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Sarpong, Justice
Ghanaians ushered the year 2009 in with a new NDC government that won the election by adumbrating and flummoxing us with the mantra, CHANGE. Ghanaians bought the change message for better Political and Economic conditions which have rather brought a nightmarish condition in the lives of its citizens. As the year comes to an end, let's take stock of what had transpired in Mills NDC administration to improve the lot of Ghanaians. Since there are a lot to talk about and not enough time and also not to bore forumers, I will pass on the economic nightmares for the Economists and deal exclusively with the car snatching syndicate operating from the castle.
The first order of business when President Mills assumed office was to grant a'carte blanche' to Victor Smith and his Mafia cabal at the castle to embark on car seizures reminiscent of car jacking syndicates very rampant in USA and other developed countries and now being popularized by the NDC zongo zealots bent on making Ghana a 'hellish' place for law abiding citizens to live freely. Initially, the Mills administration couched this policy of car seizures as retrieving cars that have been stolen by the previous administration functionaries. As Patriotic Ghanaians, regardless of our political affiliations, retrieving stolen cars from Political 'hags' was seen as the right thing to do but this turned out to be Political witchunt.
The NPP Presidential candidate, Nana Akuffo Addo's car was snatched from a garage which was later returned with apologies. President Kuffour did not escape this car jacking humiliation either and four cars from his residence was retrieved with directives from Gbevlo-Lartey and Victor Smith. The car seizures were not restricted to the Politicians alone, a Bank Manager's car was seized by these hoodlums from the castle which was later returned with apologies after a prolonged protestation from the general public who were alarmed by this lawless undertaking with the tacit Castle approval.
Now the crapulous lot from the Castle after sharing these seized cars among themselves and their relatives have extended their tentacles to the Tema port where imported cars shipped by hard working diasporians are not save anymore and under attack from the NDC car thieves masquerading as Castle officials and rampaging through imported cars, targeting cars that catches their fancies and using motball laws to seize these cars under flimsy and clumsy excuses. One such incident almost resulted in a tragedy when one of the Castle operatives pulled a gun on a Custom Official who refused to allow this yahoo from the Castle to drive away a car that has not been processed.
As recounted by the Daily Graphic Newspaper, "The seized cars debacle took a ballistic turn Wednesday as the deputy to the Castle-appointed Chairman of Confiscated Vehicle Disposal Committee, Carl Wilson, pulled a pistol on a National Security operative attached to the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at the Tema Port State Warehouse. Nana Kublan Olivier, thought to be a French national and a deputy to Mr Wilson, is being held by the Ports and Railway Police after he was disarmed by Chief Collector Nicholas Okporah of CEPS, when he threatened to blow off the head of a national security operative."
Fellow Countrymen, after a year in office, the whole country has become a car jacking fiefdom, with the Capos ensconced at the Castle seizing cars your sons and daughters in diaspora are sending home to their families to enjoy for the sacrifices they made to send their children abroad so that their lives in Ghana would be a little enjoyable.
It was not long ago when it was reported in this forum that, cars that have not been cleared from the port due to the sixty days limit one has to clear their goods, have been seized and sold to NDC operatives as low as fifty pesewas. Folks, the fifty pesewas selling price might sound ridiculous but the chassis numbers and registration numbers of some of these cars were provided in that article. Our properties are being defalcated by these People from the Castle and Personnel from the Ministries some of whom have never purchased a bicycle tire in their lives. Folks, this is really happening and one forumer recountered his experience in this vivid recollection.
------------------------------------- RONNIE AHWIRENG WASH . DC Date:2009-12-24 16:32:23 Comment to:Re: WHERE FROM THESE SEIZED CARS????
Dear Unknown, In a previous article in Ghana web, about stolen cars from America, narrated by a junior minister a week ago, I wrote back saying, I did not believe that honorable member.I said some members of the national security agents at the Tema harbor are using their authority to confiscate cars by just by labeling them STOLEN. When your car is labeled as a stolen car at Tema Harbor no agent want to touch it with a TEN FOOT POLE.It took the help of the INTERPOL the GHANA POLICE HEADQUARTERS.before i was able to retrieve my jaguar from this NASTY carl ,My congressman was then ready to intervene on my behalf when his staff examined my documents including all the taxes i was paying on the car, because i still had the car registered in the U.S.A.In my previous article i referred to this CARL as a crook and is in collaboration with with others at the harbor accusing and frightening agents and seizing cars without any proof.Now Mr unknown,there are lots of GHANIANS in the USA who are in professional positions, work hard ,takes care of our families,responsibilities and still able to own a JAGUAR, a C-CLASS MERC-BENZ, and 2010 HONDA CIVIC. I do not know what you do for living , but for the past 35 years i have been waking up at 4 a.m fix my lunch and always on my work place ONE HOUR before other guys show up. I work hard for my money and as such have the right to spend it reasonably as far as i am not hurting anybody. We have major problems at our ports where those in charge feel that they can amass wealth,at other peoples expense.I do not wish anybody what i went through because you will start to have hatred towards the government. The bullying days are over and ready to fight for my God giving right. Thank You. ________________________________
What is so tragic about what is going on in Ghana is that, President Mills appointees are defending this criminal activity . Mr Alex Segbefia is on record of challenging anybody to lodge a complaint against his appointee, Carl Wilson who was previously arrested by Castle security operatives when he stole a car and sent it Asylum Down to be repainted under the cover of darkness. The same Segbefia who is challenging Ghanaians to lodge any complaint against this Carl Wilson, pulled all strings to get him released immediately after his arrest. Some of these seized cars were recently found in Volta region and some might have even crossed the border to Togo for safe keeping and future use...
My advice to those whose cars have been illegitimately seized is to misprize those who seized their cars, make a complaint to CHRAJ, network among themselves, inform Opposition Political figures and their Member of Parliament so that a record would be kept with names and dates of the event, because it might take three years, seven years or eleven years, justice will definitely be done. To those riding around in their fifty pesewa cars, my advice to you is to save enough money to pay for the accurate price of the cars you've stolen plus the interest accrued because you will pay for your misdeeds, NO IF'S or BUT'S about it. We are not going to allow thieves, hoodlums, thugs and yahoos to hijack our nascent democracy with their criminal behaviours. Political positions are not supposed to be avenues for obtuse and sophomoric individuals for lagniappe and satisfaction of ephemeral.
Justice Sarpong
Houston, TEXAS.