Opinions of Monday, 9 November 2009

Columnist: Sayibu, Akilu

RE-Ghanaians Complain Too Much-President Mills

Reading through some news items on myjoyonline.com on the 7th November, 2009, I came across a news item with the above heading which was attributed to President Mills whilst addressing Muslims at the Kumasi Central mosque on the 6th November, 2009.

I honestly was not surprise at all! And it was not as if the President just woke up that day and decided to make such a complain which to me was uncalled for in the first place. My view is that, President Mills was indirectly reacting to recent complains against his government by the founder of the very party on whose ticket he is President; Chairman Rawlings, but lacked the temerity to name names and just lumped all Ghanaians together.

In the said news item I read, President Mills was also reported to have said that “The people could not find their voice to amplify their sufferings during the eight years rule of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)………….”

What the President is reported to have said is untrue with all respect! He must be told that, if Ghanaians were deaf and dumb and could not locate their voices when the NPP was in government, and failed to amplify their suffering he wouldn’t have being President of Ghana by now.

Infact not only did President Mills benefit excessively from the amplification of the voices of Ghanaians, he himself had occasion to join in the amplification process by participating in demonstrations which were organised by the Committee for Joint Action (CJA) against lots of things in the country including increase in petroleum prices.

The only difference is time round is that, under his administration which saw fuel prices go up three times in ten months, the only thing the CJA could do has being to go to the seat of government to drink tea and issue press statements instead of proper demonstrations against it.

With all respect if President Mills think Ghanaians are complaining a lot and he can’t accommodate it, then he must do the honourable thing by resigning so that, we will know what next to do. He must however be told that, it is the founder of his NDC party who is the Chief complainant about the general deplorable state of affairs in the country. President Mills must be a man enough to call him to order before he can himself complain about Ghanaians.

In any case is the president saying that, his administration was so very perfect that, it is senseless for Ghanaians to complain? President Mills must be reminded and told that, ten months is quiet a long time for a president who even made specific promises on days, weekly, and even monthly when he was desperately looking for power.

Can somebody ask President Mills, what percentage he scored himself and his government when he was only 100days old in government? Why didn’t he score himself Zero at that time because it was too early? I will try to tell President Mills why Ghanaians are complaining now and will be complaining any other second!

Firstly, you and your party promised to reduce fuel prices when you were looking for power, but rather did the exact reverse by increasing fuel prices three times in ten months! Are you saying Ghanaians should keep quiet over this obvious dishonesty?

Secondly, you promised Ghanaians that, you cared so much for their health and promised them that, when they vote for you as president you would ensure a one term premium for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) have you done it President Mills?

Thirdly, you promise creating employment for the teaming graduates who are unemployed when you were looking for power, but rather, you officialise graduate unemployment in the country by freezing recruitment into the public sector. President Mills with this inhumane decision are you saying Ghanaians should not dare complain?

Fourthly, you said the economy was broke yet a transitional team you set up spent over 1.3billion on tea and chinchinga (kebabs) and you even failed to comment on it. In other words you failed to reprimand the tea drinkers! You promise to end conflicts in all part of Ghana but ten months, after you were given the mandate to fulfil your promises, conflict situation in the country is rather escalating with your government currently unable to handle the current Bawku crisis.

You also swore on January 7, 2009, to be a father to all Ghanaians, ten months into your administration it is establish that, you are rather a father to some people making some Ghanaians orphans! At least Ghanaians have being killed in broadday light, in the middle of a market and in front of a police station at Agbogloshie and no cockroach has being arrested not to talk of you as “father” to all Ghanaians making a comment about the incident.

President Mills, if within ten months of your administration you created more unemployment rather than employment, Ghanaians should get supper glue at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and stitch their mouths? Is that what you are saying? In other words, are you saying that, Ghanaians in the wake of homosexualism and teenage prostitution should just keep mute and pretend as if every thing was smooth sailing in the country?

There are more reasons why Ghanaians would complain than they are that they should keep silence about. As long as the current state of hardships persists in Ghana, then you must ready yourself for torrential complains! In the mean time I will like to call on President Mills to offer an unqualified apology to Ghanaians for those unfortunate remarks he made about Ghanaians complaining too much.

Akilu Sayibu

Email:Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk