Do You See What I See?

This is the second workshop, or do I say a series of ?lectures? to come, coming from the Togbe Afede XIV of HO, the newly appointed political science ?Lecturer? to Ghanaians and for that matter the NPP government. Dass Right! (That is right) ?To quote my best friend ? Akwass.

I am very happy that notwithstanding the ?economic hardship? and the subsequent ?Wahala? and ?ROPAB? parades, there has never been any mayhem or ?machoism? coming from the military (formerly it would have been the commandos -64 battalion), the police or the ?organs of the so-called revolution? on the demonstrators.

Hurray to democracy.

The lessons we?ve gotten so far from the new ?lecturer? has been (in the first workshop) on International relationship ? Why the NPP administration is not bestowing the same state protocol to chieftaincy as they always do to politicians when they (Chiefs/Kings) trot around the globe in search of the ?Red October? ? investors. The case study here is the recent private journey to the Far East ? China, of course (the newly crowned economic super power of the 21st century) to get investors to HIPC prone country, Ghana. There was no the ?expected? protocol or diplomatic courtesy for the effort.

The invited ?guest? for the colorful occasion had been the newly elected Chairperson of the NPP, Mr. Mack Manu.

CORRUPTION

The second workshop has a multiple topics but it all comes under the familiar slogan by the ?men of integrity?; Accountability, Probity, and Transparency ? Corruption!

We shall also discuss the political reasons for the current anti-ROPAB wahala.

It is of great significance that the question of corruption has pop up again at this workshop and coming from the Togbe in his presentation.

The word CORRUPTION has come (on many occasions in Ghana politics) and go but it seems Ghanaians have not been able to ?identify? it to stop it. There have been numerous names, a.k.a., and acronyms for the same word, corruption.

We presently have the NPP word or term; Zero Tolerance for Corruption. The Fast Track High Courts are supposed to implement the zero tolerance policy.

Rawlings and the ?men of integrity? called it; ?Accountability, Probity, and Trancesparency? and the ?house cleaning exercise? was the implementation procedure.

It was really a dreadful site for those who come under the ?the enemy of the revolution? category. Many people died (out of trauma) and many more lost their properties and companies all for the ?love? of halting corruption in Ghana.

Thus, the numerous coup d?etat in Ghana; 1966, 1972, 1979 and 1981 by the military, the moralists were all attributed, in most part to the wiping out of corruption in Ghana?s social psyche. General Kotoka mentioned corruption and tyranny as the reason for the February 24, 1966 coup; General Acheampong was of the view ? the ?few amenities enjoyed by the military under the CPP had been taken away by the corrupt government of the Progress Party?. That had been the anthem for the various coups plots and coup d?etats in Ghana by the moralists.

Do You See What I see? (Ona Noko ? Ga language)

All these anti-corruption crusaders end up becoming the ?Latter Day Saints? ? millionaires in Ghana. The guy who comes in mind is Dr. Dr. J.J. Rawlings, an apostle extra-ordinaire when it comes to the ?word?. Once upon a time, Rawlings had to credit ?Yoke Gari? to get going when he was on the bench and wearing ?skin-tights? jeans. Today, the man of integrity has ?everything? ? living good, brother. Rawlings has all his children in Ireland, has a fleet of vehicles; four bullet-proof 4X4 vehicles, Jaguars, a battalion of macho men to beat the hell out of anybody who dares to challenge the sources of his luxury. Did I hear him saying the ?bill? was footed by a ?friend?? OYIWA -Father Christmas indeed!

The man of integrity has even challenged the FBI, CIA, KGB and the MOSSAD to investigate him of any wrong doing in the ?living good? lifestyle.

Kwaku Baako of Crusading Guide excluded ? invited guests only. Bla, bla ?..

Dr. Dr. J.J. Rawlings, please and with due respect, do you have any names (a.k.a) besides Mr. Paul Gyamfi? Bla, bla, bla ?..

Do you still see what I see?

What also makes Rawlings case very interesting is that the guy has the courage and energy parading the streets of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and elsewhere (accompanied by the Utopian scholar, Kwasi Pratt) in the Wahala and ROPAB demonstrations.

I recently got to understand this guy?s strength, first the insertion of the Indemnity Clause into the 1992 constitution ? a life time ?protection? from all the anticipated hula balloon from the Against group ( Osei Kwabena is one of them). The PNDC Law 284, the bone of contention in the ROPAB debate, is the other protection mechanism. Rawlings and the P/NDC hierarchy need a few ignorant and na?ve people to lean on all the time ? ?See no evil hear no evil? chaps.

The P/NDC MPs, are the law enforcement officers entrusted to make sure that nothing happens to the ?leader and Founder? of the revolution. Then comes into mind the Ayarigas, Harunas, and Tias ?the Northern region Trios. They are the ?political catalyst? of the P/NDC ethnocentric chemical reaction, the nonentities, the political hooligans etc.

Who can tell me, the last time Rawlings bought food with his own hard earned currency? Jamais! Free Bonus ?at the Ghanaian tax-payers accounts. So Wahala here he goes!

Do you now see what I see?

ROPAB

I was wondering what Togbe Afede XIV makes or thinks of the majority Ghanaian electorate vis a vis the PNDC Law 284, which was inserted into the ?already dubious? 1992 constitution ? double jeopardy. I do not want to believe that the new lecturer is either of Rawlings school of thought or of Prof. Kofi Awoonor school of thought in the debate on ROPAB.

Rawlings school of thought stands for ?democratization of violence? in the Ghanaians society and in the latter circumstance, sounding ETHNOCENTRIC.

For the sake of amateurism on the part of the new lecturer, I would want to state clearly again that the ROPAB is ?just? a repeal of the military decree ?PNDC Law 284 and therefore all concerns should be addressed in that context. ?Simple and short?!

Also I would want to inform Togbe Afede XIV that the ROPAB was openly debated both in parliament and in public domain (I believe throughout the regional capitals via workshops/forum) as stipulated by the 1992 constitution and that both the CPP and PNC members of parliament, all voted in favour of the passage of the bill. So where is the acrimony? Those who made and still making fuss about the ROPAB are members of the defunct ?organs of the so-called December 31 revolution?, the present core of the P/NDC MPs ? political hooligans.

If the lecturer wants my stand on the ROPAB (as a CPP member), I will say absolutely, YES! Yes, to ROPAB for the obvious political reasons:

1. The ?Burger? bill will enable the ?strangled? CPP party to tell its ?story? to the Ghanaian electorate, especially the Diasporas for the illegal coup d?etat of 1981 by the fake revolutionaries; JJ Rawlings and his ethnocentric minded lieutenants; the Tsikatas, Prof Kofi Awoonor Williams, the Ahwois, Dr. Obed Asamoah etc.

2. Ghanaians will be able to make a ?proper? assessment of the twenty something years of the Utopian revolution and expose the political opportunism of the ?men of integrity?.

3. The ROPAB will enable the choice of the President of Ghana a ?meaningful? one. What I mean here is that political parties? campaign should focus on ?what the political parties and their members can do for Ghana and not what Ghana can do for them?. This also means the parties concern would be doing their best to convince the electorate on how to find a lasting solution to the numerous and complex socio-economic problems facing the country, mainly thanks to Dr. J.J. Rawlings and the P/NDC hierarchy.

For instance, it was stupid for a political organization like the P/NDC and its leadership to campaign (focus) on the unfortunate death of the Ya-Na and the Dagbon crisis in the 2004 elections. I don?t think it was the right message to send to make a political change in Ghana.

4. The passage of ROPAB and the participation of the Diasporas would also assess the ?wholesale? capitalism of the NPP.

I do not believe that the ROPAB is a political ploy by the NPP party; rather it is the CPP that stand to gain politically. If the P/NDC is the loser who cares; because the leadership (Rawlings) does not even believe in party politics more so what would they (P/NDC) have to offer Ghana that they could not do in the marathon twenty years in perpetual dictatorship?

Also a comprehensive solution to the corruption in Ghana should first consider the removal of the Indemnity Clause from the 1992 constitution. All Ghanaians should have equal protection from the constitution and not the very few P/NDC political activists.

I have to stop here and move on because I have another lectures/tutorials to attend this time with the a group calling itself ([email protected]) I got their attention when I sent a rejoinder to an article on the ROPAB purported to have come from one Dr. Sallar Anthony Mawuli. The next topic will thus be:

The P/NDC hierarchy and Ethnocentrism.