J.H.MENSAH'S ADB SOPHISTRY!

On 17th August 2007, the Ghana News Agency (GNA) reported what it said were the views of Mr. J.H. Mensah, on the future of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB). Mr. J.H. Mensah, is without question, dear reader, a brilliant intellect. And it is precisely that fact, which makes one wonder, exactly what his motives are, for making the kinds of curious "Kweku Ananse" arguments he puts forward, in his attempt to justify the unjustifiable outrage, which the regime over which he still has some considerable influence, is apparently so determined to commit. The trouble about some of our rulers, dear reader, is that they seem to think that ordinary people can never see through them - yet, they are just so transparent!

Was it not this same regime, that insisted that it would not interfere in the takeover (the so-called "merger") of the defunct Ashanti Goldfields - because it was the prerogative of the company's management, not government, in their view, to decide the future course of that company? So why is Mr. Mensah now busy poking his nose into the affairs of ADB - and seeking to decide its future, so blatantly, by "remote control"? Presumably, dear reader, Mr Mensah did have (we hope!) a blind trust to take care of his investments (one wonders whether his famous Adumase Farms still exists!), when he was a government minister, in order to prevent possible conflict of interest situations, from arising. Did the existence of his own blind trust (if such an entity did actually exist,i.e.), mean that he was running his businesses, if any, on a day to day basis, whiles he was a government minister?

So why does he say the Bank of Ghana, because it is a regulator and has a stake in it, ought to get rid of its ADB shares, to prevent a possible conflict of interest situation arising - when those shares are lodged in a blind trust? Does the Bank of Ghana run the day to day affairs of ADB? Or are Mr. Mensah and his crowd, now somehow trying to tell Ghanaians, that fifty years after our independence, the destiny of our country is apparently in the self-serving hands of the World Bank - and so our nation must obey its neo-colonialist strictures, willy nilly? What incredible nonsense on bamboo stilts! It is not for the World Bank to tell our nation what to do with an ADB, some of whose shares, although held by the Bank of Ghana, are in the hands of a blind trust, set up by the Bank of Ghana: precisely in order to prevent possible conflict of interest situations, from ever arising. Period.

Mr. Mensah and his crowd are going about the business of being stooges for neo-colonialism, just a little too enthusiastically, for the liking of some of Ghanaians - and as the rulers of a free people, they are simply going far too far, now. And it is time they understood, that life in an African democracy, does not mean that once you are elected to power, you can do pretty much as you please, regardless. This nation, surprising though it might be to Mr. Mensah and his crowd, is not some feudal basket-case, in which our rulers are unaccountable demi-gods. The ruthless and greedy oligarchs amongst those who currently rule Ghana, dear reader, must understand that they are just mere tenants of the Ghanaian masses, at the Osu Castle, with a full repair lease (to paraphrase the former British Prime Minister, Baroness Thatcher!), which will end in January 2009: without further renewal of that lease, by the good people of Ghana.

And if they continue to insist on acting with such blatant impunity, they must not be surprised, to wake up one fine day, to discover that out of the Ghanaian masses, has suddenly arisen a new political movement, born out of the frustration of the masses, which then decides to run for office, on a political platform, that seeks an end, through constitutional means, of the 4th Republic - and the setting up of a new 5th Republic: complete with a new constitution, which adheres strictly to the constitutional principle of separation of powers; and in which government ministers will consequently not be members of the legislature; and in which the judiciary and the legislature, are both funded from the consolidated fund, out of the hands of a sly and manipulative executive, such as the one we are currently lumbered with. Ghanaians will then consign the era of the 4th Republic, with all its dreadful baggage, mostly of unparallelled greed and hypocrisy, to the dung heap of history, permanently. Period.

And both Mr. Mensah and his crowd, which is jam-packed with the progeny, of our corrupt and arbitrary feudal elite, of the dreadful slave-owning societies, of the pre-colonial era; as well as the I-cannot-really-make-up-my-mind-precisely-what-I-stand-for, and the constantly ground-shifting ("Kotoka is a hero"), hero of June 4th 1979; his crowd of cruel and unfeeling erstwhile jackboots, and brutish myrmidons, will all be swept away from our political landscape, for good. Period. Why, is the highly knowledgeable Mr. Mensah, not aware, of the plethora of financial institutions existing in the West, which exist solely to ensure that the agricultural sector of the economies of the Western nations, never fall into the hands of outsiders, in any shape or form, and under any circumstances: and are consequently insulated from market forces - so that food security, a strategic national security objective (for sensible nations with foresight, i.e.), is always assured?

Has the World Bank ever ventured to tell the US government and the other governments in the West, to 're-organise' those financial institutions - so that they will become "more attractive" to foreign commercial entities: and their local lackeys, who think of nothing but money, 24/7? How do we know, dear reader, that the use of words and phrases such as 're-organise' and "to make it attractive", by the erudite Mr. Mensah, is not simply code for a cashless-takeover, in which ADB is delivered to foreigners and their Ghanaian collaborators, on a silver platter, without Ghana as much as seeing even a pesewa of cash - whiles the greedy hypocrites amongst those now running Nkrumah's Ghana, get paid massive "kickbacks" in hard currency? Is that not the modus operandi of the Scancems of this world: of which there happen to be far too many on the continent of Africa, including mother Ghana?

Mr. Mensah and his crowd must not think Christmas has come early for them this year. Does Mr. Mensah not know that many ordinary Ghanaians are aware that an item of expense, totalling a hefty 500,000 pounds sterling, was rejected for payment, by the board of AngloGold at a meeting in London, not too long after the takeover of Ashanti Goldfields (the so-called merger!)? Does he think Ghanaians will stomach a smoke and mirrors share-swap deal, just to make ADB "more attractive" for greed-consumed foreigners? And what will Mr. Mensah's reply be, to the cynics amongst us, who say that perhaps some of the politicians in the pockets of our high net worth oligarchs, are rather hoping that the same item of expense, will appear in the books of the entity, on whose behalf they are working so feverishly, night and day, to engineer the "re-organisation" of ADB, for? Could the cynics also be right, in claiming that the drivers of what they describe as a self-serving deal, are driven solely by dreams of massive "kickbacks" - and that our greedy high net worth oligarchs, are mightily pleased that in this particular case, no such busy-body board of directors apparently exists: it being packed with men and women , who are pretty wise, in the ways of this world?

Well, it may come as a surprise, to the well-heeled hypocrites, amongst those who currently rule our homeland Ghana (who mostly seem to think we are all envious of them, when we criticise them openly - forgetting, irritatingly, that many Ganaians live by the simple credo: "A good name is better than riches"!); but the Ghana of today, is most definitely not the kind of society, in which the ruling elite, can get away with such impunity, permanently. They must understand that there will be consequences, for the individuals, whose unfathomable greed, seems to be driving most of the disposal of state assets, today, one fine day for sure. December 2008, is just round the corner - and the J.H.Mensahs will get their comeuppance then. His contemptuous dismissal of the money ADB makes from the Western Union franchise, speaks volumes about the hypocritical nature of some of the members of the regime in power today. Many members of the current regime, never tire of linking the increases in remittances from Ghanaians abroad (which they think is somehow a barometer of the confidence, which Ghanaians abroad have, in the nation, which is currently so firmly, under their collective thumb), to what they claim is the NPP's good stewardship, of the national economy.

Yet the highly intelligent Mr. Mensah, uses contemptuous language to dismiss the service, which ADB had the vision to pioneer, and has facilitated greatly, the remittance of money by Ghanaians abroad - and has ensured that many families, in the hell-hole that is the Ghana run by Mr. Mensah's crowd, do not starve. One would think he would at least show some gratitude to ADB, by not dismissing the Western Union franchise, so arrogantly. And when Mensah talks so glibly about 're-organisation' of ADB, dear reader, what precisely does he mean? Since he is so contemptuous of the "new-fangled trade in money transfer", are the cynics amongst us, dear reader, to assume, that as sure as night follows day, there will be unbundling when that 're-organisation' takes place - and that the extremely profitable franchise, which makes the "new-fangled trade in money transfer" possible, will find its way into the investment portfolios, of their favourites, amongst Ghana's greedy and ruthless high net worth oligarchs?

The highly intelligent Mr. Mensah is also quoted as saying that : "... need for agricultural transformation was the sole purpose for establishing the ADB with state resources". He apparently also went on to add: "And indeed, most of those resources were being contributed by these same farmers and self-employed entrepreneurs: so it was also a matter of equity to extend to them the benefits of the nation's financial system." One wonders, dear reader, whether it has ever occurred to Mr. Mensah and his crowd, that the real question to address in the matter of "equity" (which will actually ensure that the "benefits of the nation's financial system" is extended to farmers and self-employed entrepreneurs!), is to undertake far-reaching land reform in Ghana, so that land, currently held in trust for their people, by traditional rulers (many of whom are simply selling parcels of such land and pocketing the proceeds), will be nationalised, and redistributed to, amongst other sections of society, landless tenant farmers and small entrepreneurs - who make up the bulk of our population?

Fortunately for Mr. Mensah and his crowd, many Ghanaians, including even the cynical ones, will then immediately start believing that the NPP actually means it, when it says it wants to make Ghana a property-owning democracy, whenever such land reform takes place. The bind for them, is that currently, the impression most Ghanaians have, is that about the only ones actually acquiring properties in today's property-owning Ghanaian democracy, are: some of those who rule our homeland Ghana; their sons and daughters; and the most ruthless of Ghana's greedy high net worth oligarchs. Hmm, Ghana. Asem ebaba debi. May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana always. Long live freedom! Long live Ghana! Kofi Thompson can be reached by email at: peakofithompson@yahoo.co.uk and by SMS text message on: (027) 745 3109