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Opinions of Sunday, 22 September 2013

Columnist: Akwah, Nana

The Number Of Millionaires In The Cabinet

Have You Tried Counting The Number Of Millionaires In The Cabinet And The Parliament!

“The search for scapegoats is essentially an abnegation of responsibility: it indicates an inability to assess honestly and intelligently the true nature of the problems which lie at the root of social and economic difficulties and a lack of resolve in grappling with them", Aung San Suu Kyi,

Our society approves of political arrogance; therefore most politicians are very arrogant and see themselves as being above everyone. Our society approves of political corruption because we see nothing wrong corruption. This gives room for the search for scapegoats and its far-reaching abnegation of responsibility.
When you are full of arrogance, you are said to be choking on your pride and perhaps you will be invited to swallow your pride and adopt a humbler, more tolerant attitude. This metaphor should be understood here. When we have a person too proud to admit his or her faults (that’s choking on his/her pride), who is therefore unable to come to terms with the truth about him/herself, then, that is distortion.

“Attempting to debate with a person who has abandoned reason is like giving medicine to the dead.” ? Thomas Paine

The truth can be hard to swallow, and it depends on the size of the pill. And by its looks it is about the time that you had your prescription filled.
Have you tried counting the number of millionaires in the cabinet and the parliament? Strange how many ex-public school boys are in this government, and do you care to know? I think to sum it up quite well; there seem to be no choice.

How much is an election vote worth in Ghana? Food, money and other items are used by politicians to obtain a vote. Most Ghanaians are simply pathetic with regards to this phenomenon. We are ready to sell our sense of being for a pittance. And the weird aspects to these happenings are contrition of the Religious Leaders and even amongst the educated elite.

Think about this! When it is election time in Ghana, all of the drama surrounding elections never fail to be present.

Ritual murders, allegations of corruption and the purchase of votes by political parties are just a few things that surround this event, and also for those who aspires for MCE, DCE or Regional Minister, and even in the intra-party positions, it is an unending escapade of jostling. We are informed everyday in both print and electronic media about on-goings taking place in connection with the appointments that are subject of intense rejects all due to corruption.
During the 2012 election year, monies between 50-1000 Ghana Cedis (about $25-$500 USD) were alleged to have being offered to a lot of people in order for a political party to use their voter’s identification card (paid to vote for). Is it illegal? Definitely
Through forums and groups to promote activities it was alleged that, such as buying and selling items, there were messages offering user’s money to "rent" their voter’s identification cards, which will be returned to them after the elections.
In some cases, people are paid to just be present in public rallies or events supporting candidates. There were people paid to just be present in public rallies or events to also foment troubles. Whilst there were also many of those who offer to sell their vote and ask if anyone knows where they can go to do this.
This practice is also common among community leaders, party representatives and others. Although many of these types of activities are illegal and nowhere near being a “best kept secret”, many people still choose not to file any official complaints to any institutions about it.
Many times even Government institutions are accused of being involved in these types of illegal activities.
The truth is hard to handle at times, especially when the truth hurts. People today have a way of avoiding the truth about them. We do not want to see or hear things that are often obvious because it forces us to face our own personal flaws and faults. Why do people continue to believe their own self-deception? Why do people choose to believe the lies they tell themselves?
It is so, for the reason that lies are easier to face than the truth. Why is the truth hard to accept? Once the truth is accepted about our lives, it forces us to take action. The moment that we accept the truth, we have a choice to make. We can either deal with the problem or deny it. We can deal with the problems in our lives and the issues that those problems raise.
We can ignore the truth and live in denial. Sadly, many people choose the later and live in denial of their problems and issues. Denial is in many ways less painful than admitting the truth and dealing with self-deceptive behavior patterns.
Living with deception keeps us from seeing the truth. About ninety percent (90%) of the population are corrupt or in meddled in a corrupt activity. We have created a society where corruption is adored and worshipped. Owing to that most of us do not want to accept the analogy about corruption and incorruptible; darkness and light. Corruption and darkness blinds the Truth. On the other hand in-corruptibleness and light expose Truth.
No matter have we try legalize corruption, a good analogy is that deception is darkness and truth is light.
Finally, how difficult it is to teach the natural man, who comprehends nothing more than that which he sees with the natural eyes! How hard it is for him to believe!
How difficult would be the task to make the philosopher, who, for many year has argued himself into the belief that his spirit is no more after his body sleeps in the grave, believe that his intelligence came from eternity, and is as eternal, in its nature, as the elements, or as the Gods,
A continual pattern of self-deception will eventually lead a person into actually believing the lie. Self-deception makes it incredibly difficult to see the truth, even when it shown to us. As long as, we are willing to deceive ourselves, we will never move into the light of the truth.
Society says, if you steal something small you are a petty thief, but if you steal in millions you are a gentleman of society.

Oh God have mercy on your people. Oh what a quirk of fate!