Opinions of Friday, 3 April 2009

Columnist: Akumey-Affizie, Nunya

Letter: To President Mills

Hello your Excellency,

I presume you are fine as I am here in my small crib. I have always harbored the feeling and perception that you contain some inherent degree of charisma and “venom” and I feared you could display it outwardly when the need be.

Your Excellency, you would recall that the statesman newspaper described you as a poodle, which implied that, you were not your “own man” and that you could neither bark nor bite. I have also heard others described you as “Mills ill needs Pills”; all were tailored towards tagging you as weak and unfit to rule this great Nation. Based on the above misconception, I was not surprised at all about your outburst when you met the GJA executives at the castle. What rather marveled me was the complex and proverbial nature of your speech which left the entire Nation confused. People were gleaning from ear to ear in search of an explanation .Others including you spokesperson Mahama Ayariga and your communication Director “Tordia” Koku Anyidoho gave some interpretations to it.

After reading and pondering over the transcript of your speech, I came to the following conclusions. I strongly believe that you meant either some or all of the following. Infact I am tempted to believe that you meant more.

Nana Addo’s arrival

I am inclined to believe that you had some indigestion over the “rousing” welcome giving to Nana Addo when he returned from Europe where he was on a “thank you for failing me” tour. Frankly I was marveled to hear that an NPP national executive announced on radio that the party supporters should meet Nana Addo at the airport. . Your Excellency, just as you, I saw no wisdom in that exercise.

It is a naked truth that Nana Addo sometimes speaks as if, “the sea would burn” if he doesn’t become President. I share your inherent rage as to why such a failed politician should be welcomed home as such. I am also happy that you reiterated the point that “I am the president of Ghana” and that no one person or group of people have a divine right to rule so that Nana Addo would stop deluding himself as being the Flag bearer of the NPP or the president in disguise.

Jerry John Rawlings

Even though you did not mention his name(which you dare not do), my instincts tell me that the “Old man” has been forcing some bitter decisions down your throat which you found hard to “swallow”.

He started by kicking against your choice of H.E John Mahama as your running mate. He went further by “booming” at you, to sack all the D.C.Es with alacrity when you were sworn into office. I am happy you “stood your grounds” and asked the DCEs to stay on for a while. I believe he is still pressurizing you to prosecute the N.P.P ex- officials. Mr. President, Please “don’t mind” the old man.Pleaese do it at your own time. The old man’s adrenalin runs too fast. One of these days I would write a letter to him so that he would give you a break. But all that notwithstanding Mr. President the old man is a great man.

The Minority

Your Excellency, I think that you had some political nausea with the Minority’s statement that they would advise themselves. I strongly think that they are replicating what the old man preached to the Military sometime back as “positive defiance”.But it is rather unfortunate that they (Minority) are not Military folks but want to be positively defiant. How would they do that? Reject your budget proposals and loans? They have forgotten that they are in the Minority. Even if they do, I can assure you that Hon. Dan Botwe (the new sensation in parliament) would not follow them in that Endeavour. Mr. President, the Minority is complaining about insecurity in the country.Dont you think they should have directed their vituperations towards the security agencies other that you?

Meanwhile how would they advise themselves? Form their own security taskforce? Or go on rampage chasing the criminals? Or procure weapons to shoot any fly passing close to their homes? I understand why you were probably angered by their utterances. They are just being alarmist for no just reason.

Critics

I sympathize with you Mr. President when you talked about detractors. I agree that many are those who criticize nowadays for the sake of doing it. They make all watery effort to run you down.

Meanwhile Mr. President I would urge you to accommodate the genuine and constructive criticisms among the lot. There are those who clearly find fault with some actions of your’s. In as much as it is their opinion, it is worth giving your ear to. I am one of those who find everything wrong with some of your nominees for Ministerial appointment.

Paramount among them was your nominee for the deputy minister of trade. Mr. President, your nominee is clueless about basic happenings in his ministry. Can you imagine that your nominee said E.P.A means European Partnership Agreement? Mr. President is that not shameful enough?

Another is your nominee for the Ministry for Employment and social welfare. Mr. President, he doesn’t even know the gravity of the problem you sent him to fix, I mean he doesn’t know the unemployment rate in Ghana.

As a learned professor, I presume things like this would give you headache. I pray that you feature their names prominently on your reshuffle list so that you can save yourself from the embarrassment.

Finally I want to congratulate you for the bold decision you took in nominating the likes of Dr. Yankey, Anna Tetteh, Ablakwa and the legendry and ever defiant Fiifi Kwetey.

These guys Mr. President would “watch your back” greatly in Government. On this note I would like to say “good show” so far but please, do reconstitute the boards you dissolved so that we can get things going on.

Thank you.

Author: Nunya Akumey-Affizie brwncecil@yahoo.com