that Reckless Yutong Bus Driver?

Wonders, they say shall, never end else how could a onetime university lecturer, a tax collector, a vice president and the leader of a ruling political party suddenly turn into a “Yutong Bus Driver”? Again, who could even dream that there could be a fracas between John Mills and John Rawlings, the two Johns who contributed to the deplorable living standards of Ghanaians in the 1990s? Is it a vindication of Prophet Bob Marley’s assertion that, man to man is so unjust and that your best friend could be your worst enemy and your worst enemy, your best friend? Yes, this is food for thought for all Ghanaians. The mystery behind the sore relations between J.J. Rawlings and his former close associates – the Boakye Djans, Mensah Woods, P. V. Obengs, Kow Nkensen Arkaahs, Obed Asamoahs and Goosie Tanohs is yet to be unravelled.

For me, the seeming conflict or the battle over power between John Mills and John Rawlings is nothing but a case of a poodle trying to gain autonomy from his mentor. During one of the Economics lessons at school, I was told that an advertisement could make someone buy a vulture. Initially, I doubted that assertion by my Economics tutor until I realised the potency of adverts at a later stage of my studies. Before the 2008 general elections, Ghanaians who were “potential buyers” of a certain Yutong Bus were made to believe that the bus was in good shape, in terms of the condition of engine, tyres, MOT and insurance and that the driver possessed so much experience as a result of his unsuccessful attempts to secure 50% plus one at the presidential polls. The advertisements were all over the media groups, especially Joy FM who spearheaded the adverts as to the genuineness of the vehicle and competency of the driver. In fact, the potential buyers were convinced that the said vehicle was a brand new with the inscription, “NEW NDC” boldly written on all billboards. The modus operandi of the sellers, Fiifi Kweetey and his ilk was to throw dust into the eyes of the buyers/voters as they used threats, promises, propaganda and lies to cow the Ghanaian buyers to purchase the Yutong Bus and with the donation of a few Ghana cedis (votes) by the CPP by-passers, the purchase was made possible on 28th December, 2008.

However, after two and half years of the purchase of the Yutong Bus, the owner of the vehicle, Flt. Lt. Rawlings has come out to say that Ghanaians had not only bought the wrong vehicle but also the driver does not hold the right license to drive. It has been the wish of the owner of the vehicle, John Rawlings that the vehicle should stop at a destination not for peace and prosperity for all, but rather a destination of expanded Nsawam Prison, where many NPP functionaries alleged to have embezzled and misappropriated state funds could be jailed, a destination where the so-called killers of the Overlord of Dagbon – Ya-Na Yakubu Andani could be identified and prosecuted. Even though the driver is alleged to have secured a driver’s license through the backdoor after Rawlings had fallen out with the then vice president - Kow Nkensen Arkaah, the procedure for the acquisition of both the provisional and the standard license by the driver was shrouded in secrecy until the famous “Swedru Declaration”, which nearly split the party in 1999.

With the driver so ambitious to hold the steering wheel of the Yutong bus and to keep to his job, he made several applications in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 general elections. As the adage says, in the city of the blind, one eyed-man is the king. Since the NDC could not boast of many qualified men and women who could drive the Yutong bus safely to the Promised Land, they decided to give John Mills the benefit of the doubt in 2008 to ensure that the vehicle reaches its preferred destination. The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Afari-Djan unveiled the new driver at Tain Constituency on the 28th December 2008 and this necessitated the Chief Justice – Her Lordship, Mrs. Georgina Wood to hand over the new key to the bus on 7th January, 2009 to John Mills. With over 22 million passengers onboard, the Yutong bus set off from the slave Castle instead of the Jubilee House and right from there it was clear that the driver had started with the wrong gear. However, the driver assured all passengers that he would “hit the ground running” meaning he would still get all the Ghanaian passengers to the preferred destination of “One Ghana”, where money would be put into our pockets, fuel prices would be reduced drastically, all the roads (cities) would be cleared of filth, corruption would be fought vigorously and one time premium enjoyed by every Ghanaian.

Sensing danger, over 50% of the passengers, mostly NPP members and sympathizers got off the vehicle when they realised that the driver was driving too slow like the tortoise and that he was driving at the opposite direction. The NPP passengers were of the view that looking at the driver’s past record as mate to Rawlings, he was unfit to make this long journey of four years. However, the other passengers onboard namely; Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR), Get Atta-Mills Elected (GAME), OLONKAR, Our Saviour Atta-Mills’ Association (OSAMA), the Association of Greedy Bastards, Team B players, Bootlickers and Sycophants (AGBADZA), the traitors and enemies of the Rawlingses, the Cadres, the CDRs and the foot soldiers still had the belief that although the was too slow, he would surely get to the preferred destination. According to Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu – an NDC MP for Lower Manya Krobo Constituency, the Yutong bus is veered off the main road and if the bus (party) is not stopped immediately for the driver to be changed, there could be a fatal accident and the consequences will be so unbearable not only for the National Disaster Congress (NDC), but the Ghanaian populace. In fact, most of the passengers such as the foot soldiers, FONKAR and OLONKAR are shouting at the driver to apply the brakes so that he could be changed mid-way but the sycophants, the traitors, the bootlickers in addition to the team B players, disagree as they keep sleeping in the bus or keep mute for fear of losing their jobs. This controversy in the bus has made the driver confused and frustrated. No wonder his declaration in March after the acquittal of 14 alleged murderers of Ya-Na that, he was indeed a frustrated man.

Dear readers, what have been the reasons behind the agitations in the Yutong bus? Those who are on the side of the driver believe that he should be allowed to drive to the destination regardless of his slowness and inability to use the correct gears. Their reason is that the driver knows the condition and capacity of the engine as well as the speed limit more than the new female driver. This argument was put forward last week by the driver’s mate, John Mahama whom most of the passengers believe is planning seriously to step into the shoes of his master in 2016. So can’t John Mahama distinguish between a good driver who is always short of his daily sales and a good and accountable driver who satisfies the car owner and keeps the car business going? Atta Mills could be a very good driver to John Mahama but a bad driver to the bus owner – J.J. Rawlings and Ghanaians, since Mills has not been able to properly account for the lorry fares he collected from the passengers.

On the other hand, those against the driver have argued perfectly for the need to change the driver as they see life as the most precious commodity and that it will preposterous on their part to feel thirsty in the abundance of water. They strongly believe that the Yutong bus driver looks tired and very weak, his vision is poor in spite of the big goggles, he is under the influence of drugs due to his age and endemic health problems, his palms are black and slippery making steering control difficult and more importantly he has lost direction of their destination. In effect, the driver appears to be demented. They believe that Prof. ‘Yutong Bus Driver’ Mills is gradually driving the Ghanaian passengers into a ditch where arrogance, politics of insults, massive corruption, violence and lawlessness of party foot soldiers, mediocrity, hopelessness, propaganda, deception and lies have been nurtured. These, FONKAR and OLONKAR believe, should be uprooted before the Yutong bus with its passengers is crushed beyond repairs in 2012. This could only be done by changing the reckless driver for a more competent one who can bring the Yutong bus back on the road, get every passenger (GAME & FONKAR) onboard and steer it to a destination of identification haircuts, Jacuzzi buying, collapse of businesses, selling of state assets, human rights abuses and atrocity of Ghanaian women.

Ideally, it would reasonable to allow the NDC members mind their own business; ‘nanso mpanin se, wokoto s3 aboa bi si wonua so a, kas3 sore y3nso’. We of the New Patriotic Party are red-alert and will continue to pray for the driver to drive carefully to avoid crushing the Yutong bus into our Boeing 747 jet. It is our belief that regardless of which driver takes the NDC along, the Yutong bus cannot get to the Jubillee House. Even the Founder of the NDC, John Rawlings has repeatedly said that the NDC started losing the 2012 elections in the first week of President Mills’ administration and actually lost the election over eight months ago.

What else does the Ghanaian voter need to be told again? The verdict is out and all that we need to do is to register in our numbers and vote for the NPP in 2012. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is ready and willing to build a new society of opportunities for all. He intends to make secondary education not only free, but also as a cut-off point for every Ghanaian child. He intends to build on the solid foundation laid by his predecessor, His Excellency, J.A. Kufour so that there will be prosperity for all Ghanaians. Nana Addo has served mother Ghana well as a human rights activist, a Member of Parliament and a Minister of State. He intends to serve Ghana again at the highest level. Let’s punish the NDC and give the NPP another chance in 2012. “Be Bold” else “All Die be Die” God bless Ghana! God bless the NPP!! God bless Kufuor!!!

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, Hull. UK

katakyienpp@yahoo.co.uk 07944309859

“Vision, coupled with persistency, results in true success”