President John Mills
I couldn’t believe my ears when two Deputy Ministers in the Mills-Mahama administration revealed on two radio stations in the UK this morning that the five military aircraft being purchased by the insensitive NDC government at a cost of GH¢375 million ($250million) will be used for other diabolic purposes besides what the military has planned for.
Fiifi Kwetey, a Deputy Minister of Financial Propaganda and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Misinformation, made this known to the Ghanaian community in the UK, when their offices were contacted to share their positions on the purchase of the said aircrafts.
With one of the radio presenters not satisfied with their explanations, the presenter quickly phoned Koku Anyidoho – the Director of Communications at the presidency for verification. To the surprise of all the listeners, Koku corroborated the story. When the phone lines were opened for the contributions of callers, many of the ignorant paid serial callers of the NDC, notably one godfather, Frank, Louisa, Kwame Asante of Israel, Alhaji Fugu and one Naana, the woman who was allegedly given £50,000 to open a shop at Strasford, all called into the programme to defend the position of the inept government. According to these NDC serial callers, the NDC as a party had been having sleepless nights since Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP’s flag-bearer made the ‘All-die-be-die’ declaration. This is because they believe that particular statement from this courageous man has rekindled the spirit of the NPP members to guard against the rigging of the 2012 general elections.
If readers would care to know, the NDC was truly born out of violence and that the party’s modus operandi in achieving electoral victory is nothing barring violence. For instance, intimidation of voters and macho-posturing represent the party’s father and mother. Whilst lies and propaganda represent the blood that runs through their body, some of the children include threats to kill and killings, political insults and assaults. Their grandparents are deception and incompetence. I hope readers will help me to identify the rest of the family members such as the nephews and nieces for the benefit of the electorate in 2012.
Fellow Ghanaians, have you forgotten that then candidate Mills, in his desperate attempt to win political power, disputed the 2004 Presidential poll which was won by His Excellency, J.A. Kufuor? John Mills contested the election results at the law court and lost. Not satisfied with the verdict, he vowed to set Ghana into flames like Kenya if he failed to win the 2008 polls. Before the Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC) could release the results of the December 2008 run-off, the offices of the EC were besieged by the charged members of the NDC to demand the victory of their presidential candidate. Besides the voter irregularities that occurred in the Volta Region, the second home of Atta Mills cannot be re-counted and out of that, one Dr. Sammy Ohene, an NPP guru and a hard working medical doctor, completely lost one of his eyes.
The NDC, as I keep saying, should never be underrated when it comes to electoral contest. If Ghanaians have not lost their memory, they would realise that within a year into Mill-Mahama administration, 17 different committees were put in place by Atta Mills with the sole aim of co-ordinating activities for the 2012 general elections. Mills even went ahead to unconstitutionally appoint the head of the National Security Intelligence- Gbevlo Lartey to man the security aspect of one of the said committees until he was pressurized by the civil society to resign. Currently, most of the leadership of all the security agencies – the Police, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Immigration and even the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) have been filled with NDC members. Whilst many macho men are allegedly being trained abroad by the Mills government specifically for election 2012, the vacancies created by the dismissal of 400 army recruits in 2009 have been filled with NDC sympathizers.
The introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) did not start from our noble teachers and nurses, but the security agencies. The question that comes to mind is; is it normal for an SHS graduate, who spends three years at a College of Education and comes out with a Diploma Certificate, to receive a lower salary than his counterpart who spends only six months in training in the Police Service? The Mills-Mahama pays GH¢300 to the new teacher whilst GH¢700 is paid to the police officer. How could one say that Prez Mills was once a teacher?
The NDC has never hidden its intention of causing mayhem at the least opportunity. Presently, two violent groups ‘Azorka Boys’ and ‘Taliban Boys’, have been formed within the party. You would recall what the ‘Azorka Boys’ did to one Halidu, one of the Castle of the ‘watchmen’. Halidu received several slaps from some members of this violent group when he was alleged to have misappropriated some funds meant for the 2010 Hajj. In Sunyani this month, it was learnt that 1,800 ‘Azorka Boys’ were there to put fear and panic into the FONKAR players, leading to a humiliating defeat of the GARI team. The ‘Taliban Boys’ have also tested the pulse of the NPP at Agbobloshie market when three NPP members were butchered to death. In spite of the concrete evidence given to the IGP and the Police Administration to arrest the perpetrators of this heinous crime, the case has died a natural death.
We shouldn’t also forget that in all the bye-elections held in the country, the NDC has not hesitated to show its true colours. A case in point is Akwatia, where Jihad was declared by Babal Jamal- one of the ‘bootlickers’. At Atiwa, Anita De Sosou inhumanely drove her car through a group of NPP sympathizers, causing body injury to many of them, yet the Women’s Organizer proudly walks free. In a nutshell, the NDC has succeeded in chasing people perceived to be political opponents out of their offices, hounded others to court, seized many cars belonging to President Kufuor, Nana Akufo Addo, Dr. Bawumia and attacked their personalities, lied about people, killed and maimed others. However, the NPP have remained resilient in the face of these diabolic actions. A month ago, a group of people with brains sat down and set up a Heroes Fund to award ‘Heroes’ who will die through electoral violence. Is this action sensible?
It is in this direction that they have turned their attention to the military to see if it can be manipulated. But Ghanaians trust the intelligence and professionalism of our Armed Forces and know they will never kowtow to the dictates of the NDC. The NDC used a similar strategy in the 2000 general elections but it did not work. In 2000, during the presidential run-off, several helicopters were seen flying all over the opposition strongholds, especially in the Kumasi Metropolis, with the intention of putting fear in the public to stop voting. But with tenacity of purpose, the electorate decisively voted against the NDC.
I am therefore shocked as to why the NDC is so desperate in retaining power by intimidation and rigging instead of fulfilling their promises. This is a party that has been given a four-year mandate to execute its socio-economic and political blueprint to improve the lives of the ordinary people.
The leader has been a vice president before and therefore knows the terrain of governance. In addition, there is oil money and other natural resources. Again, $547million Millennium Development Fund from the US government is in the national coffers. Also, a presidential jet and a presidential palace (Golden Jubilee House) are at your disposal. What else do you need as an intellectual to turn the economy around, Agya Atta?
The NDC must be told that the blame game, the lies, the hypocrisy, the economic hardship, the thievery and corruption are too much for Ghanaians to bear. Mr. President, you and your party members opposed everything that could benefit Ghanaians when you were in opposition, but now that you are in government you are doing worse things. Is that the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda you promised us? You opposed the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and your MPs boycotted proceedings in parliament when the bill was introduced.
Today, the killer health care system- Cash and Carry is in operation. You opposed Representation of the People’s Amendment Bill (ROPAB), yet anytime you travel abroad you ask Ghanaians to contribute to national development. You opposed the purchase of Presidential Jet which cost $32million at the time, but you were the first to travel by it. Under a ‘Social Democratic’ administration, Ghana is spending GH¢375million ($250million) to acquire five aircraft but you turn round to tell Ghanaians that you lack GH¢90million to complete the Accra-Ofankor road.
Editor’s Note: Your regular Friday column ‘Point Of Order’ will return
next week. Sincere apologies to our esteemed readers.
By Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, Hull, UK