... to Ghanaians?
One will recall that President Barack Obama, the American President, when on visit to Ghana, addressed Ghana Parliament and the nation. In his golden speech, he suggested that "Ghana needs strong institutions but not a strong man" to develop the nation.
One can clearly see that his suggested admonition has fallen face flat. It has fallen on deaf ears when considered it in terms of the current situation in Ghana.
The Executive branch of government is seen to perpetrate and perpetuate unprecedented acts of official corruption injurious to the wellbeing of Ghana. People in government have collusively ganged up with mischievous people like Alfred Agbesi Woyome to swindle Ghana of millions of Ghana New Cedis all in the name of, but dubious, Judge Debt Payments (JDP). The government has indirectly instituted, and is practising divide and conquer policies that have impoverished the majority of Ghanaians. If you are not within the top NDC echelon or their much adorable radio station phone-in serial caller, tough!
The Legislative branch (Legislature) has instead of enacting laws to enhance the welfare of ordinary Ghanaians been occupied with how to get gargantuan increment in their salaries, allowances and so on and so forth. These youngsters have been given the chance through election to serve Mother Ghana but what are they doing? Like the Executive arm of government, they are in Parliament to pursue their selfish interest.
What about the judiciary? They are worse than the above two. The judiciary has always been perceived and accused of stinking corruption. Court judges are noted for deciding cases in favour of the highest bidder. Justice has often been denied the poor in our Law Courts. No wonder the nine-panel judge that sat on Election 2012 petition is alleged to have accepted bribe to decide the case the way they did. Judges throwing out Constitutional and Electoral laws to replace them by their narrow-minded self-serving but seeming constructivist interpretations rather than the restrictive rules of the game as agreed on by all participating parties from the outset.
Are these what President Obama had in mind for Ghana? No! Our police and all security forces have become lopsided partisans doing only what the President and his government and political party ask them to despite often being nonsensical. They arrest those not belonging in the NDC party on what we call hypocritical selective justice. While a family member of the NDC gets away with blue murder, a member of any other political party gets nabbed, prosecuted and or incarcerated.
While the government steals, both the Legislature and the Judiciary watch because they are equally not clean. Can we continue to build Ghana on such rotten and weak foundations? Will the country not collapse sooner than later? Our hospitals are crying for Medical Doctors, nurses, water and drugs. But there aren’t many. However, the government has money to pay some dubious persons dubious judgment debts.
How conversely the Ghanaian institutions are, oh President Obama. Until when will there continue to be weak institutions but strong corrupt President, corrupt Government Ministers, corrupt judges, corrupt policemen, and less serious legislature, less performing tertiary institutions? There is no effective mechanism of checks and balances in the administration of Ghana.
Ghana is dying a gradual but excruciating socio-politico-economic death.
From a reliable source, Justice William Atuguba enplaned from Ghana to the US on the night of Tuesday, 10 August 2013. He was in transit at London Heathrow airport at 06:15 UK Summer time but 05:15 Ghana time on Wednesday, 11 August 2013. He was in Ghana all the while that rumours were rife that he had left for the US soon after declaring his politically reflected and shamefully biased verdict.
Rockson Adofo