Mr. President, I Beg To Differ (I)

Where do we go from here? I ask this question because we don’t know whether we are in crisis or not. We don’t know whether the country is broke or not. But one thing we all are in agreement is that the economy is challenged. Why is the economy challenged? Is it as a result of bad economic policies by the Kufuor-led NPP administration? I say a big no to those who say so. And like what happens in our court when after a court has given its verdict, it postpones to another time the reasons behind its verdict. And so, dear reader, permit me to defer to another time, the reasons why I do not hold the NPP Administration culpable for our economy

But, did you go through the numerous comments in reaction to my piece, “who is in charge, Mr. President?” Well, if you did not, then you missed a lot of goodies. While some contributors appeared “UnGhanaian” by calling me nasty names(Ghanaians are very decent, disciplined and civilized and do not abuse or insult others just because they hold a contrary opinion to their own), I realized that such people have fallen in love with my write-ups and always wait for my writings to enable them do what they know best-insult.

There is one particular contributor who always sends the message.

“Go to Hell” to me on my phone.

This brings to mind what one teacher of mine during our school days always did. Anytime he came to class, he would switch on the light, wait for the light to come on and ask “who did that?’ the entire class would chorus “Nkrumah”. One day, he went through the usual routine, switched on the light and asked the question. But on this particular occasion, for some inexplicable reason, the lights in the classroom were refused to come on. The class chorused “Nkrumah”.

And so it is with some people. Whenever they see my name at the end of any write-up they would not bother to read but conclude that because I have been very vocal in my support for the New Patriotic Party, my piece is very critical of the NDC.

On this, I reject it in its entirety. I am one of the NPP die hard activists who look at issues as they are and make objective comments on them. I have written articles critical of the Kufuor led NPP Administration which were published by some Media Houses. Examples,

I criticized the President for not disciplining the DCE who was alleged alleged to have slapped an NDC MP (a woman) who was old enough to be his mother. I recommended that the DCE be relieved of his appointment, pending the outcome of Mr President’s investigation into the matter. I also criticized the Presidency for turning a blind eye to the act of the DCE for Akwatia for moving the diamonds from the vaults at GCD to another place.

These incidents were captured in my piece, titled “A School to Re-orientate Government Appointees a must” which was published in the New Punch” the Daily searchlight” the Chronicle” “The Statesman”, “The Free Press” and some websites between Tuesday 30th November, 2007 and Friday 3rd November, 2007.

I also did a story titled, “Mr. President, I Beg to Differ” in which I criticize the government for paying lip service to its Anti-corruption Crusade. The piece was published in The Free Press, The Daily Searchlight, The Crusading Guide, The New Punch, the Statesman between Monday, March 12, 2007 and Friday, March 16, 2007. There are many others I did including one in which I called on Manhyia to come out and clarify issues relating to the use of Otumfuo’s name by some fraudsters to link his name to a so-called Educational Foundation. I have also done a similar on by criticizing the Okyeman Traditional Council for passing a law which I found obnoxious. So, it is not time that I have looked the other way whilst some negative acts were being perpetrated by the NPP (Admin). But I have a bone to pick with or an axe to grind with the NDC when it comes to criticizing any negative act by its government. Can anyone point out one instance when a top member of the NDC had condemned an act of illegality by the Mills-led Administration?

The issue of car seizure has long been over flogged. The party and the government claim they have not asked any individual or group of people to do such people have been doing. Okay, if they don’t have a hand in their activities, why should Government come out to apologize to the victims?

And if such people were not acting on orders from above, why have they not been arrested and prosecuted for bringing the name of Mills’ Government into disrepute?

All that we are asking for is that we should do things with decorum and that we should not degenerate into the level of beasts when brute force reigns supreme

I wish to read constructive criticisms from the NDC side so that together we can compare notes and arrive at the best way to move the country forward. I wish we will come to a situation when people will not attempt to defend the indefensible, but state the facts they way they see them.

I reproduce today for the consumption of the reading public; one piece which was critical of Kufuor’s led government. The piece is titled “Mr. President, I beg to Differ”