Opinions of Monday, 29 August 2011

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

NDC Switches into "Sakawa" Overdrive Mode

"The injuries we do and those we suffer are seldom weighed in the same scales" The National Democratic Congress (NDC) otherwise called the National Destroyers Congress by some avid social critics monitoring the performance of the government, have switched into what may be a "Sakawa" overdrive mode. The propensity and eagerness at which they have engaged in securing heavy foreign loans under terms shrouded in intertwined secrecy and non well-stipulated terms, tells how desirous the government is at clinching a second term in office by hook or crook, come 2012 national elections.

The President Atta Mills' NDC government has until writing been performing woefully, socially, economically and politically. Under his watch as a supposed God-fearing "Asomdwehene", gays and lesbians have made inroads into the structural social fabric of Ghana. Such an unethical incursion infringes on the culture and traditions of Ghanaians. I am sure nobody is going to lecture me on human rights as allowed to the annoying superabundant gays and lesbians in Ghana. It is a taboo. We should not allow homosexuality to ramify since it will surely have disastrous repercussions on birth, thereby hampering the wherewithal to populate the earth. We need to seek to discourage, but not to encourage, that Whiteman's canker currently gaining firm roots in Ghana. Contrary to expectation, President Mills with his bandwagon of myopias are keeping blind eye and silence just for the sake of securing winning votes from the homos at elections. They are determined than never before to stay in government come 2012.

Socially again, Ghanaians are condescending to what has become a popular parlance, "politics of insults" Every Ghanaian has learnt to chirp insults at the least, or at no, provocation. This politics of insults was unknown or was never rampant under any regime until the advent of Professor Mills' confused and "sikadicious" NDC government. Many people in Ghana are wilfully insolent thanks to the Atta Mills' government. The NDC government rewards those able to insult her perceived archrivals or enemies with ministerial appointments, as a pat on the back for their bravado. Is the social structure not nose-diving under President Mills who has undisputedly remained mute?

Economically, the NDC administration is a total flop. It has been chasing foreign or donor country loans same, as a famished Somali will chase a food-aid handout. They do not scrutinize the terms of the loans by reading through all the small prints that always hold the lethal knockout blows. They quickly jump at the gun on hearing the availability of foreign loan. Once the donor has granted the loan, they start awarding contracts to the members of their NDC family at bloated costs to the nation in the hope of crawling back 10% for themselves and their party. Taking a 10% kickback from a contractor for whatever reason is a prosecutable criminal offence. The contractor will do a shoddy work or may not complete the work at all, because 10% has already changed hands.

We are yet to look at the accrued debt interest with the repayment modality. If the loan does not fully fulfil the purpose for which we took it due partly to the 10% kickback or shoddy work done, it becomes a curse to the nation. It plunges the nation into debt servicing mode. We become a people with shackles of financial slavery around our necks. I will treat this topic in detail someday. The NDC government does not care about the adverse consequences to us and posterity as far as it gets kickbacks to finance its electioneering campaign.

On the political front, President Mills has become a complete puppet but not made so by Rawlings. Unseen hands and celestial bodies are ruling Ghana but not the elected President Mills as expected. Are the NDC foot soldiers not carrying more influence in the running of the country than the President himself? Were they not those that helped to kick out Carl Wilson from continuing to impound cars at the harbours for the selfish interests of the NDC? While the entire nation was condemning the actions of Carl, President Mills was deeply snoring at the oars.

Certain individuals have become law unto themselves. They commit murder with impunity while President Mills watches gleefully in absolute silence. The police force has cleverly been manipulated to side with the NDC despite however nuisance and illogical the NDC course appears. The NDC have baited the police with the assurance of providing them with decent free accommodations. President Mills has exaggerated up the police with the thought of owning their own houses that they are trigger happy to arrest anyone who speaks ill about the NDC or President Mills. The Ghana police force that we always perceive to be corrupt has further tarnished their reputation and credibility by politicization in favour of the NDC. This course of action is very dangerous for Ghana. It places Ghana on a ticking political time bomb which may be set off by an NPP "All die be die" spring to put things right.

The police and the NDC see as another of the NPP's devilish plans to deny Ghana a major development viewing from the sensible debate initiated by the minority caucus in parliament to challenge the sanity of the Korea STX housing project loan. But when all is said and done, more is said than done; the Korea STX project has become more farcical in spite of the NDC's Sovereign guarantee of US$250 Million to enable STX procure an initial US$1.5 Billion loan to start the project. While the sensible NPPs were arguing their points against engaging in business with Korea STX, the NDC were shouting their voice hoarse in favour.

President Mills has once more succeeded in portraying the NPP as enemies of the Western region. He had the chiefs of the area to hold a Press Conference in support of the loan regardless the eventual teeming problems entailed in the repayment of the loan.

Atta Mills is a joke if he thinks to woo the Ghanaian electorates by such last minute attempts to procure irresponsible loans from Left, Right, Centre and Centre forward.

Stay tuned to radio Rockson for more tantalizing updates on Ghana politics.

Rockson Adofo