload of horseshit!! As I write this piece, folks in northern part of Ghana and indeed the whole country still await the take off of SADA. Just last Monday, 20th June, John Abdulai Jinapor, the spokesperson for the Vice President, was on radio misinforming Ghanaians that the latter has managed to secure funds to the tune of $400 million from the World Bank to complete Legon-Adenta, Achimota-Ofankor, Nsawam-Apadwa and Sofoline projects only for the outgoing World Bank Country Director, Ishac Diwan to rubbish the story. You just can’t believe that this crude 14th century propagandist strategy would be used in 21st century Ghana. They probably take us for mugs but 2012 is just around the corner and our thumps will decide.

Ineptitude
Thanks Spio Garbrah, Teye Nyaunu and a host of others, we know the President is being remote-controlled by the Ahwois and Kofi Awonor. Our President can’t perform for some inexplicable reasons. In fact President Rawlings and Spio Garbra have long christened President Mills’ administration “Team B”. Rawlings and Spio assessment was based on the ineptitude of the President and his team. The NDC gives the impression that Kuffour and his team wasted 8 years in office. However, every Ghanaian with a properly functioning cerebrum would attest to the creation of several social intervention programmes by the Kuffour administration. Among these were the School Feeding Programme, National Youth Employment Programme, NHIS, Capitation Grant, LEAP, Metro Mass Transport and a lot more. The mediocrity being churned out by President Mills is glaringly obvious for even the politically dyslexic to see. Prof Mills promised the ordinary Ghanaian a one term premium payment on the NHIS. Astonishingly, he hasn’t even managed to maintain what the NPP left behind, let alone to implement the one term premium he promised. The NYEP is in doldrums. School Feeding Programme is comatose. LEAP has collapsed. Metro Mass Transport is in dire straights. Capitation Grant has suffered pre-mature death. The ineptitude being displayed in all sectors of the country is unimaginably horrendous! The President declared this year an “action year” but by all indications, his “action” is only geared towards crushing Nana Konadu and FONKAR. The internal wrangling in the NDC has stagnated the progress of everything else in the country.

Corruption
Again, thanks to former President Rawlings Ghanaians now know that President Mills’ administration is corrupt and full of “greedy bastards”. The former is reported to have commented that Prof Mills’ ministers are even more corrupt than Kuffour’s and has accused them of misappropriating the resources of the nation. In Baba Jamal’s defence to the above accusation last week, he said that Mills’ ministers were all rich before being appointed. Wonders shall never end! Were Kuffour’s ministers not self made before they were appointed then? Typical NDC argument: twisted, hollow and infantile! Were they all so rich not to put up houses but did so within 2 years of being made ministers? How would Baba Jamal explain the riches of the likes of Okudjeto Ablakwa, Fifi Kwettey and Hannah Bissiw? These are people who had never worked in their private lives before being made ministers so how does any sensible person classify such individuals as “rich before being appointed ministers”? Readers should cast their minds back to 2008 to see the transformation the past 2 and half years have made in the lives of the Benyiwa-Does, Hannah Bissiws, Baba Jamals, Okudjeto Ablakwas and the others. There’s a stark difference in their physical appearance. Some of them, especially Ablakwa and Baba Jamal now have necks to rival those of WWE wrestlers! Our Nigerian cousin would say, “na money swine”! With the likes of Allottey Jacobs becoming contractors overnight, the price of constructing a 6 unit classroom block has trebled!! General Mosquito has manoeuvred to supply blocks to the Bui Dam at cut-throat price. The NDC must know that they can’t take Ghanaians for muppets.

The 2012 elections are going to be interesting indeed. President Rawlings has already said that he can’t campaign for the NDC again because he will have no message to give to the electorates. This was even before he got his one and only Nana Konadu to contest President Mills. It is evidently clear that President Mills and the NDC have short-changed Ghanaians with propaganda rather than delivering on their campaign promises. It appears their only interest is to placate their blatant ineptitude with plain propaganda and platitudes. Perhaps they forget the famous words of Abraham Lincoln, that “You can fool some of the people all the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” Elections 2012 beckons and those who have ears should listen.

Kofi Kyei-Mensah-Osei