Having been in power for forty years now, President Omar Bongo, of Gabon, has recently become the world's longest-serving (non-hereditary) ruler. He has kept his oil-rich country of only 1.4 million citizens stable - by cleverly opting to buy off his political opponents and critics: rather than imprisoning and murdering them; as happens elsewhere, in Africa!
It has made them all super-rich: thanks to Omar Bongo's munificence. And in return, it has enabled Bongo to hang on to power for decades - outlasting many French presidents: beginning with the era of Charles De Gaulle!
However, outside the charmed circle of Gabon's enormously wealthy elite, ordinary Gabonese (and their much-looted nation), have very little to show, for the many billions of dollars from oil revenues, earned thus far, by their country.
For example, incredibly, Gabon, for all its wealth, has less than a thousand miles of first class roads (and one is being overly-generous here, dear reader!) - yet, Gabon's oil, is fast running out!
Can, and will, something similar, possibly happen to Ghanaians and their nation, now that huge quantities of various deposits of natural gas and oil, have been discovered off our coastline? One doubts that very much.
For, in spite of the day-dreaming being indulged in by the many hangers-on, who surround Ghana's political parties' (December 2008 election's) presidential candidates, there are some very determined, honest, and patriotic Ghanaians, who will never permit that to happen - and are prepared to risk their lives, in order to bring the 4th Republic to an end, if need be: to protect our oil wealth.
A thorough June 4th 1979-type probe, of both of the regimes which have held power, under this unparallelled 4th Republican era of kickbacks and clever looting, will then be undertaken. Naturally, it will be devoid of the bloodletting and illegality of that period.
Following that, a new 5th Republic, which will be built on a solid foundation of transparency and accountability, will be ushered in. The 5th Republican Constitution will follow the principle of separation of powers, to the letter. No members of Parliament will serve as government ministers, for example.
And there will be a far less powerful president - as parliament will have oversight responsibilities over the executive branch of government.
Both the legislature and the judiciary will be funded from the consolidated fund - freeing them from the baleful influence, which presidents currently have over them, under the 4th Republican Constitution: a self-serving document, drawn up, simply, to enable a former military dictator, to carry on ruling our nation, as its elected civilian leader.
It is important to stress, dear reader, that this time round, there will be no unlawful killings or torture - just a ruthless application of the various sanctions spelt out in our statute books, for those, who over the years since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) regimes came to power, have wilfully caused financial loss, to the Ghanaian nation-state.
And it will not just be politicians who will be punished for taking Ghanaians for a ride - all public officials who have "chopped Ghana small" will face the music too, when "June 4th Mark 2", comes along. And we will all say, "Amen" to that, when the day comes!
And this time round, it will bring to an end (once and for all!), the monstrous and amoral behaviour, of our largely greedy and dishonest political class - and their high net worth cronies, amongst our ruthless and super-clever oligarchs: virtually all of whom are literally bleeding mother Ghana dry, as they syphon off Ghana's wealth, in evaded taxes (of gargantuan proportions!), and transfer huge sums abroad.
The much-awaited end, of the tenure, of our number one "waa-waa" hypocrite, will be the beginning of the end, for the arrogant and untouchable fat-cats, currently taking our country for a huge ride.
And it does not matter what our political class does: in the end, ultimately, Ghana will take a path that will result in her working closely with progressive nations like Hugo Chavez's Venezuela - to ensure that our oil wealth benefits Ghanaians only: not bloodsuckers from foreign parts (and the greedy local lackeys of neo-colonialism, who front for them!).
It is not to Norway and Britain that sensible and patriotic Ghanaian leaders will go to, to learn lessons in safeguarding our oil revenues from - it is to nations like Venezuela; Iran; and Mexico, which we must beat a path to, for that purpose.
For the sake of the stability and security of our country, we must nationalise the oil industry, as soon as it is practicable to do so: but we must pay the overseas investors fair compensation, naturally!
That way, all the money from this finite resource, will be used for social transformation in Ghana - to enable us halt the ever-widening disparities in wealth, which threatens the very foundations of our nation: as an underclass with no hope and no stake in our country, keeps on growing.
And as is the situation in Venezuela, Ghana's oil, will benefit ordinary Ghanaians: and they too, for example, will also be able to fill the petrol tanks of their motor vehicles, for less than one US dollar: as Venezuelans do, on a daily basis - because their leaders care about the welfare of ordinary people; as opposed to that of the shareholders of foreign-owned oil companies, and their wealthy Venezuelan collaborators. Period.
We must pass legislation that makes it mandatory for foreigners participating in the ancillary businesses servicing the oil industry, to have Ghanaian partners - who must also have majority shareholding, in any such joint venture.
That is an effective means of boosting and empowering the private sector - and ensuring that as much of the wealth the oil industry generates, stays in our economy.
And to ensure that the oil does not regularly 'disappear' (by being smuggled away in the holds of oil tankers!), we must pass legislation that makes it mandatory, for the the oil companies to contract and pay prevailing international commercial rates, to the Ghana Navy, to provide security, for the oil rigs - and pay the air force same, to use their helicopters, to fly men and equipment from land, to, and from, the offshore rigs.
Alas, it is only that kind of imaginative thinking outside the box, which will enable us keep tabs on their current operations and generate funds for our navy and air force, too!
Our blind acceptance of the self-serving strictures of foreigners, since the military coup of February 1966, is the main reason why Nkrumah's Ghana has come to such a sorry pass - and has ended up becoming a nation ruled by the mediocre.
And today, it is saddled with a greedy, unimaginative, and largely incompetent, political elite - who, fifty-one years after independence, cannot even ensure the regular provision of utility services, such as potable water and electricity, for ordinary people!
Over the years since Nkrumah's overthrow, they have supervised the creation of a selfish society, in which the interests of our mostly crooked and tax-dodging high net worth oligarchs, and their foreign "uber-exploiting-collaborators", have been substituted, for the interests of our nation and its citizens.
A cursory look at the men and women who surround the presidential candidates of virtually all the political parties, for example, reveals a motley army of mostly self-seeking men and women, with absolutely no moral scruples - forever on the lookout for the main chance.
And almost each one of them apparently dreams of joining the swollen ranks, of well-connected scions, of the family clans, of the few powerful tribal supremacists, who have ended up dominating the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP): and have today morphed into influential figures, with untold riches (the number one hypocrite's own family clan, currently perching, imperiously, at the very top, of the huge and very greasy pole, called unfathomable greed).
Never, in Ghana's history, has nepotism been seen on such a massive scale, in all of the 51 years our homeland Ghana has been an independent nation-state. Our number one hypocrite, has set a record, which many think will never be broken.
Thanks to his "Kokofu-football" politics, this unreconstructed tribal supremacist, has ended up dividing our country, along tribal lines, in a manner never seen before, in Ghana.
He has even enabled feudalism to attempt to rear its ugly head once again, in our country - threatening the cohesion and very survival of Nkrumah's Ghana. Seldom has our nation been so divided.
And please note, dear reader, that Ghana's tribal supremacists exist in all the palaces of traditional rulers across our nation - and they are our local version of the odious white supremacists of the Western world: who look down on black people, whom they feel are sub-human.
In our case, Ghana's tribal supremacists, look down on their fellow human beings: the progeny of their own tribes, whose forebears were not part of the pre-colonial feudal elite; as well as all Ghanaians, who happen to be from different tribes!
There are many who say that the judgement of history, will be, that, under our number one hypocrite's rule, the Busia Danquah tradition, succeeded, in finally implementing the 1950's tribal supremacist agenda, of its political forebear, the murderous and pro-secessionist National Liberation Movement (NLM).
And they point to the fact that by manipulating the machinery of state throughout his tenure, for that end, he has even succeeded in giving the outside world the impression, that somehow, there exists a state within a state, in Ghana - which apparently happens to be the personal fiefdom, of a single traditional ruler: often referred to, by the uncharitable, as, His Majesty, "Mega-Manic-Omnipotence" ("HM, M-M-O").
And it this pure nonsense on bamboo stilts that has resulted in the outrageous situation, in which, according to the bush telegraph, foreign embassies, are apparently being encouraged, to channel the bulk of resources they have earmarked, for supporting "Ghanaian culture" to a particular region.
And much to the annoyance of many a traditional ruler, in other parts of Ghana, it is said, that this much-favoured and pampered citizen, of our country, is being allowed, to more or less conduct his own personal foreign policy: the outward manifestation of which, apparently, is the steady flow, of visiting foreign dignitaries, and delegations, to pay homage, to "HM, M-M-O".
Yet, this is a nation in which there are other equally important traditional rulers, from other Ghanaian tribes: who also hold court in their own magnificent palaces, which can be found, from the southern-most tip of our shores, to the northern-most part, of the landmass of our country, as well its Western and Eastern borders.
And after putting up all these years, with this obscene nostalgia for a bygone feudal age (which ordinary Ghanaians will never allow to return, thank goodness!), by today's tribal supremacists, a second group of tribal supremacists, is apparently also dreaming of elevating their traditional ruler, to the status, of ruler of a state within a state, category, of Ghana's traditional rulers.
Well, dear reader, let them dream on - for, they too, will doubtless, have their appointment, with destiny: when the 21st century equivalent of June 4th 1979 (the polished and "uber-sophisticated" Mark 2 version, i.e.!), comes along. Hmmm, Ghana - asem ebaba debi!
But there will be no compromise over the safeguarding of our oil wealth - and it will always be protected from the grubby hands, of the many clever and respectable-looking thieves, we usually elect to rule us, every four years. Ghana's oil wealth will be used for the sole purpose of transforming Ghanaian society - for the benefit of all Ghanaians: not just a powerful few with greedy ambitions. Period.
And that, dear reader, is non-negotiable: and the earlier those who are dreaming of enriching themselves at the expense of ordinary people, get that into their tiny minds, the better it will be, for all of them. May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana, always. Long live freedom! Long live Ghana!
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