The opposition NDC party on Wednesday asserted that President John Agyekum Kufuor's State of the Nation Address last Thursday failed to present the "actual picture of desperation and despair" for the majority of Ghanaians. In their opinion, the "True" State of the Nation is characterized by a “bitterly polarized nation along tribal lines; selective justice and bad governance; and FDI low despite numerous Kufuor trips. “ To me though, the quintessential question is whether the cup is half empty or half full. I tend to believe that the latter is the case.
Accordingly, the sad commentaries and bleak picture being painted by the major opposition party, NDC, makes me question the sincerity of its leaders. Hence, to let these orchestrated deceits and evil machinations intended to fool the populace go unanswered is not only irresponsible on the part on the NPP government, and all objective and fair-minded people, but also a travesty to the good people of Ghana.
I am reminded by Emperor Haile Selassies’ quote that “Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” And so let us analyze each of these characterizations with the needed scrutiny and solemnity, as well as to set the record straight.
As the historic President Abraham Lincoln of United Stated once declared, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” And so, NDC’s depiction that Ghana is a “bitterly polarized nation along tribal lines” merits a great deal of deliberation among the Ghanaians. The question though is, are Ghanaians really divided along tribal lines outside the realms of politics? I think the reality on the ground rebuts this assessment. Yes, Ghanaians affiliations with respective political parties may be partially or tangentially based on tribal lines or ethnicity. But it has much to do with the country’s political history and body politics than it is with any calculated action or inaction by the NPP government in the last 6 years to exacerbate tribal polarization in the country. On the contrary, Jerry “Boom” Rawlings (JJ) actions during his 20-year rule sowed seeds of hatred along ethnic lines that have now ripe and are rearing their ugly heads. JJ actually targeted mostly Akan elites- businessmen, businesswomen and politicians, especially Ashantis, under the guise of “accountability and probity” by confiscating their private properties, jailing some without the due process of law, and forcing others into exile.
Hence, NDC’s recent audacious and disingenuous charges of “selective justice and bad governance” would have been deemed sad, if not deemed laughable. Look, Ghanaians are not as gullible as NDC leaders may want them to be, as revealed by a recent report by the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) published on Ghanaweb.com on 12th February, 2007 entitled “Ghanaians feel economic progress, good governance.” According to the official newsletter of NEPAD report, Ghanaians expressed their delight and optimism at the level of economic progress, human rights, security, democracy and good governance, in spite of the daily drumbeat of impending doomsday. The report continues, “Ghanaians are of the opinion that the security system is offering them protection against torture (48%), arbitrary detection (59%), violent crime (armed robbery 59%), ethnic conflict (60%) and domestic violence (53%)." I think the record speaks for itself. The same cannot be said during Rawling’s 20-year despotic rule.
Regarding NDC MPs outrageous boycott of parliament in protest against the conviction of Mr. Dan Abodakpui, an MP for Keta, by a court of law, as rightfully put by Mr Osei Prempeh, Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, “undermines the court process, against the rule of law and undermining judicial process itself.” He further stated that NDC MPs action was dangerous to the country's judicial process, undermined the concept of due process of law and frowns on provisions in the 1992 Constitution. I agree fully with Mr. Prempeh.
The irony, nonetheless, is that at least, Mr. Abodakpui had the opportunity to defend charges against him in the court of law for over 5 years, and still has an opportunity to pursue the appeals process. On the contrary, these are the same rights denied citizens with similar or less crime under JJ’s authoritarian rule. And so, it defies credulity that NDC sympathizers get the temerity and the moral turpitude to cry foul for being denied their” human rights. By the way, it is still the same independent courts that freed NDC functionaries such as Shirley Ayitteh.
Finally, NDC’s statement that “FDI is low despite numerous Kufuor trips” is ludicrous. First of all, the word low is relative. Is the NDC referring to “Low” compared to JJ’s era or compared to NPP’s own ambitious projections? Regardless, many world leaders and objective economic analysts now see Ghana as one of the most conducive environment for FDIs in Africa. As the former Senator Moynihan of New York once quipped, “one is entitled to his or her opinion but one is not entitled to his or her own facts.” And the indisputable fact is that the NPP government has chalked many great accomplishments in the areas of education, health, social welfare, economic development, freedom of expression, rule of law, etc. Do these successes mean that all of Ghana’s problems are solved? No. Even the current government understands that there are still serious challenges facing the nation and must work harder to achieve its strategic vision. My only argument is that six (6) years is not enough to undo or rectify Ghana’s 20 years of mismanagement. It is, therefore, disingenuous for the PNDC/NDC leaders to complain about all these so-called problems, without accepting their own culpability.
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