They cannot be said to have gone into the small, small projects being sod-cut or commissioned all over the place as if something big is happening. They always say classrooms and not schools; because small is many and big is few.
Never in the entire history of the motherland has so much money accrued to government chest. Gold price is at record high. Cocoa price is highest ever. I just saw CEPS has already exceeded its first quarter target. Utility prices are at their peak. Fuel prices are the highest ever. Toll and other levies have never been this high. On top of everything else, we are exporting oil.
So why are we not seeing big development at a scale never seen before instead of the small, small projects? It is because the money is going into mansions and filling cheeks. A mosquito is now able to lay eggs of cement blocks to build two mansions in two years. Small and small standard seven boys and girls are building mansions.
They put small money into doing small things in the rural areas to deceive rural dwellers to vote for them in 2012. I think those whose job as politicians to stop the deceit should start now because the deception could stick.
Just think, the money used to construct that beautiful road from Pantang through Peduase Presidential Lodgeto Mamfe by the Kufuor administration could probably have built one thousand rural schools. But Kufuor built both that road and one thousand and over schools.
There was no oil money then, cocoa and gold prices were not that high, and tolls were a thousandth of their current level.
The oil money has gone with the STX wind, with the crumbs towards congress mansions and cheek stuffing.
My proposal for addressing the development issue is first to property audit. EOCO or CHRAJ, whoever cares, must publish an announcement in the newspapers and on radio asking anyone who suspects a mansion built by a congressperson within the last two years to provide details.
EOCO could even begin by asking for volunteers. We would see how many congresspeople will raise their hands to be counted as auditees.
If none of this happens, we will be stuck with a big government that does little, little things and expects to be applauded for that. If we allow it to be stuck in the heads of our compatriots that a better Ghana means small, small community projects, then the motherland is doomed to be underdeveloped.
A central government builds the big roads, trunk roads, arterial roads; roads that link regional capitals and district capitals to regional capitals.
Revenue generated from such projects is then channeled into building the feeder roads. Even these are done strategically. Cocoa and foodstuffs must be carted. This ensures that food prices are kept down and that enough revenue is generated for the smaller projects.
No nation has ever completely built enough schools. Even those with shrinking populations never stop building schools because of shifting population concentrations. So you can never finish building schools before constructing the big roads.
My compatriots, if you heard them, now they say they are doing rural development. So everyone should be stuck in their village. No Nsawam bypass, no Nkawkaw bypass, no Aflao road. If it’s going to cost more to transport goods and services from the ports and harbours which are all located in the southern part of the motherland, they congresspeople couldn’t be bothered.
I thought rural development was community development. It is small development which should be propelled by the big development. No big development, no small development.
The big money will continue to go to mansions, and cheeks and policy fairs. They promised to cut down workshops and seminars and conferences and fairs to save money. Just watch. There are now big, big policy fairs which can never put food on your table nor money into your pockets.
All you who can read and will read this, please go and tell your compatriots and my compatriots in the rural areas that the liars and cheats are at it again. All the money which should come into their pockets are being used to build mansions or stuff cheeks.
When they come to commission a borehole or classroom, or KVIP or cut sod for whatever, they should ask them where all the gold and cocoa and oil money has gone that they are giving them those small, small district level projects. They should ask them where they are getting all the money for building mansions and filling their cheeks from.
More here:
Our Money Is Going into Mansions And Cheeks