A letter to the President – Part 1

Good day, Mr. President, I want to first introduce myself, so you would understand the premise on which I am writing to you. I was born into a CPP party tradition. Growing up, I was always a supporter of the ideals of our first president Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. Since the “demise” of the CPP party, I have crossed party lines. I supported PNDC/NDC at some point and I supported NPP under the leadership of Professor Adu Boahen of blessed memory. During the presidency of Mr. John Agyekum Kuffuor, a group of concerned citizens and I started an organization, Ghanaians for Accountable Government (GhAG} in 2006 to serve as a pressure group. Looking at my political trajectory, it is obvious that I consider myself an independent with no political affiliation. I am not NPP neither am I NDC, just a concerned citizen. I am obliged to write this letter to you for two reasons. a. that there is a bit of chaos in the country. b. when I read a headline about a remark supposedly made by you, that you do not care if Ghanaians would vote for NDC. In my opinion, any other political party would have been in the same predicament or even worse than what the nation is experiencing now. The current administration has been hit with two misfortunes at the same time, which are none of their making: the PANDEMIC, and the UKRAINE WAR. The pandemic affected all sectors of the economy, including real estate, tourism, etc., etc., which has had an adverse effect on the dollar circulation and its value. The pandemic and Ukraine war have affected economies globally including the U.S. and Europe. On October 25, 2022, the IMF predicted that Canada could experience a recession soon. In addition to all these misfortunes is the insatiable taste of Ghanaians for foreign goods which makes the dollar even more “expensive”. It is no fault of the finance minister, Mr. Ofori Atta, that Ghanaians are facing economic hardship currently. I want to suggest to the MPs demanding his resignation to put a pause on their demands. It won’t be long before things turn around. The structures/systems are being laid down on which I believe the nation would be built. The MPs should not create the atmosphere for any military boys to interfere in the affairs of the nation. We are all entitled to our opinions, and I personally believe that no military junta on the African continent has brought any good to its citizens. They come in with bony cheeks and exit with plumpness and a lot of loot. Remember Gambia’s Jammeh, Nigeria’s Abacha, etc., etc... If any nation's citizens ever dream of making the nation ungovernable, it is when the military takes over the reins of government. That is the time for everyone to stay home; nothing should be allowed to function until they pack up and leave. If all the allegations that were leveled against the former president, Mr. John Mahama, have not been verified, I cannot be convinced that allegations that Mr. Ofori Atta is enriching himself at the expense of Ghanaians is true or verifiable or anyone can lend credence to those allegations. When I think of the FREE SHS alone, it’s hard for me to suspect the finance minister is creating wealth for himself. No politician seeking wealth will go that route, to provide free education for all its citizens, because there is a lot of money one can siphon from that sector alone. Currently, I am inclined to support individuals and not political parties. If Ghanaians would identify just one leader who has the willingness to turn the nation around and not steal and enrich himself/herself we will succeed. Let’s begin to shift our paradigms and chart our own form of political systems. I think that the democratic system of government copied from the West is not working in our favor because we lack ALL THE SYSTEMS that make democracy work in the first place. In my future submissions, I will make an input on this issue. Fellow Ghanaians, I beg you in the name of the Lord, please wake up for once. Our nation is at crossroads, we either lose our nation or make it succeed. If we do not drop this party/tribal politics with its unwholesome alliances, we all stand to lose everything God gave us as Ghanaians. There are patriotic, well-meaning Ghanaians around the globe who are very well-educated, well-informed, well-exposed, knowledgeable, and selfless Ghanaians. I am pleading with all, let us come together as one and make sure that we do not allow charlatans to hold our nation to ransom FOR ONE MORE DAY. If we do, I foresee the following happening to Ghana. Our water and our land are the soul of our nation, gifts from God. If we cannot protect these resources and would allow heartless foreigners/individuals to destroy these, then we are not fit to continue as a nation. Ghanaians will very soon become water refugees in other countries. All the elderly and our aged seniors, Kwame Pianim and other respectable individuals in the country, concerned and respectable chiefs, and reputable religious leaders, please wake up, let us save our nation. If you don’t, sooner or later, you will all have to leave your homes in your Pajamas and “LIMP” through the forests to Togo, Ivory Coast, or Burkina Faso as “water refugees” or “refugees of war”. This is the time to speak up and ACT! We need action now, the time for empty rhetoric is over, and we have had enough of that already. Let us be patriotic to save our nation. Suggestions to address the issues 1. The government should with immediate effect, ban ALL dollar transactions such as buying and selling in dollars, paying rent, hotels, and other services in dollars. We should stop immediately to bring the demand for the dollar down. When demand for the dollar is down, then the price of the dollar will fall. 2. We lack supervision and punishment for wrongdoing/corruption. The vice president should start paying unannounced visits to offices and punish corruption. If the NPP administration does not learn to punish corruption, all that they have done will come to naught. Palumbo (1991) wrote about an example from a Venezuelan health care system, “The public system, …was in a state of perpetual crisis. It suffered from over-centralization, chronic deficits, poor hygiene, decaying facilities, and constant theft of everything from cotton balls to X-ray machines”. MR. president, if you don’t act swiftly, all your labors and accomplishments will be eroded in no time, even the “cotton balls” will be stolen. All the ambulances, police vehicles, school buses, etc., etc., will ALL be stolen or allowed to break down. Africans allow corruption to be perpetuated for so long that it becomes part of our DNA. Do you know that even the granite used in paving our roads is being swept off by citizens? They are literally stealing the granite. Only God knows what they are doing with that. 3. Everyone should be a vigilante, tenants, and landlords should know what jobs the tenants do. Let us go by the mantra “if you see something say something”. Police should be given the authority to do sweeps on suspected criminals and galamsey operators. 4. Mr. President, talk to the nation on a regular basis to update them on what is going on and the efforts of the government to address the challenges. Engage the citizens as you did in your first term, or as you engaged during the pandemic. See the citizens as your “CHILDREN” to whom you have the mandate to solve their problems or address their issues. Explain the issues and give them hope. They will hear you. Thanks. TO BE CONTINUED