Twenty-Five Plain & Hard Truths Why Ghanaians Should Reject Mahama

.... In The 2016 Polls

The author intended to publish this write up to coincide with the third anniversary of the demise of the late president, John Evans Atta Mills, of blessed memory but could not come off due to unforeseen circumstances and other hiccups. The depressed Ghanaians and for that matter, the hopeless and helpless tax-payer, ought to know how much was spent on the previous funeral of the learned professor on August 10, 2012 and the subsequent ones. But only God knows how much contributions and donations were made to the Totobi Quakyi-led funeral committee and how it was really spent and the illicit profit realized by them. We are yet to know whether this third one involved another drama again. Ghanaians knew that our professor was very ill and could die any minute; even though any non-medical adult with experience could detect from his nasal dysfunction that he was not going to live long but all said and done, who actually killed our dear professor? Snipers indicate from wild rumour doing the rounds and serious investigations conducted by interested parties that it is a clear confirmation that he never died naturally. His posture on the Ford van in front of the maternity ward at the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, while gasping for the last breath that Tuesday afternoon, July 24, 2012 painted a gloomy picture that he was either strangled by muscularly-built men or clubbed to death like a wild mad dog by some dog eaters or political vampires at the Osu Castle, before being rushed to the hospital because the die was cast he would not survive. It is a pity though that the truth should still be concealed from the public and taken for a ride as a country. But whatever happens, truth is like cork; it cannot be suppressed under water. Ghanaians should not, repeat not, be taken for ‘fools’ all the time. Some of us can be fooled some of the time but not all of us can be fooled all the time because the Holy Book sums it all up in the Book of Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and as far as Exodus 14:14 also is a soul-touching piece, it is hoped that Ghanaians will one day win their independence from the temporary ‘Egyptian bondage’ of old. Ghanaians grumbled and moaned for a new King (Saul) and now that they have him, they seem to be nearing their graves because he has resorted to using the iron hands to govern. Mr. Mahama and his government should, for once, respect Ghanaians. They should remember that this country once produced eminent personalities of international repute such as the late Alex Quaison-Sackey, one time president of the UN General Assembly during Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s era; Busumuru Kofi Annan, who also held the dignified position of Secretary-General of the UN for two consecutive terms Then again, the soft-spoken Ibn Chambas, who also became the Chairman of ECOWAS for some time and later went on to become the chief executive of the African-Caribbean Pacific countries. Currently, we have Justice Akua Kuenyehia of the International Court of Justice at The Hague, Netherlands and hordes of them. If all these names ring a bell, we should not be toyed as a country with all the citizens as primary class one pupils and be subjected to ridicule by the international community because JDM has surrounded himself with novices who always operate as square pegs in round holes. Ghana’s endowed wealth – natural and mineral resources, plus of course, the human resources – gold, diamond, manganese, iron, timber, bauxite, gold and the black gold – oil - and the non-traditional exports – pineapples, papayas, green pepper, aubergines, yams, garri, tapioca and occasionally, cut flowers are probably unmatched by any European country for massive infrastructure development. Incidentally, because of greed, nepotism, tribalism, unprecedented corruption that has eaten up the marrow in the bones of most of our leaders, successive governments since independence have always gone abroad with a bowl or calabash in hand like the freshly cured leper glued and seated in front of a church or the calabash at the entrance of a mosque begging for alms of any kind. The government should be grateful for the abhorrence of bloodshed and love for the practice of democracy, otherwise this nation would long have been plunged into chaos by a group of miscreants to teach everybody a great lesson. It is only in Ghana that this nonsense from the ECG, PURC, NPA, and many more like the thievery and corruption of officials like Mahama Ayariga’s short stay at the Sports Ministry and doubling cost price of building schools in the North will be allowed to continue as if all of us have been hypnotized by the Mahama mis-management of the economy. Why should the vulnerable Ghanaians be sleeping in the dark for most of the time while the rich and the bourgeoisie class who want to have their comfort in their homes and offices, spend huge sums of money on fuel to power their generators? Is it just because all Ghanaians are cowards and have no saviour? If the likes of foul-mouthed Akua Donkor who normally behaves like a “Jaguar Joker” star, should become part of government delegation for the coronation of President Buhari of Nigeria and also to Italy for no apparent reason as well as men appearing in lady’s coats to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, what signals do we as a country intend to send to the international community? Are we really serious as a Nation needing development partners Mr. Mahama? Do such persons join Team Ghana for excursions and sight-seeing to subject the Nation to ridicule? Is it a truism that soon after the German tour, a local leading newspaper there carried its front page caption of the meeting of our delegation of 50 plus as thus; “The foolish idiots are here lobbying for our money?” What does Mahama take us for; for fools or for what at the expense of the already over-stretched tax-payer? This was during “an one on one” hint a certain 92-year old man who pleaded anonymity quizzed me when I bumped into him for more apo about this article. Tuesday, July 21, 2015, in our traditional set up marked the third anniversary of that death since he died on a Tuesday, but the normal date should have been Friday, July 24. Please read on to rekindle your brains.
1. Since Independence, there has not been any corruptible and chronic cancer-infested government apart from the Mahama regime that has graciously embraced corruption as its bedfellow.
2. Despite South Africa 2010 World Cup economic malfeasance and financial loss to the State by ginger-haired Akua Sena Dansua and Clement Kofi Humado’s Maputo Games corrupt practices and embezzlement whilst as ministers at the youth and sports ministry, the former has been ignominiously granted ‘parole’ to enrich herself with yet ambassadorial perks in Germany.
3. The fact that JDM himself wines and dines with corruption and swims in it, he is afraid and not courage -ous enough to reprimand corrupt officials in his camp i.e. Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, his campaign manager as a perfect example, before and after the 2014 Brazil world cup tourney, has been relocated to the presidency after the rotten revelations by the Dzamefe Commission.
4. No government has ever pegged its fuel price at Gh¢18.00/gallon of 4.5 liters at the time of writing this article except JDM’s whilst the world market price for crude oil was still under the $70 per barrel range at the time of preparing this piece. Even when crude oil was $147.00 in 2008 prior to the disputed elections, it was sold at Gh¢5.3/gallon. Even now that the price is hovering around $50.00/barrel, Ghanaian authorities and those who matter most do not feel ashamed to sell a gallon for less than Gh¢10.00/ gallon.
5. The best that Mahama’s government has tried to stabilize the Cedi/Dollar rate was the recent past performance of Gh¢4.6/US$1.00 – mid-June - in his personal capacity as president with crude oil at $58.00/barrel.
6. Due to the perennial dumsor lifestyle of Ghana as a nation without any hope of survival in sight and a positive sign of effort by the leadership of the country, all manufacturing businesses/concerns have died prematurely. Those who have managed to survive above the water mark have tried to slash down their workforce to a third to further compound the unexpected, unprecedented, unemployment situation in the country.
7. We are told that JDM’s NADMO officials relegated the pathetic situation of the June 3 Black Wednesday fire and flood tsunami in Accra to the dogs and stole most of the relief items for their personal gains.
8. From reliable sources chanced upon by some junketing reporters, the Gh¢50,000.00 seed money for the June 3 Black Wednesday episode has been investigated to be a hoax; rather, it was a face-saving drama to divert attention, neither a single cedi note nor a coin has been sent or dropped into that account. It was just the usual rhetoric bait to attract international and foreign donors as well as local philanthropists like the Despite and Ken City Groups of Companies to donate to remedy the raging political epilepsy.
9. JDM’s self-inflicted neglect and obstinacy to de-silt the Odaw River for 6 consecutive years resulted in the fatal flooding that claimed some 200 lives, maiming hundred others and destroying priceless and valuable properties.
10. The resumption of the defunct TV licences payment by the Media Commission to bail out GTV should be a cowardice action to rope in money that GTV does not deserve. A census of television viewers would identify that GTV is the least patronized service provider in Ghana – perhaps, if the D-G and other directors will reduce their fat salaries/emoluments it will suffice.
11. The residents of the Old Fadama in Accra, popularly known as Sodom and Gomorrah, and predominantly made up of 98% Northerners, had their slum houses demolished and evicted out of frustration after the June 3 debacle. Strangely, the last straw that broke the camel’s back was the discrimination and partisanship stance by government agencies and supposedly, officials from the Jubilee or re-christened ‘Flagstaff House’ against the known fragmented NPP residents who were flatly denied free transport back home.
12. As at now JDM’s government is still struggling and trying to grapple with the debt servicing of interest payment of Gh¢9.5 bn. on the overall Ghana’s debt of Gh¢89.5bn since independence out of which 85% has been undeniably and inarguably contracted by his administration due to puerile physical indiscipline. As a result of this, of the 24m population, every individual person including day-olds, is indebted to Mahama’s reckless debt burden of Gh¢3,729.166.66. As you read this piece, another Gh¢800m has been unashamedly presented to the parliament by the ‘incompetent’ Seth Tekper, NDC’s celebrated Finance Minister as mid-year supplementary budget for approval. And because of the NDC numerical advantage and partisan approach, it will be smoothly rushed through despite the relevant economic hardships and repercussions on the next generation. Oh what a shame?
13. The HM Customs of the UK would have tampered justice with mercy with Ghana as a former colony but because of Mahama government interference in the Ruby Ayele Ametepe’s 12½kgs cocaine case, have seized and confiscated the whopping amount of US$23,000.00 and £6,000.00 found on her to show Ghana the ‘yellow card’ and jailed her for 8 years and 8 months regardless of her little children and what happens to them.
14. If John Mahama was very swift to set up a commission of inquiry into the death of the UE NPP Regional Chairman’s death, why has it taken him so long a time (2 years now) to set up a similar commission to unravel the mysterious death of his predecessor, John Mills? Or is it because he was not from the north? Or worse still, was he privy to that sudden demise and could have gotten implicated if he did that? Did his inaction have anything to do with his book, “My first Coup d’etat that epitomizes it all? Hmm! Only time will tell.
15. In spite of the poor and inept economy, the vice president, a former deputy minister of Finance and Economic Planning and governor of the central bank, arrogantly commandeered as many as 60 V8 Land Cruisers/ Nissan Patrols, Armadas and Mitsubishi Pajeros with impunity to form the motorcade that conveyed his entourage to Talensi prior to the recent by-election at the expense of the tax payer.
16. While some people have cause to yell at the first lady that she is a disaster to us, the second lady, who has no status quo in the constitution, has equally been designated as an apology and a catastrophe to womanhood. How dare her that she had the guts to reprimand a overstretched head -mistress of the Kukurantumi Presbyterian senior high school for requesting for common chalk for use by the teachers? And in her uncouth and undignified manner and without the slightest shame, goofed; “Yeasee mo dodo, memfa chalk mmre mo enne, memfa chalk mmre mo okyena”, to wit, the government has spoilt you Ghanaians for far too long; why can you not subsidize and compliment the efforts of government or ask the PTA members to foot such bills on purchase of basic items like writing chalk, etc? In the first place, that ‘uncouth’ and impolite rhetoric has gone down in history as a great indictment and a big slur that will never be forgotten by well meaning people so if she has apologized, she better had gone back to Kukurantumi to beg for forgiveness, but not in Accra. How did she travel to that place anyway? Did she walk to, or fly there by an airplane? Whatever happens, we are told that she travelled there in convoy and was escorted by reason- able motorcade at the expense of the poor tax-payer, so she should never dream of insulting our intelligence again. Her intimate friends who know her say she was once an ordinary trained teacher who later metamorphosed to become a librarian. How can Ghanaians cheapen themselves to such a low profile? The multi-million dollar question is; “Where was she when John Mahama trumpeted across the length and breadth, nukes and corners of the country to announce to the world that his government will provide ‘free quality education’ to all and that every Ghanaian school child would be supplied uniforms and sandals free of charge? Does she understand the FCUBE? ‘Wo se atu ama w’anya gyere papa’! With courtesy to Pastor Mensa Otabil’s exhortation to Ghanaians: “If Matilda’s husband were a generational thinker, he would not have pushed for the brother to become the CEO of the Bui Power Project at the expense of another competent person who could also have taken up that position. Kokofu ball indeed! If not but for the brother’s position, would the younger brother, Jabesh Amissah, have gotten that juicy job? And the cheek of it! Who prompted Naana Opoku Agyeman into that frenzy mood of disgruntled politicians? Has she also suddenly re-surfaced on the stage to be accorded recognition at a concert show otherwise she loses her job? Positive defiance - Does she not feel ashamed to use that platform to positively defy all odds to sing the master’s voice in support of wrong doing?
17. If John Mahama’s futile promise of 200 community day schools has become a stillborn and an albatross hanging round his neck, why will that Librarian Matilda not shut the beak and stops disturbing our ears?
18. Was the sole commissioner for the judgment debt compensated for promotion to SC for not inviting Akufo Addo to allow for unending public debate? Why this inordinate show of cowardice and judicial impropriety?
19. If till date Betty Mould Iddrisu and Ebo Barton Odro, clearly fingered as willfully acting ultra vires as architects of the Alfred Woyome’s scandal to cause financial loss to the State, have not been arraigned before the courts, and more so, if crime does not have expiry date, then it is my conviction that JDM was a beneficiary including the private gains from the STX, Amarjaro and the military Embraer aircraft from Brazil.
20. The airlift of $4.5m cash to Brazil from Ghana for the Black Stars bonuses against international banking norms has clearly dented the image of all of us and should be condemned without reservation.
21. Due to the Mahama chain of poverty, Dr. Ali Gabal Sulley, a professional gynaecologist of no mean standing, could not afford to satisfy his sexual deficiency with a woman; but had to engage in sodomy with a teenager to land himself in jail for 25 years.
22. Did Mahama send Kwadwo Awua Darko to BOST and later to TOR to recoup the lost money he incurred during the 2012 parliamentary election at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency? Is Mahama smarter than discerning Ghanaians who are always at his heels?
23. The apathy of most Ghanaians to leave the inept governance to God till thy kingdom come has some impetus Mahama to toy with our lives.
24. JDM should realize that because Ghanaians have chosen the democratic path to governance i.e. the ballot box that is why all the ‘nonsense’ from his camp is being painfully entertained as if nothing was at stake.
25. Mahama should be bold to be the first person to tell Ghanaians who killed John Mills before he can have the peace to administer the country otherwise if all the Saudi oil dollars was airlifted here and presented to him on a silver platter, still he cannot make any headway, he will flop unless he discloses the culprits.


EXHORTATION
If Messrs Seth Tekper, the ‘yes sir master’ man and the ‘obey the wind’ Kofi Wampah, Finance and Economic Planning Minister and Governor of the Central Bank respectively, were men of integrity and conscience, and rather not the type who would normally unashamedly wash their faces from bottom to the top, and be able to look afar beyond their noses, would have graciously resigned their juicy positions alongside the vice president who, himself, was a former deputy minister of the same ministry and the CEO of the central bank as well in a civilized economy for ruining Ghana’s economy to impoverish the citizenry. Just before the NPP left office in 2008, the total debt burden was Gh¢9bn with debt servicing hovering around Gh¢648m but as you read this piece today, it has escalated and risen to Gh¢90bn and the interest on debt servicing also somersaulted to an unprecedented ceiling of Gh¢9.2bn that has shot our GDP to more than 72% over monthly salaries. Incredible, isn’t it?. And as it is no donor country will see us as a credible nation worth dying for to give us any more loans. And do you know that because of the sleepless nights and days as to how to remedy the situation involving the self-inflicted chronic ‘dumsor’ headache, Mr. Mahama and government would clinch any straw that comes their way like a drowning and drunken man. Pity, isn’t it? One really wonders whether the ‘toothless” deaf and dumb Council of State has ever sat the president down to let him know that enough is enough. The author stands for correction. In a country where strike has become the order of the day, how does JDM allow shallow, fickle minds like Stan Dogbe to act as its PRO and Yaw Boakye Boateng, an NDC communicator, who is recorded as having said “how did he became” in response of the president of the GMA when he went wild on air to inflame passions on radio against the entire 3,000 strong medical doctors who have legitimate rights to fight for their conditions of service? And the cheek of it again, the Minister of Employment and Labour, instead of cooling off the temperature, rather fans the delicate national issue such as this one. Where are the so-called 3 wisemen, on where are the 3 wisemen and where are our Clergy and the traditional leaders of the country who can stand out to be counted? Did anybody hear the ‘nonsense’ that came from the foul-mouthed Ade Coker in connection with the same delicate situation? The country is gradually grinding to halt. Please stand up and be counted. Does it not take a politician only day on a political rally to become a Member of Parliament to be nominated as a minister even with his highest achievement in education as ‘dining hall supervisor and still earning some Gh¢8,500.00? Did Daniel Tei Otukunor, deputy boss at the National Youth Council, not qualify for his 4x4 wheel drive vehicle and his position just because of his loose talk on air as propagandist? We are tired of this sickness? And does it not take a doctor some seven years minimum after the high school to get to his position and to be begging for hard earned salary under Gh¢3,000.00? Exactly a month ago that the Judicial Service organized the 33rd anniversary in memory of their three murdered colleagues who suffered their fate of injustice and brutish treatment at the hands of Lance- Corporal Amedeka and others during the dastard PNDC era. The dust has not yet settled down and the Mahama killer has just been jailed for 10 years without the option of defence. Granted that the suspect or assassin faked insane and pleaded ‘not guilty’, was the trial judge right in his senses and professional standards and in the interest of justice and fair play to have acted the way he did to slam a 10-year jail term on Charles Antwi in a matter of 72 hours? Where did he learn his professional career? Or has he been promised some bonus by way of promotion? Does he know that even coup plotters, by the military martial laws, have the right to engage legal experts for defence until they have been proven guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad? One wonders whether Ghana was still practicing the ’kangaroo court” system like the days of the AFRC. Madam CJ, what is your stake on this judgment otherwise your reputation will be at stake? You must act fast to rectify the judicial anomaly/impropriety and save the unfair situation. In fact, the Akans proverb ‘okwasea ani te a, na agoro agu’ literally means when the idiot wizens up, then it symbolizes the end of the game.
ADMONITION
I Samuel 17:46, 47 – David & Goliath - “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand and will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth (whole wide world) may know that there is a God in Israel (Ghana). 47 “Then all this assembly (Ghanaians) shall know that the Lord does not save with the sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you (Mahama and NDC) into our hands.” If Ghanaians remember how the Great Walls of Jericho fell for Israel without a shot, Mr. Mahama and his NDC should be cautious and remember that with all the military might – Army, Navy and Air Force plus about the 30,000 police force, the unknown arsenals and unofficial hidden accoutrements in undisclosed cache of arms in homes and dungeons, the National Security and BNI, the Lord will surely not assist you to be favoured this time round to be propped by any group of persons like before but disown you and march you straight to the slaughter. The electorates will not be unwise this time round to vote for your re-election so do not attempt to use the rehearsed rigging machinery to suck our blood as a flea.


N.B. Please go ahead and publish it if it meets with your editorial standards. Many Thanks.

By: amaningkwarteng1@gmail.com