Re: "Kufuor’s Ignominious Last Days!"

Nana Biakoye, I refer to your article entitled "Kufuor’s Ignominious Last Days!" which appeared in the general news web page of www.ghanaweb.com, on Friday 7th November, 2008. Massa, the root causes of the evil known as corruption within our political class, are many and varied, indeed - and you must not forget that corruption did not start today, either.

Hmmm, Ghana – eyeasem oo: God, Ghanaians are such an interesting people. Massa, we are sleepwalking to a future catastrophe - by pretending that political parties, which are in the business of fighting to win political power, can do so by solely relying on moneyed-folk (a majority of who are tax-dodging crooks, if truth be told!).

That sad end, of the gentleman you make so many allegations of corruption about, and catalogue, is precisely what will be the fate of all our presidents, eventually - if we do not give up the fantasy that political parties can produce honest leaders if they are held to ransom by the crooked investors who fund them.

Have you seen any of the gentlemen vying to be the next president of our country rushing to publicly publish the assets of themselves and their spouses? Have you heard any of them telling us that they will, in addition, also demand that all the appointees to public office that they make during their tenure, will be forced by them to do same, too: before and after their tenure in office? Ditto the spouses of those appointees?

The greed for money of those of the members of our political class, whom the virus of corruption afflicts, and which manifests itself so palpably, during the latter stages of their tenure, starts off its journey of a zillion deceptions, driven solely by their need to seek funds for their political parties - to enable them entrench themselves in power: for as long as it is possible to do so.

Massa, just how do you expect them to keep the large army of party foot-soldiers and sundry hangers-on, sweet and content, if they do not resort to crooked ways to build up a war chest sufficiently large to keep them in power, for as long as it is possible for them to get away with fooling the nation - compromising various sections of Ghanaian society: by buying their consciences: and keeping them quiet that way, in the process?

Why do you think there are so many praise-singing regime "guard-dogs" in the media firmament of our country, today? Yet, they are supposed to be fearless professionals who represent the fourth branch of government: society's watchdogs in genuine democracies.

Massa, no one really goes into office wanting to end up disgracing themselves and their family clans, by becoming common crooks, so as to enable them continue holding on to political power, believe me.

For as long as we are unable to understand that it is far better for the Ghanaian nation-state to fund political parties, so shall we continue seeing the tragedy of decent men and women ending up becoming corrupt individuals, when they win power in our country, Massa.

Yet, if we are creative enough, it will definitely not cost us that much to fund political parties in our country. For example, we do know that virtually all Ghanaians trace their political roots to the Busia-Danquah and Nkrumaist political traditions.

Well, if so, why don't we take advantage of that fact - and in the process also get the satisfaction of being able to say no to the continuing legitimisation of the handiwork of coup-makers, by simply amending our constitution: and limiting political parties in our country, to just the two political parties that can trace their roots, directly, to those two traditions?

If we let the Ghanaian nation-state fund them, will that not help keep them out of the grip of the crooked moneyed-folk who invest in them for a profitable return on their tainted outlays, permanently?

Yet another example of funding political parties at very little cost might be by letting them have rent-free access to the property portfolio of the Ghanaian nation-state. As we all know, the Ghanaian nation-state has thousands of public buildings across our country. Why don't we make district assembly administration office space available to the two officially recognised parties - to use as their district headquarters? Ditto regional administration buildings to serve as their regional headquarters offices?

Going forward into the future, why not make the provision of office space around the country available to them in purpose-built buildings - which we factor into our development planning budgets? If they are forced to share office accommodation, will they not perhaps even begin to see each other as ordinary everyday people - rather than as sadists and monsters incapable of positive thinking about each other?

For as long as we do not act to remove the need for our politicians to look for money to fund their parties, so shall we end up with the tragedy of seeing good human beings who come to power hoping to improve our country, only ending up working to get kickbacks to finance their party - and who then become infected by a variant of the unfathomable-greed virus known as “chopping Ghana small.”

Massa, the tragedy of the important personage of whom you speak, is the same as the tragedy of the hero of June 4th 1979 - who is forever telling Ghanaians the incredible story that his “friends” have funded the expensive education and the living expenses of his dear children, overseas.

Can you imagine just how apoplectic he and his fellow coup-makers would have been if General Acheampong and Co. had told AFRC “investigators” this Kweku Ananse story? Massa, the root causes of corruption are many, indeed - and it is a tragedy that engulfs much of our political class, unfortunately!

Hmmm, Ghana - enti ye ewiaye paa, enia? Asem ebaba debi ankasa! May God bless and protect our homeland Ghana, always. Long live freedom! Long live Ghana!