In response to this www.ghanaweb.com business news web-page story of Thursday, 24 June 2010 (apparently sourced from a Mr. Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko?), with the above title; why do our political leaders simply not pass a new law, which will ring-fence the revenues from the Department of National Lotteries (DNL) – and devote it to the construction of affordable housing nationwide, henceforth?
If a clause is included in such a law, for example, which states that buyers of lottery tickets will automatically be entered into a special lottery for the selection of individuals to be allocated the affordable houses (and that that is the only way for Ghanaians to acquire such houses!); surely, that will avoid the usual practice of politically well-connected individuals scheming to buy up almost all the units in such housing projects: for themselves; the members of their family clans; and their cronies – and bring fairness into the allocation of such houses?
Well, one certainly hopes that Mr. Alban Bagbin, who heads the ministry for water resources, works and housing, will discuss this idea of funding the 200,000 houses from local sources, with the so-called “Joint Committee of the Ghana Institute of Architects, Ghana Institute of Planners, Ghana Institution of Engineers and Ghana Institution of Surveyors” mentioned in the said www.ghanaweb.com business news web-page story of Thursday, 24 June 2010. A word to the wise...
Tel(powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Thursday, 24 June 2010
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
AN OPEN LETTER TO GHANA’S FIRST LADY MRS. NAADU MILLS
Your Excellency, I shall go straight to the point. There are many independent-minded Ghanaians, whose sense of patriotism made them vote for your husband, our current president, during the run-off of the December 2008 presidential election. Ordinarily, a majority of those discerning Ghanaians, would never consider voting for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) – but they did so because they understood clearly during the December 2008 election, that our nation had reached a defining moment: when Ghana had to elect an honest leader; to ensure that revenue from our oil and natural gas deposits did not eventually end up in the hands of a powerful few with greedy ambitions. If we are to transform our country into an African equivalent of the egalitarian societies of Scandinavia, it is crucial that we do not allow our elite to have the opportunity to follow the example of Nigeria’s kleptocratic elite: and loot the national treasury.
Manye, the recent altercation on Radio Gold FM between Mr. Herbert “I-have-nothing-to-lose” Mensah, and Mr. Ato “The-candidate-was-delusional” Awhoi, shows clearly that you must take an active interest in your husbands presidency – as it is important that he has an independent ally: who has no secret agenda, and whom he can seek counsel from, from time to time. Please let him do what Nigeria’s late leader President Yaradua did when he first came to power: declare his personal net worth publicly. After some of us had constantly badgered Dr. Amoako Tufuor to persuade him to do so, President Kufuor promised, during his swearing in at the Independence Square in January 2001, that he would publicly declare the assets of both himself and his wife. Sadly, he did not do so – and we all know how corrupt his regime eventually became. I am pretty sure that those around your husband will tell the president not to do so, as they themselves do not want to do so. However, in view of recent developments within your National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, it is vital that your husband publicly declares both your assets, now – especially as it still not too late politically for him to do so.
Taking that courageous step will make his position in the NDC and in the country at large unassailable politically. There is nothing in the constitution that bars him from doing so – and if ever there was the political equivalent of a comprehensive insurance policy, guaranteed to keep at bay, those who want to see the back of him (and are now biding their time, and await their hour!), it is the simple act of publicly declaring yours, and his, personal net worth. Manye, just ponder for a moment, and ask yourself, whom amongst the arrogant hypocrites who are harrying him (and are now so bold that they do not even bother to hide their animosity towards him!), would have the moral courage to declare their own personal net worth to Ghanaians. I am sure that both Mr. Ato “The-candidate-is-delusional” Awhoi and Mr. Herbert “I-have-nothing-to–lose” Mensah mean well, and have your husband’s best interest at heart, in their own way – but I doubt very much if they are more loyal to your husband than you yourself are. Above all, I doubt very much if they would think it politic for your dear husband to do the one thing that will provide him with protection that even a thousand Lt. Col. Dovlo Larteys; Brigadier General Nunoo Mensahs; and the entire Military High Command, cannot possibly give him: publicly declaring both your assets! Your Excellency, please persuade President Mills to publicly declare both your assets, as soon as it is practicable to do so. If he does so, he will never experience the terrible fate that befell President Hilla Limman (of blessed memory!). A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Manye, the recent altercation on Radio Gold FM between Mr. Herbert “I-have-nothing-to-lose” Mensah, and Mr. Ato “The-candidate-was-delusional” Awhoi, shows clearly that you must take an active interest in your husbands presidency – as it is important that he has an independent ally: who has no secret agenda, and whom he can seek counsel from, from time to time. Please let him do what Nigeria’s late leader President Yaradua did when he first came to power: declare his personal net worth publicly. After some of us had constantly badgered Dr. Amoako Tufuor to persuade him to do so, President Kufuor promised, during his swearing in at the Independence Square in January 2001, that he would publicly declare the assets of both himself and his wife. Sadly, he did not do so – and we all know how corrupt his regime eventually became. I am pretty sure that those around your husband will tell the president not to do so, as they themselves do not want to do so. However, in view of recent developments within your National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, it is vital that your husband publicly declares both your assets, now – especially as it still not too late politically for him to do so.
Taking that courageous step will make his position in the NDC and in the country at large unassailable politically. There is nothing in the constitution that bars him from doing so – and if ever there was the political equivalent of a comprehensive insurance policy, guaranteed to keep at bay, those who want to see the back of him (and are now biding their time, and await their hour!), it is the simple act of publicly declaring yours, and his, personal net worth. Manye, just ponder for a moment, and ask yourself, whom amongst the arrogant hypocrites who are harrying him (and are now so bold that they do not even bother to hide their animosity towards him!), would have the moral courage to declare their own personal net worth to Ghanaians. I am sure that both Mr. Ato “The-candidate-is-delusional” Awhoi and Mr. Herbert “I-have-nothing-to–lose” Mensah mean well, and have your husband’s best interest at heart, in their own way – but I doubt very much if they are more loyal to your husband than you yourself are. Above all, I doubt very much if they would think it politic for your dear husband to do the one thing that will provide him with protection that even a thousand Lt. Col. Dovlo Larteys; Brigadier General Nunoo Mensahs; and the entire Military High Command, cannot possibly give him: publicly declaring both your assets! Your Excellency, please persuade President Mills to publicly declare both your assets, as soon as it is practicable to do so. If he does so, he will never experience the terrible fate that befell President Hilla Limman (of blessed memory!). A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Friday, 18 June 2010
GHANA MUST ADOPT AMERICA’S NEW TOUGH APPROACH TO ERRANT OIL COMPANIES!
One hopes that the quislings in our midst, who are lackeys of foreign powers in Ghana, and are wont to defend foreign commercial interests, vigorously, in the local media, and lobby our political class on their behalf as well (because they get crumbs from the table of those ruthless carpetbaggers!), listened to the merciless grilling of BP’s CEO, Tony Hayward, by members of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the U.S. Congress, which convened on Thursday, June 17th 2010, for a hearing on "The Role Of BP In The Deep-water Horizon Explosion And Oil Spill," – part of that nation’s multi-faceted investigation into the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. It is important that those currently in charge of our nation pay close attention to the way the U.S. government is reacting to BP – and adopt the same hard-nosed attitude in ensuring that all oil companies operating off our shores use the same safety standards that will be set by U.S. regulators, after the six-month moratorium on the drilling of oil in the waters off the U.S coastline whiles investigations into the causes of the disaster now being carried out, finally end.
It is really hard to believe that some of the members of the U.S. Congress who questioned Tony Hayward, including the one who told the BP CEO that Americans are not “small people,” are from the same institution, whose membership includes politicians who want our country to kow tow to Kosmos Oil and ExxonMobil: who have the effrontery to seek to dictate terms over how a finite resource, which Ghanaians are relying on to provide sufficient revenues to help transform their country, into Africa’s equivalent of the egalitarian societies of Scandinavia, are exploited. It really is intolerable that such arrogant politicians in the U.S think they can pressurize our leaders into agreeing to Kosmos and ExxonMobil dictating terms to our government. Why, are even little primary school children in Ghana, not aware, dear reader, of the base reasons for their perfidy? What hypocrites. To top that outrage, as we speak, ordinary Ghanaians do not even know the precise nature of the recent spate of spillages caused by Kosmos Oil – and what exactly they result from. Was the company engaged in the ’top- killing’ of a number of oil wells to cap them permanently – to spite our country, and stop any purchaser of its Jubilee oilfield stake (other than its preferred buyer, ExxonMobil!), from benefiting from its work, thus far?
Or did they result from corner-cutting emanating from financial pressures on Kosmos Oil: as cash for their Ghanaian operation dries up, because the original speculators who put money into the private equity fund that invested in the company, now want to exit from the market: and take their huge profits? If Kosmos Oil’s cavalier attitude thus far, is anything to go by, our political elite must get Ghana’s parliament to copy, word for word, all the penalties those U.S. regulatory bodies recommend be imposed on BP and other oil companies that spill oil off America’s shores: for future deployment here, should the need ever arise. It will be suicidal for Ghana to rely, for example, on Zoil’s Mickey Mouse post-spillage environmental clean-up solutions: the oil industry clean-up equivalent of a very bad joke, to deal with bringing the natural environment back to the stage it was in, before an oil spillage occurred here. How many miles of booms; hundreds of boats with trained crews; and what quantity of cutting-edge chemical dispersant do they have stored at strategic locations along our shores, I ask, dear reader? Clearly, our usual way of bending over backwards to please foreign companies exploiting our natural resources for vast profits whiles we get peanuts by comparison, will not suffice in the case of the oil industry. It is crucial that Ghana ensures that if such a disaster were to occur here, we will have tough enough laws in place, which will oblige oil companies to pay for the entire cost of the restoration of the natural environment to the pristine state it was in, before a spillage occurred – even if it amounted to US$20 billions. Above all, we must force the oil companies to adopt the same safety standards that guide their U.S. operations, here too. One hopes that those who now rule Ghana will resolve to ensure that that becomes the norm in Ghana’s oil and natural gas industry – so that oil does not become a terrible curse for Mother Ghana, but a real blessing. A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works! ): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
It is really hard to believe that some of the members of the U.S. Congress who questioned Tony Hayward, including the one who told the BP CEO that Americans are not “small people,” are from the same institution, whose membership includes politicians who want our country to kow tow to Kosmos Oil and ExxonMobil: who have the effrontery to seek to dictate terms over how a finite resource, which Ghanaians are relying on to provide sufficient revenues to help transform their country, into Africa’s equivalent of the egalitarian societies of Scandinavia, are exploited. It really is intolerable that such arrogant politicians in the U.S think they can pressurize our leaders into agreeing to Kosmos and ExxonMobil dictating terms to our government. Why, are even little primary school children in Ghana, not aware, dear reader, of the base reasons for their perfidy? What hypocrites. To top that outrage, as we speak, ordinary Ghanaians do not even know the precise nature of the recent spate of spillages caused by Kosmos Oil – and what exactly they result from. Was the company engaged in the ’top- killing’ of a number of oil wells to cap them permanently – to spite our country, and stop any purchaser of its Jubilee oilfield stake (other than its preferred buyer, ExxonMobil!), from benefiting from its work, thus far?
Or did they result from corner-cutting emanating from financial pressures on Kosmos Oil: as cash for their Ghanaian operation dries up, because the original speculators who put money into the private equity fund that invested in the company, now want to exit from the market: and take their huge profits? If Kosmos Oil’s cavalier attitude thus far, is anything to go by, our political elite must get Ghana’s parliament to copy, word for word, all the penalties those U.S. regulatory bodies recommend be imposed on BP and other oil companies that spill oil off America’s shores: for future deployment here, should the need ever arise. It will be suicidal for Ghana to rely, for example, on Zoil’s Mickey Mouse post-spillage environmental clean-up solutions: the oil industry clean-up equivalent of a very bad joke, to deal with bringing the natural environment back to the stage it was in, before an oil spillage occurred here. How many miles of booms; hundreds of boats with trained crews; and what quantity of cutting-edge chemical dispersant do they have stored at strategic locations along our shores, I ask, dear reader? Clearly, our usual way of bending over backwards to please foreign companies exploiting our natural resources for vast profits whiles we get peanuts by comparison, will not suffice in the case of the oil industry. It is crucial that Ghana ensures that if such a disaster were to occur here, we will have tough enough laws in place, which will oblige oil companies to pay for the entire cost of the restoration of the natural environment to the pristine state it was in, before a spillage occurred – even if it amounted to US$20 billions. Above all, we must force the oil companies to adopt the same safety standards that guide their U.S. operations, here too. One hopes that those who now rule Ghana will resolve to ensure that that becomes the norm in Ghana’s oil and natural gas industry – so that oil does not become a terrible curse for Mother Ghana, but a real blessing. A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works! ): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
SURELY, ALL HUMAN LIFE IS OF EQUAL VALUE?
Some Ghanaians can be pretty funny. Yesterday evening, I had an irate phone call from a gentleman, who called after reading an article I had posted on my online web-blog: and in which I had stated that I owed my landlady a huge amount. That ‘well-mannered’ gentleman poured insults on me for daring to constantly criticize the profligate Kufuor & Co. when I could not even pay my rent: let alone build a house. After a string of expletives too profane to reprint here, I told that ‘cultured’ gentleman exactly where to get off: I neither needed his pity nor deserved his contempt, I would have him know.
It is so typical of these “My-party-my-tribe-right-or-wrong” myrmidon-types, whose blind support of Ghana’s political parties, is slowly destroying them, to be contemptuous of those they think are poor people. Well, I coolly informed him that like most honest Ghanaians, I am also often strapped for cash. However, since “Onyame entise Alata ni enti,” God, in his munificence, had blessed even a foolish old man like me (who is further burdened by also being senile!), with a few assets: worth at least a pesewa or two. Although I could have done what some do to survive, I did not sell my conscience to grab zillions, under the Rawlings regime. Neither did I do so under the Kufuor regime - nor will I do so under the Mills regime: so I will continue to be strapped for cash, from time to time, like many of the honest Ghanaians who struggle to get by, daily.
No matter how tough life becomes, I will continue to hold on to my core values: and will always live a life underpinned by ethical considerations, and guided by compassion for all my fellow living creatures, on the planet Earth. For his information, and for the information of others like him, in the end, I did actually secure an interest-free loan against the title deeds of one of those selfsame properties that I mentioned earlier, God, in his munificence, had blessed an old fool like Kofi Thompson with. As it happens, dear reader, a very good and reliable friend came to my rescue in the nick of time: and stumped up the required amount – and I have thus now done right by my dear landlady: who really has the patience of a saint, I must say.
One wishes that such tiresome geniuses would understand that in our democracy (as opposed to the old traditional system which prevailed in the pre-colonial era, and which, incredibly, these tribal-supremacists still believe in!), all human life, is of equal value. That is why even cash-strapped folk like poor old Kofi Thompson also have the right to criticize those who rule our nation, at any given point in time: surprising though that might be to him and those of his ilk! Let such misguided and blinkered souls understand clearly, that no matter how powerful an individual might be in our society, no human being on the surface of the planet Earth, can stop me from taking part in our nation’s discourse, because I am a poor old fool – the stratospheric nature of their personal net worth notwithstanding! A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
It is so typical of these “My-party-my-tribe-right-or-wrong” myrmidon-types, whose blind support of Ghana’s political parties, is slowly destroying them, to be contemptuous of those they think are poor people. Well, I coolly informed him that like most honest Ghanaians, I am also often strapped for cash. However, since “Onyame entise Alata ni enti,” God, in his munificence, had blessed even a foolish old man like me (who is further burdened by also being senile!), with a few assets: worth at least a pesewa or two. Although I could have done what some do to survive, I did not sell my conscience to grab zillions, under the Rawlings regime. Neither did I do so under the Kufuor regime - nor will I do so under the Mills regime: so I will continue to be strapped for cash, from time to time, like many of the honest Ghanaians who struggle to get by, daily.
No matter how tough life becomes, I will continue to hold on to my core values: and will always live a life underpinned by ethical considerations, and guided by compassion for all my fellow living creatures, on the planet Earth. For his information, and for the information of others like him, in the end, I did actually secure an interest-free loan against the title deeds of one of those selfsame properties that I mentioned earlier, God, in his munificence, had blessed an old fool like Kofi Thompson with. As it happens, dear reader, a very good and reliable friend came to my rescue in the nick of time: and stumped up the required amount – and I have thus now done right by my dear landlady: who really has the patience of a saint, I must say.
One wishes that such tiresome geniuses would understand that in our democracy (as opposed to the old traditional system which prevailed in the pre-colonial era, and which, incredibly, these tribal-supremacists still believe in!), all human life, is of equal value. That is why even cash-strapped folk like poor old Kofi Thompson also have the right to criticize those who rule our nation, at any given point in time: surprising though that might be to him and those of his ilk! Let such misguided and blinkered souls understand clearly, that no matter how powerful an individual might be in our society, no human being on the surface of the planet Earth, can stop me from taking part in our nation’s discourse, because I am a poor old fool – the stratospheric nature of their personal net worth notwithstanding! A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
SHOULD THE STATE MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS NOT DIRECTLY BE CONTROLLED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THE DAY, TODAY?
This morning, I run into my old friend, Mr. Kabral Blay-Amihere, at an internet cafe in Weija. Kabral served as Ghana's envoy to Sierra Leone, and after that, was subsequently posted to the Ivory Coast, during the tenure of President Kufour's New Patriotic Party (NPP) regime. Such is his charm that it is pretty hard to be unpleasant to him : but in the usual combative way I always interact with that witty and sharp-minded soul, I told him that I did not see why in the digital age, and with a media landscape that has over one hundred and twenty FM radio stations, and a number of privately-owned TV stations, as well as scores of privately-owned newspapers, the state-owned media should not be directly controlled by the government of the day. Surely, we ought to look upon those organizations as tools for national development, which help provide information that is factual and unbiased: and helps ordinary people keep abreast with the nation-building efforts of the government of the day? I pointed it out to him, that when the idea for the National Media Commission (NMC) was first mooted, the long shadow of the days of the culture of silence hung heavy over the Ghanaian media landscape. Consequently, there was a strong desire on the part of all the stakeholders to rid journalism of the control-by-fear ethos of the past: resulting from the heavy-handedness of a brutal military dictatorship that had morphed into a democratically-elected civilian regime. It was that past that made the NMC seem like such a sensible idea then.
Today, however, when democracy has finally taken root in our homeland Ghana, and Ghanaians seldom hesitate to proceed to the law courts to assert their rights when the need arises, should we rather not look to the judiciary to protect the right to freedom of expression: through its interpretation of the constitution – instead of letting the NMC remain the guardian of the independence of the fourth arm of government? Is the Ghana of today, not a nation in which civil society does not hesitate to challenge the regime in power, whenever it fails to follow due process and oversteps the bounds of legality? Is that not why the anti-democrats in our midst, such as Flt- Lt. Rawlings & Co. often complain bitterly about how slow the system is – because they once wielded absolute power: unfettered by the checks and balances that underpin the democratic system of government we now operate? As it is often said, democracy is a messy and imperfect system of government: but it is far better than any other system of government known to man – because of the limitations it places on the powers of those who make up the Government. It really is an unsatisfactory state of affairs that today, in the digital age, as things stand, the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction: and the state is now hamstrung by its lack of a far-reaching voice that enables state agencies to counter the self-serving falsehoods that permeate media- houses: both print and electronic.
Perhaps the question we ought to ask, is: What has the NMC done all this while, for example, to stop political parties (across the spectrum!) from hijacking the parliament-of-the-airwaves, by paying sundry mercenary types – the so-called serial-callers – to do propaganda on FM radio stations on their behalf, on a daily basis: and in the process freezing out ordinary citizens from participating in current affairs discussion programmes on the over one hundred and twenty FM radio stations across our homeland Ghana? Kabral Blay-Amihere, as we all know, was in the trenches with other media heroes such as: the late Tommy Thompson of blessed memory; Kweku Baako ; and Kwesi Pratt , amongst many other patriotic citizens. I do not doubt that he sees his role in the NMC as a continuation of the fight that was fought in the past to protect the basic human rights of all Ghanaians. However, at a time when digital television can provide the State with an interactive digital platform to enable its agencies deal directly with each Ghanaian citizen, (and provide all Ghanaians with direct access to government ministries; departments ; agencies; as well as interact directly with all the district assemblies – all of which can be provided with their own interactive television channels – from the comfort of their own homes; educational institutions; businesses ; etc. etc.!), why leave the state media organizations under the control of the NMC, I ask?
In choosing the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), for example, the NMC, by definition, faces the almost impossible task of having to pick an apolitical figure (in the mould of Lord Reith of BBC fame!), who always ought to have the national interest at heart: as opposed to what will be advantageous for the political party that has his or her loyalty (if the NMC is truly and fairly discharging its true constitutional mandate, i.e.)? Who, in this country, does not remember the shameful way the website of the GBC was used by faceless individuals (with a secret agenda of their own!) to try to publicize false results of the run-off of the December 2008 presidential election? Why should a politically-biased individual, such as the gentleman who currently heads the GBC, for example, be allowed to strike one-sided commercial deals that are lucrative for private-sector entities, and which enables them piggy-back off the digital platform of GBC – an entity more or less entirely funded by the taxpayer – without the say so of the government of the day, which provides it with funds? Why repeat the daft Metro TV / GBC deal that enabled a few private individuals to use a frequency of the GBC to establish a television station, and enrich themselves at the GBC’s (and by extension, taxpayers’!) expense? How can it be that even law enforcement agencies investigating corrupt practices in that institution, cannot question the head of GBC without recourse to the NMC, I ask, dear reader? What then is the point of a board of directors for GBC if they have to get the NMC to discipline the head of the organisation they provide strategic direction for and ensure operates according to corporate good governance principles? How absurd! Let us take advantage of any review of the 1992 constitution to end this untenable situation once and for all. A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Today, however, when democracy has finally taken root in our homeland Ghana, and Ghanaians seldom hesitate to proceed to the law courts to assert their rights when the need arises, should we rather not look to the judiciary to protect the right to freedom of expression: through its interpretation of the constitution – instead of letting the NMC remain the guardian of the independence of the fourth arm of government? Is the Ghana of today, not a nation in which civil society does not hesitate to challenge the regime in power, whenever it fails to follow due process and oversteps the bounds of legality? Is that not why the anti-democrats in our midst, such as Flt- Lt. Rawlings & Co. often complain bitterly about how slow the system is – because they once wielded absolute power: unfettered by the checks and balances that underpin the democratic system of government we now operate? As it is often said, democracy is a messy and imperfect system of government: but it is far better than any other system of government known to man – because of the limitations it places on the powers of those who make up the Government. It really is an unsatisfactory state of affairs that today, in the digital age, as things stand, the pendulum has swung so far in the opposite direction: and the state is now hamstrung by its lack of a far-reaching voice that enables state agencies to counter the self-serving falsehoods that permeate media- houses: both print and electronic.
Perhaps the question we ought to ask, is: What has the NMC done all this while, for example, to stop political parties (across the spectrum!) from hijacking the parliament-of-the-airwaves, by paying sundry mercenary types – the so-called serial-callers – to do propaganda on FM radio stations on their behalf, on a daily basis: and in the process freezing out ordinary citizens from participating in current affairs discussion programmes on the over one hundred and twenty FM radio stations across our homeland Ghana? Kabral Blay-Amihere, as we all know, was in the trenches with other media heroes such as: the late Tommy Thompson of blessed memory; Kweku Baako ; and Kwesi Pratt , amongst many other patriotic citizens. I do not doubt that he sees his role in the NMC as a continuation of the fight that was fought in the past to protect the basic human rights of all Ghanaians. However, at a time when digital television can provide the State with an interactive digital platform to enable its agencies deal directly with each Ghanaian citizen, (and provide all Ghanaians with direct access to government ministries; departments ; agencies; as well as interact directly with all the district assemblies – all of which can be provided with their own interactive television channels – from the comfort of their own homes; educational institutions; businesses ; etc. etc.!), why leave the state media organizations under the control of the NMC, I ask?
In choosing the Director-General of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), for example, the NMC, by definition, faces the almost impossible task of having to pick an apolitical figure (in the mould of Lord Reith of BBC fame!), who always ought to have the national interest at heart: as opposed to what will be advantageous for the political party that has his or her loyalty (if the NMC is truly and fairly discharging its true constitutional mandate, i.e.)? Who, in this country, does not remember the shameful way the website of the GBC was used by faceless individuals (with a secret agenda of their own!) to try to publicize false results of the run-off of the December 2008 presidential election? Why should a politically-biased individual, such as the gentleman who currently heads the GBC, for example, be allowed to strike one-sided commercial deals that are lucrative for private-sector entities, and which enables them piggy-back off the digital platform of GBC – an entity more or less entirely funded by the taxpayer – without the say so of the government of the day, which provides it with funds? Why repeat the daft Metro TV / GBC deal that enabled a few private individuals to use a frequency of the GBC to establish a television station, and enrich themselves at the GBC’s (and by extension, taxpayers’!) expense? How can it be that even law enforcement agencies investigating corrupt practices in that institution, cannot question the head of GBC without recourse to the NMC, I ask, dear reader? What then is the point of a board of directors for GBC if they have to get the NMC to discipline the head of the organisation they provide strategic direction for and ensure operates according to corporate good governance principles? How absurd! Let us take advantage of any review of the 1992 constitution to end this untenable situation once and for all. A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Re: “Daimler Admits Bribing Ghana Military”
What an interesting Thursday, 17 June 2010 www.ghanaweb.com general news web-page story, by Steve Manteaw – who writes from Washington D.C., the American capital. The question is: Why does the Public Agenda simply not contact Global Witness and the people behind "WikiLeaks" – who can use their British contacts to help unravel the ownership of Global Strategic Ventures Limited?
It is probably the Ghanaian subsidiary of an offshore special purpose vehicle set up by the crooks amongst those who used to rule us, either during the tenure of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime of Flt. Lt. Rawlings, or that of President Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP), to receive their share of the kickbacks from Daimler-Benz! With respect, is it not extremely naive on the part of the Public Agenda, to think that the hirelings of those crooks will not hide details of the company lodged at the Registrar-General's Department: so as to protect them? Do they, after all, not work at the Registrar-General's Department, as a result of the munificence of yesteryear's powerful rogues? Hmmm, Ghana - enti yewieye paa enie? Asem ebaba debi anksa!
Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
It is probably the Ghanaian subsidiary of an offshore special purpose vehicle set up by the crooks amongst those who used to rule us, either during the tenure of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) regime of Flt. Lt. Rawlings, or that of President Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP), to receive their share of the kickbacks from Daimler-Benz! With respect, is it not extremely naive on the part of the Public Agenda, to think that the hirelings of those crooks will not hide details of the company lodged at the Registrar-General's Department: so as to protect them? Do they, after all, not work at the Registrar-General's Department, as a result of the munificence of yesteryear's powerful rogues? Hmmm, Ghana - enti yewieye paa enie? Asem ebaba debi anksa!
Tel (powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
OFORI PANIN FIE: PLEASE ACT NOW TO STOP SOLAR MINING LIMITED!
Recently, there were news reports from Nigeria that hundreds of people had died from lead poisoning – resulting from contamination caused by the mining of gold in parts of the north of that country. I am pretty sure that if anyone had tried to discourage them from mining gold in that part of Nigeria, both the victims and their families would not have taken kindly to it in the slightest – which is the exact reaction of the poor villagers employed by Solar Mining at Akim Abuakwa Juaso: who were interviewed only last week by Mr. Paa Kwesi Nduom’s Today newspaper. The neglect of our natural heritage by officialdom is really shameful. A case in point: My jaw dropped, when a few days ago, an official of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) coolly informed me that it was not my place to complain to him about Solar Mining Limited’s illegal operations at Akim Abuakwa Juaso: and should leave it to the owner of the concession to do so.
The question I would like that genius to answer, dear reader, is: Why should I, whose family has farmed in the area since 1921 (from the colonial era!), and knows the ecology of the area far better than he possibly ever can, and understands perfectly the potential harm posed to the area’s underground water-table by the activities of Solar Mining Limited, not have the right to complain to the state agency specifically set up to protect the natural environment: and thus ensure a good quality of life for all Ghanaian citizens? Why should I do as he says I should – and rather leave it to Kibi Goldfields, the very entity that Solar Mining Limited is in league with, to carry out its unlawful operations, to do so: simply because in his considered opinion, it is for the owner of the concession (Kibi Goldfields, i.e. – which I know perfectly well is insolvent!), not me, to complain about Solar Mining's illegal activities? With respect, that is pure nonsense on bamboo stilts. Have the two parties not craftily got Solar Mining Limited to more or less reverse into the insolvent Kibi Goldfields – a procedural sleight of hand designed to outwit the regulatory authorities?
No doubt, when the next international climate-change confab takes place in Mexico, officials of his ilk will scramble to attend it – and media folk who know perfectly well that there are many super-wealthy criminals engaged in illegal gold mining across our country, will also scramble to join those selfsame officials to travel to Mexico at hapless taxpayers’ expense. Yet, many of them do not give a damn about the continued degradation of our natural heritage – and the devastating effect it will have on future generations of Ghanaians: who at the very least, also deserve to enjoy the same standard of living enjoyed by Ghanaians today, if not better. I have often wondered, dear reader, if it never occurs to the "royal" folk at Ofori Panin Fie, that if they do not act to protect Akim Abuakwa Juaso’s natural environment, one day, out of desperation, someone will make a video-recording of Solar Mining’s illegal operations at Akim Abuakwa Juaso; and go on to film the scores of massive tree stumps left as a result of the rampant illegal logging by chainsaw operators working for the wealthy criminal-syndicates operating in the area (both inside the official government forest reserve and the P. E. Thompson Estate’s 14 sq. mile freehold private property); and send it to Clarence House: to get the English royals who live there, to ask the hard-of-hearing "royals" in Ofori Panin Fie to act quickly to end the perfidy of the wealthy criminals engaged in illegal gold mining and illegal logging in that area. Will they please wake up from their deep slumber – and act before they are finally branded as ace-hypocrites by environmental activists across the globe: who are working hard, day and night, to raise funds for climate-change mitigation projects in the continent hardest hit by this man-made threat to humankind’s very survival on planet Earth? A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
The question I would like that genius to answer, dear reader, is: Why should I, whose family has farmed in the area since 1921 (from the colonial era!), and knows the ecology of the area far better than he possibly ever can, and understands perfectly the potential harm posed to the area’s underground water-table by the activities of Solar Mining Limited, not have the right to complain to the state agency specifically set up to protect the natural environment: and thus ensure a good quality of life for all Ghanaian citizens? Why should I do as he says I should – and rather leave it to Kibi Goldfields, the very entity that Solar Mining Limited is in league with, to carry out its unlawful operations, to do so: simply because in his considered opinion, it is for the owner of the concession (Kibi Goldfields, i.e. – which I know perfectly well is insolvent!), not me, to complain about Solar Mining's illegal activities? With respect, that is pure nonsense on bamboo stilts. Have the two parties not craftily got Solar Mining Limited to more or less reverse into the insolvent Kibi Goldfields – a procedural sleight of hand designed to outwit the regulatory authorities?
No doubt, when the next international climate-change confab takes place in Mexico, officials of his ilk will scramble to attend it – and media folk who know perfectly well that there are many super-wealthy criminals engaged in illegal gold mining across our country, will also scramble to join those selfsame officials to travel to Mexico at hapless taxpayers’ expense. Yet, many of them do not give a damn about the continued degradation of our natural heritage – and the devastating effect it will have on future generations of Ghanaians: who at the very least, also deserve to enjoy the same standard of living enjoyed by Ghanaians today, if not better. I have often wondered, dear reader, if it never occurs to the "royal" folk at Ofori Panin Fie, that if they do not act to protect Akim Abuakwa Juaso’s natural environment, one day, out of desperation, someone will make a video-recording of Solar Mining’s illegal operations at Akim Abuakwa Juaso; and go on to film the scores of massive tree stumps left as a result of the rampant illegal logging by chainsaw operators working for the wealthy criminal-syndicates operating in the area (both inside the official government forest reserve and the P. E. Thompson Estate’s 14 sq. mile freehold private property); and send it to Clarence House: to get the English royals who live there, to ask the hard-of-hearing "royals" in Ofori Panin Fie to act quickly to end the perfidy of the wealthy criminals engaged in illegal gold mining and illegal logging in that area. Will they please wake up from their deep slumber – and act before they are finally branded as ace-hypocrites by environmental activists across the globe: who are working hard, day and night, to raise funds for climate-change mitigation projects in the continent hardest hit by this man-made threat to humankind’s very survival on planet Earth? A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
Stop The Scurrilous Politicking!
When Nana Akufo Addo was being unfairly accused of taking drugs during the campaign for the December 2008 presidential election, I wrote an article condemning those making those outrageous allegations.
I was incensed that for reasons of political expediency, unprincipled individuals were assassinating the character of a brave and decent human being, who had devoted his life to public service, and who rather than opting to live a life of luxury because of his wealth, had rather chosen to risk his life for his country: by twice going into the trenches, to join the fight to restore democracy to a Ghana tyrannized by despotic military rulers.
I did so as a matter of principle: For, I do not like Nana Akufo Addo’s Akan-dominated party, and its Akan tribal-supremacist antecedents. As an Nkrumaist, I detest a political party - some of whose Akan leadership have always secretly wanted Ghana to be a federal state, made up of the pre-colonial tribal entities – so that their tribal Chiefs will be able to regain their status as sovereigns: which they lost when their predecessors were colonized by the British occupiers of what eventually became known as the Gold Coast.
Dr. J.B. Danquah, as we all know, once arrogantly dismissed Nkrumah’s Convention People's Party (CPP) as a regime made up of “Ntafuo” and “varendah boys.” That disparaging remark by Danquah sums up perfectly the disdain the Danquah-Busia tradition has always had for non-Akans.
I was therefore scandalized when I heard the pure poison emanating from the airwaves of Choice FM on the evening of Saturday 12th June, 2010 – which was broadcasting a current affairs discussion programme, in which the recent unfortunate exchanges between Mr. Atto Awhoi and Mr. Herbert Mensah (about events during the campaign for the December 2008 presidential election) was being discussed by a number of obvious New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters.
I immediately fired off a text message in protest to the producer of the programme, which I shall reproduce here: “Common decency demands that party supporters across the spectrum put aside politicking, remember their own humanity, and condemn those monstrous insinuations about the president’s state of mind. We must not say such things about even our worst enemies.”
We all watch and listen to the president on television, do we not, dear reader – so how can any sane mind think that a man with such a lucid mind is somehow mentally unwell? It says a lot about the nature of our nation's politics that even well-educated individuals and supposedly cultured individuals could say the kind of outrageous things that were said by those four individuals who were guests on the said Choice FM programme ("Ghana Speaks") that evening.
It is a real pity that people like that who ought to know better, were so lacking in compassion that Saturday evening.
How could such obviously intelligent individuals fail to see the political advantage they would have secured for their party, if they had stated that they were not going to follow the bad example of those who put themselves beyond the pale, when they said those horrid things about Nana Akufo-Addo during the campaign for the December 2008 presidential elections – and would not dignify the rubbish said about the president’s state of mind by seeking to make capital out of it: but would rather choose to condemn those who say such dreadful things about their fellow human beings just because it is politically expedient to do so.
I have also often wondered why intelligent people like that pretend that they are not aware of the effect in the real world, of dealing with a budget deficit: in order to secure the long-term future of a nation.
When they switch into their “enkoyie-mode” propaganda and go on endlessly about life in today’s Ghana under President Mills, are they not aware of the hardship facing citizens in even relatively prosperous nations such as Greece; Portugal; Spain; Ireland; the UK; France; Germany; and the US?
Are the governments of all those nations not more or less taking the same steps our government is taking to reduce that ghastly budget deficit left behind by their NPP regime – resulting in real hardship too for their citizens? Are some public servants in many of those nations not having their pay-packets reduced – with some doctors in Latvia, for example, having their pay reduced by as much as 70 percent?
Politicians in Ghana must end the scurrilous and self-serving politicking the engage in, on the airwaves of Ghana’s many FM radio stations – if they want to win the trust of ordinary people who truly love Mother Ghana, particularly the independent-minded swing-voters: whose crucial votes will decide who becomes president in December 2012.
Tel: (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!) + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.
I was incensed that for reasons of political expediency, unprincipled individuals were assassinating the character of a brave and decent human being, who had devoted his life to public service, and who rather than opting to live a life of luxury because of his wealth, had rather chosen to risk his life for his country: by twice going into the trenches, to join the fight to restore democracy to a Ghana tyrannized by despotic military rulers.
I did so as a matter of principle: For, I do not like Nana Akufo Addo’s Akan-dominated party, and its Akan tribal-supremacist antecedents. As an Nkrumaist, I detest a political party - some of whose Akan leadership have always secretly wanted Ghana to be a federal state, made up of the pre-colonial tribal entities – so that their tribal Chiefs will be able to regain their status as sovereigns: which they lost when their predecessors were colonized by the British occupiers of what eventually became known as the Gold Coast.
Dr. J.B. Danquah, as we all know, once arrogantly dismissed Nkrumah’s Convention People's Party (CPP) as a regime made up of “Ntafuo” and “varendah boys.” That disparaging remark by Danquah sums up perfectly the disdain the Danquah-Busia tradition has always had for non-Akans.
I was therefore scandalized when I heard the pure poison emanating from the airwaves of Choice FM on the evening of Saturday 12th June, 2010 – which was broadcasting a current affairs discussion programme, in which the recent unfortunate exchanges between Mr. Atto Awhoi and Mr. Herbert Mensah (about events during the campaign for the December 2008 presidential election) was being discussed by a number of obvious New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters.
I immediately fired off a text message in protest to the producer of the programme, which I shall reproduce here: “Common decency demands that party supporters across the spectrum put aside politicking, remember their own humanity, and condemn those monstrous insinuations about the president’s state of mind. We must not say such things about even our worst enemies.”
We all watch and listen to the president on television, do we not, dear reader – so how can any sane mind think that a man with such a lucid mind is somehow mentally unwell? It says a lot about the nature of our nation's politics that even well-educated individuals and supposedly cultured individuals could say the kind of outrageous things that were said by those four individuals who were guests on the said Choice FM programme ("Ghana Speaks") that evening.
It is a real pity that people like that who ought to know better, were so lacking in compassion that Saturday evening.
How could such obviously intelligent individuals fail to see the political advantage they would have secured for their party, if they had stated that they were not going to follow the bad example of those who put themselves beyond the pale, when they said those horrid things about Nana Akufo-Addo during the campaign for the December 2008 presidential elections – and would not dignify the rubbish said about the president’s state of mind by seeking to make capital out of it: but would rather choose to condemn those who say such dreadful things about their fellow human beings just because it is politically expedient to do so.
I have also often wondered why intelligent people like that pretend that they are not aware of the effect in the real world, of dealing with a budget deficit: in order to secure the long-term future of a nation.
When they switch into their “enkoyie-mode” propaganda and go on endlessly about life in today’s Ghana under President Mills, are they not aware of the hardship facing citizens in even relatively prosperous nations such as Greece; Portugal; Spain; Ireland; the UK; France; Germany; and the US?
Are the governments of all those nations not more or less taking the same steps our government is taking to reduce that ghastly budget deficit left behind by their NPP regime – resulting in real hardship too for their citizens? Are some public servants in many of those nations not having their pay-packets reduced – with some doctors in Latvia, for example, having their pay reduced by as much as 70 percent?
Politicians in Ghana must end the scurrilous and self-serving politicking the engage in, on the airwaves of Ghana’s many FM radio stations – if they want to win the trust of ordinary people who truly love Mother Ghana, particularly the independent-minded swing-voters: whose crucial votes will decide who becomes president in December 2012.
Tel: (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!) + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.
Saturday, 12 June 2010
THE NDC MUST UNITE BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!
Ghanaian politicians are such a strange breed. Why, dear reader, is a political party that spent eight painful years in the political wilderness after losing power in December 2000, now busy tearing itself apart – having finally succeeded in returning to power once again, against great odds? With the benefit of hindsight, it was a stroke of genius on the part of President Rawlings to pick Professor Mills as his chosen successor, when he did. For, in deciding against picking some of the more prominent members of his regime at the time of the “Swedru Declaration,” he prepared the ground for the eventual victory of his party, in the December 2008 presidential election. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) won the December 2008 presidential election because a majority of the so-called “floating-voters,” those independent-minded and patriotic Ghanaians who think only of the national interest (as opposed to what will benefit political parties and those who wield power: as well as their family and friends!), had become thoroughly fed-up with the unacceptable level of corruption in the country, during the latter stages of the tenure of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Those independent-minded patriots ordinarily would never have considered voting for a political party said to have been founded by Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings – a man a majority of them loathe and despise: for continuing to insist that democracy is unsuitable for Africa. Yet, a majority did so when faced with the possibility of Ghana remaining in the iron grip of the profligate Kufuor & Co. – a powerful and greedy clique that still wields enormous power in the NPP. For this type of nationalistic Ghanaian, the bickering within the NDC is hard to fathom. In their view, the NDC was returned to power solely because of Professor Mills’ personal integrity. They believed that under a President Mills, the national interest, and not the greedy ambitions of a politically well-connected few, would be what determined every government policy. Why, then , dear reader, do the various factions in the NDC not unite, to enable the Mills regime continue maintaining the support of this vital group of Ghanaians: whose crucial swing- votes won them power in December 2008? Do they not understand that precious few swing-voters will vote for the NDC again if it were to put up a candidate other than President Mills, for the December 2012 presidential election, if he was still alive and not incapacitated in any way?
If those who now lead the NDC are wise, they will patch up their differences as quickly as they possibly can – for no discerning voter likes to have a political party that is torn apart by factionalism running the enterprise Ghana. Clearly, Nana Konadu Agyemang Konadu is a very competent individual and perfect material for a ministerial position – and ought to be given one. The same thing can also be said of Dr. Spio Garbrah – who also deserves a ministerial post: especially when one considers the fact that the geniuses who are supposed to tell Ghanaians the positive “narrative” of the Mills administrations’ considerable achievements, in the face of great odds, are sadly unconvincing: when attempting to tell Ghanaians that very positive narrative. It would make perfect sense to have a world-class individual such as Spio Garbrah put in charge of a new ministry that combines the work currently done by the Ministry of Information and that of the Ministry of Communications.
The brilliant young Haruna Iddrisu ought to be dispatched up north to help bring peace to that part of our country and replace Mark Wayongo – who ought to be got rid of for his archaic and unacceptable fund-raising methods: at a time when imaginative and creative political parties can easily leverage the text-applications of the mobile phone networks to raise zillions from their supporters worldwide, without any future legal complications. Letting Spio Garbrah and Nana Kunadu into the government may be painful and unpalatable to the powerful individuals who now have President Mills’ ear – but for the sake of their own party and that of Mother Ghana, they must let bygones be bygones: and unite to keep the quislings and lackeys of foreign commercial interests in the NPP out of power, in December 2012: and beyond. If they fail to do so, both the so-called “Rawlings faction” and those in the NDC who are said to be behind President Mills in this most unedifying of political party squabbles, can look forward to at least another decade in the political wilderness, after December 2012. A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Those independent-minded patriots ordinarily would never have considered voting for a political party said to have been founded by Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings – a man a majority of them loathe and despise: for continuing to insist that democracy is unsuitable for Africa. Yet, a majority did so when faced with the possibility of Ghana remaining in the iron grip of the profligate Kufuor & Co. – a powerful and greedy clique that still wields enormous power in the NPP. For this type of nationalistic Ghanaian, the bickering within the NDC is hard to fathom. In their view, the NDC was returned to power solely because of Professor Mills’ personal integrity. They believed that under a President Mills, the national interest, and not the greedy ambitions of a politically well-connected few, would be what determined every government policy. Why, then , dear reader, do the various factions in the NDC not unite, to enable the Mills regime continue maintaining the support of this vital group of Ghanaians: whose crucial swing- votes won them power in December 2008? Do they not understand that precious few swing-voters will vote for the NDC again if it were to put up a candidate other than President Mills, for the December 2012 presidential election, if he was still alive and not incapacitated in any way?
If those who now lead the NDC are wise, they will patch up their differences as quickly as they possibly can – for no discerning voter likes to have a political party that is torn apart by factionalism running the enterprise Ghana. Clearly, Nana Konadu Agyemang Konadu is a very competent individual and perfect material for a ministerial position – and ought to be given one. The same thing can also be said of Dr. Spio Garbrah – who also deserves a ministerial post: especially when one considers the fact that the geniuses who are supposed to tell Ghanaians the positive “narrative” of the Mills administrations’ considerable achievements, in the face of great odds, are sadly unconvincing: when attempting to tell Ghanaians that very positive narrative. It would make perfect sense to have a world-class individual such as Spio Garbrah put in charge of a new ministry that combines the work currently done by the Ministry of Information and that of the Ministry of Communications.
The brilliant young Haruna Iddrisu ought to be dispatched up north to help bring peace to that part of our country and replace Mark Wayongo – who ought to be got rid of for his archaic and unacceptable fund-raising methods: at a time when imaginative and creative political parties can easily leverage the text-applications of the mobile phone networks to raise zillions from their supporters worldwide, without any future legal complications. Letting Spio Garbrah and Nana Kunadu into the government may be painful and unpalatable to the powerful individuals who now have President Mills’ ear – but for the sake of their own party and that of Mother Ghana, they must let bygones be bygones: and unite to keep the quislings and lackeys of foreign commercial interests in the NPP out of power, in December 2012: and beyond. If they fail to do so, both the so-called “Rawlings faction” and those in the NDC who are said to be behind President Mills in this most unedifying of political party squabbles, can look forward to at least another decade in the political wilderness, after December 2012. A word to the wise…
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
Email To Alba Amoo-Gottfried
Many thanks, Ohemaa. I do listen to the BBC African Service’s “Story, story" from time to time, as a matter of fact. I must say you really are brilliant – endowed with so many talents!
Well, no need to sound so apologetic – you did say you were pretty busy: and as we all know, woman (and man, too!) must live, so...
You are very kind: Thanks for your encouraging words about my writing. I am afraid I have lost faith in the future of our nation: I am currently fighting a losing battle against a respectable gentleman who in reality is more or less a super-wealthy criminal – who does not have a mining permit from the EPA, yet is mining gold at Akim Abaukwa Juaso, in defiance of the authorities.
The village is part of an area designated a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) – yet, officialdom sits in air-conditioned comfort in Accra – oblivious of the threat that that clever criminal's activities pose to the well-being of Ghanaians and their country, at a time of global climate change. Hmmm, life...
Sadly for me, I have had to suspend the idea of publishing my blog, for the moment. My landlady (God bless her!), who has the patience of a saint, has had enough – and is now threatening to throw me out of my house: if I don’t pay her the huge sum due her from me. I will revive the book project when I do the decent thing and settle matters with that marvelous landlady of mine – who I am ashamed to say, I have treated so shabbily, in not paying her what is due her. Hmmm, life…
Anyway Ohemaa, thanks once again for keeping in touch: as you promised you would. So rare to find a Ghanaian actually keeping his or her word. Hmmm, Ghana - eyeasem oo!
Best Wishes,
Kofi.
Well, no need to sound so apologetic – you did say you were pretty busy: and as we all know, woman (and man, too!) must live, so...
You are very kind: Thanks for your encouraging words about my writing. I am afraid I have lost faith in the future of our nation: I am currently fighting a losing battle against a respectable gentleman who in reality is more or less a super-wealthy criminal – who does not have a mining permit from the EPA, yet is mining gold at Akim Abaukwa Juaso, in defiance of the authorities.
The village is part of an area designated a Globally Significant Biodiversity Area (GSBA) – yet, officialdom sits in air-conditioned comfort in Accra – oblivious of the threat that that clever criminal's activities pose to the well-being of Ghanaians and their country, at a time of global climate change. Hmmm, life...
Sadly for me, I have had to suspend the idea of publishing my blog, for the moment. My landlady (God bless her!), who has the patience of a saint, has had enough – and is now threatening to throw me out of my house: if I don’t pay her the huge sum due her from me. I will revive the book project when I do the decent thing and settle matters with that marvelous landlady of mine – who I am ashamed to say, I have treated so shabbily, in not paying her what is due her. Hmmm, life…
Anyway Ohemaa, thanks once again for keeping in touch: as you promised you would. So rare to find a Ghanaian actually keeping his or her word. Hmmm, Ghana - eyeasem oo!
Best Wishes,
Kofi.
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Re: "Why Vodafone CEO Quit"
What an interesting Monday, June 9 2010 http://www.ghanaweb.com/ news web-page story by Livingstone Pay Charlie. Perhaps the question discerning Ghanaians ought to ask about this outrageous story is: What precisely are the geniuses who now rule Ghana doing about such wanton profligacy at Vodafone? Why do the powers that be not insist that the company purchases vehicles for its over-pampered expatriate staff – as well as buys houses at Cantonments or La Wireless for them: so that the company saves the huge sums currently being expended on renting vehicles and paying for serviced-apartments and hotel rooms: just to enrich a few politically well-connected individuals associated with our corrupt previous rulers?
What, dear reader, do our present rulers also have to say about that egregious example of financial-engineering-skullduggery, which the lease-back arrangement structured for the disposal of the masts of Vodafone represents? Is this financial equivalent of a sleight of hand not another crooked deal by foreign carpetbaggers, made possible by insider-dealing at Vodafone – and which puts money into corrupt private pockets at Ghana’s expense, yet again? If those in government who told the world they were going to “re-engage” Vodafone do not want to be accused of being spineless leaders, then they had better ensure that regular audits are carried out at short intervals (by the Auditor-General) – to protect Ghana’s hapless taxpayers from another bunch of rapacious foreigners: brought into this country by foolish and short-sighted politicians to rip our country off in another “chop-Ghana-small” privatization deal. Hmmm, Ghana – eyeasem oo: Enti yewieye paa enie? Asem ebaba debi ankasa!
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
What, dear reader, do our present rulers also have to say about that egregious example of financial-engineering-skullduggery, which the lease-back arrangement structured for the disposal of the masts of Vodafone represents? Is this financial equivalent of a sleight of hand not another crooked deal by foreign carpetbaggers, made possible by insider-dealing at Vodafone – and which puts money into corrupt private pockets at Ghana’s expense, yet again? If those in government who told the world they were going to “re-engage” Vodafone do not want to be accused of being spineless leaders, then they had better ensure that regular audits are carried out at short intervals (by the Auditor-General) – to protect Ghana’s hapless taxpayers from another bunch of rapacious foreigners: brought into this country by foolish and short-sighted politicians to rip our country off in another “chop-Ghana-small” privatization deal. Hmmm, Ghana – eyeasem oo: Enti yewieye paa enie? Asem ebaba debi ankasa!
Tel (powered by Tigo – the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0) 30 2976238.
OPEN LETTER TO FRENCH TAXPAYERS!
Fellow citizens of the planet Earth, I salute you. I wish to bring to your attention, a matter that ought to be of great concern to all the taxpayers of France – especially as your government, like almost all the governments in the European Union (EU), is now making deep cuts in public spending, which is ushering in an era of austerity for all the citizens of the EU: and impoverishing all of you in the process. A few years ago, your government made available a grant of some thirty million euros to the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) regime, which used to rule Ghana – before it was voted out of office in December 2008: by a people fed up with the exploitation of their nation’s economy for the personal benefit of a greedy and corrupt ruling elite.
The money was meant for the digital registration and issuance of identity cards to Ghanaian citizens and foreign residents in Ghana. Naturally, a French ICT company was to benefit handsomely from the grant – by providing Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA) with an ICT-solution to facilitate its work. The money was to be paid into an escrow account – so as to ring-fence it from other donor funds meant for various projects in Ghana. To the astonishment of the whole country, we were told a few months ago, that the previous government never paid the said money into any escrow account – and as we speak, the work of the NIA has ground to a halt: because it has run out money.
Ghanaians are fed up with the constant siphoning off of state funds by corrupt politicians and public officials – and appeal to you to demand that your government suspends all aid to Ghana: until the members of the previous regime responsible for the ‘disappearance’ of the French grant meant for the NIA, give a full explanation of precisely what they did with the said thirty million euros. We would also be grateful if you could put pressure on your government to lobby the rest of the governments of the member-states of the EU, to suspend all bilateral aid to Ghana, as well as multilateral grants from the EU to our country: until a satisfactory response is given to France about the whereabouts of the said grant. Many thanks in advance and regards to you all!
Tel(powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0)30 2976238.
The money was meant for the digital registration and issuance of identity cards to Ghanaian citizens and foreign residents in Ghana. Naturally, a French ICT company was to benefit handsomely from the grant – by providing Ghana’s National Identification Authority (NIA) with an ICT-solution to facilitate its work. The money was to be paid into an escrow account – so as to ring-fence it from other donor funds meant for various projects in Ghana. To the astonishment of the whole country, we were told a few months ago, that the previous government never paid the said money into any escrow account – and as we speak, the work of the NIA has ground to a halt: because it has run out money.
Ghanaians are fed up with the constant siphoning off of state funds by corrupt politicians and public officials – and appeal to you to demand that your government suspends all aid to Ghana: until the members of the previous regime responsible for the ‘disappearance’ of the French grant meant for the NIA, give a full explanation of precisely what they did with the said thirty million euros. We would also be grateful if you could put pressure on your government to lobby the rest of the governments of the member-states of the EU, to suspend all bilateral aid to Ghana, as well as multilateral grants from the EU to our country: until a satisfactory response is given to France about the whereabouts of the said grant. Many thanks in advance and regards to you all!
Tel(powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109 & the not-so-hot and clueless Vodafone wireless smartfone: + 233 (0)30 2976238.
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