Mahama has set a good precedent in having Victoria Hammah's bank accounts investigated

By Kofi Thompson

It is extraordinary that a deputy minister in President Mahama's government, the Hon. Murtala Mohammed, has stated publicly that he thinks the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has not treated Ms. Victoria Hammah fairly.

How else did the Hon. Murtala Mohammed think Ms. Victoria Hammah should have been treated by her ruling party - which says it is the party of probity and accountability? Amazing.

Any politician who does not understand the worrying implications of a deputy minister caught - in a nation in which high-level corruption is endemic - saying in a secret tape-recording that she will quit politics only after making a million US dollars, is not fit to be in government.

President Mahama did the right thing in dismissing an empty-headed woman with a blunderbuss mouth, who clearly should never have made a deputy minister in the first place. It is also proper that an effort is underway to locate all her bank accounts.

The man to whom Singapore owes its prosperity, its former prime minister, Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, once remarked - in describing the deteriorating situation of Uganda under Iddi Amin - that he noticed at every Commonwealth summit meeting he attended at the time, the increasingly poor calibre of the officials representing that once-successful African nation.

Alas one can say the same thing about the calibre of the leaders of our nation since the overthrow of President Nkrumah in 1966. Nkrumah was a creative thinker whose vision still has relevance for Africa's prosperity. No wonder he dwarfed his contemporaries and is in the Pantheon of 20th century greats.

The tragedy for our nation today, is that we are plagued by mediocre and selfish politicians - from across the spectrum - who think that having a clever way with words, is a substitute for tangible achievements on the ground that promote sustainable economic growth, jobs and lead to the creation of a prosperous society.

With respect, the Murtala Mohammeds (and the Sammy Awukus) in the world of Ghanaian politics must understand that what Ghana needs, are patriotic politicians, who can tackle Ghana's problems creatively - not clueless and partisan geniuses with the gift of the garb.

Ghana would move forward rapidly, if that loquacious lot were capable of the sort of creative thinking that would lead to their suggesting to the Ghana Water Company Limited, for example, that the most cost effective way of providing rural communities in Ghana with safe drinking water, is to replicate the Malaysian government's project that uses the UK company

Lifesaver System's community-level nano-tech water filtration system, which turns dirty and polluted water into safe drinking water, in rural Ghana.

Ghanaians are fed up with cynical politicians who only want to "chop Ghana small" - to use an infamous phrase once deployed by a crooked Lebanese businessman.

President Mahama was right to dismiss Ms Hammah. Setting the precedent of having the Bank of Ghana's Financial Intelligence Centre investigate the bank accounts of a politician dismissed under a cloud of suspicion, will turn out to be one of the best legacies of President Mahama's period in office - in as far as fighting corruption is concerned. A word to the wise...