Hmmm, Ghana - eyeasem oo: asem ebaba debi ankasa! The independent-minded Ghanaians (the so-called floating voters!), who love mother Ghana dearly, would be most grateful, if the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would tell us, precisely when Professor John Atta Mills intends to publicly publish the assets of himself and his dear wife.
We also want to know if the good professor will demand that all his ministers and their spouses do same too: both on assumption of office and when they leave office.
If they recall, although President Kufuour stood before the whole country and promised that he and his wife would publicly publish their assets, in one of his first speeches as president, at the Independence Square, he did not keep his promise. We expect Professor Atta Mills to do better by Ghana, this time round - and set a new standard of morality in our public life, that way.
Unlike the partisan "My-party-my-tribe-right-or-wrong" myrmidons, who support political parties blindly, and whose blinkers stop them from seeing what is in the best interest of our homeland Ghana, as opposed to what benefits political parties and their supporters only (and in the short term!), independent-minded Ghanaians, simply refuse to be fooled by party propaganda from all Ghana's political parties, this time round!
Consequently, we humbly seek straightforward answers from the NDC to all the issues we are raising here - to help us make up our minds: as to which of the presidential and parliamentary candidates to cast our votes for.
For a start, we really don't want to see a return of the old cronyism and the favouritism that sadly characterised the latter years of the previous NDC regime: should it be voted into office again this December - and we most certainly do not want them to repeat the unprecedented cynicism and greed that we have seen from the present regime, either.
We also want to know if the good professor and his NDC party will let grassroots people elect district chief executives and district assembly members, on a party political basis - to ensure that local government is responsive to the needs of grassroots people: instead of toadying to the president of the day, as is now the case, under the present iniquitous and undemocratic system. It may have suited a military ruler metamorphosing into a civilian ruler in 1992, but it certainly does not help our country in the slightest - and must go. Period.
As things now stand, DCE's countrywide are abusing their offices, on a daily basis - and are using it to further the parochial interests of the ruling party, as opposed to working to improve the quality of life of those they are meant to serve at the district level. Can the NDC's position on this important matter be clarified the next time the NDC meets the press?
If we elect DCE 's and the membership of district assemblies, it will create a pool of men and women with solid track records of executive decision-making for our country. It will also make all the political parties feel that they too have a stake in the running of our country - and help lessen political tension in our country, that way.
Furthermore, far from opposition parties and their elected DCE's sabotaging the government of the day, as some say will happen, if they were elected on a party political basis, they would rather seize the opportunity to show Ghanaians what they can achieve at the national level, if they were elected into power: by turning their districts into model communities, and point to them as examples of their ability to improve the quality of life of ordinary Ghanaians.
That is one of the most effective ways of bringing about sustainable development that benefits local people and improves their quality of life - because elected DCE's will ensure that that always happens: in order to be re-elected to power regularly. We cannot call this a true democracy if we continue to deny grassroots people the right to elect their DCE's and assembly members.
We also want an assurance from Professor Mills that he will not repeat the outrageous attempt by President Kufuor to foist his tribal chiefs on Ghanaians - and never encourage those megalomaniac-bloodsucking-progeny, of the ruling elites from our pre-colonial feudal past, to act as if they were running mini-states within the modern Ghanaian nation-state.
This is a unitary republic - not a kingdom. With respect, in a strictly legal sense, there are no "kings" in our country. Period. Ordinary Ghanaians, who understand perfectly that inherited privilege is the worst enemy of any meritocracy, do not want our political leaders to encourage any chiefs in our country to think of themselves as sovereigns - for they are just private citizens who happen to be important members of society: nothing more, nothing less.
The NDC must also ensure that all chiefs in Ghana, stay out of politics. President Kufour's disgraceful attempt to use the machinery of state to promote the ambitions of his tribal chiefs (at the expense of all the other chiefs in Ghana) to somehow become political leaders in our country, is one of the most egregious examples of abuse of the office of president of Ghana, which we have ever seen in our country's history. Professor Mills must not attempt to emulate him, in any shape or form, under any circumstances - as it really is treasonable to attempt to divide this country in such an outrageous and tribalistic fashion.
Above all, I recommend that the NDC takes a good look at the sustainable development models used by the following individuals and organisations - and collaborate with them, to help bring positive change to the "real economy" of rural Ghana: Graham Knight's DIY Solar (http://biodesign.webeden.co.uk/), Folke Gunther (http://www.holon.se/folke/), Ken Hargesheimer - MiniFarms organisation
(http://www.minifarms.com/.), the South African sustainable development organisation, Sustainable Villages Africa [SVA] (http://www.sva.co.za/.), and the Biochar Fund organisation in Europe (http://biocharfund.com/index.php.). One also hopes that the NDC will study biochar too - for, it will blow their minds: (http://www.biochar-international.org/).
Hmmm, Ghana - eyeasem oo: asem ebaba debi ankasa! May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana, always. long live freedom! Long live Ghana!
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