Ghana: Making Sense of our Democracy

The status of Ghana as an emerging democracy has been acknowledged the world over. The opposition New Patriotic Party’s unprecedented flagbearership election on August 7, 2010 that saw the re-election of Nana Akuffo Addo as the party’s candidate for the 2012 elections has added a new and positive dimension to the credentials of Ghana as the pacesetter of Africa politics.  It is fair to say that Ghana’s current democracy which begun in 1992 has come with peace and stability that has made Ghana the darling of her neighbours and the international community. The recent outstanding performance of the Black Stars in the 2010 Fifa world cup in South Africa has added momentum to the worldwide view that Ghana is on the path of greatness.

The essence of democracy is to elect leaders who will manage the country to provide security, energy, housing, education, transport, health and telecommunication infrastructures that the citizens can take advantage of to improve their living conditions. Many who have engaged in the democratic process in Ghana have done so with the hope that democracy will usher in not only liberty, rule of law, political stability, freedom of speech and assembly but also economic prosperity. But the people who have been ruling Ghana since the day the Fourth Republican Constitution came into force seem to have forgotten this simple meaning of democracy.

More than seventeen years since the first ballot was cast and 53 years after independence the life of many Ghanaians has stagnated if not retrogressed to pre-independence levels. A critical look at the economic situation of the people suggests that the stability and peace that democracy has brought the nation has not translated into economic and social development. The various governments that have governed Ghana since 1992 have not been able to take advantage of the peace and stability to formulate and implement the necessary policies needed to transform Ghana’s economy to enable Ghanaians benefit directly. A critical look at the country’s sectors: education, energy, transportation, health and waste management reveal a state of organised disorder.

The CIA’s 2010 world ranking of countries with higher life expectancy puts Ghana at 186^th position (60.55 years) out of the 224 countries polled. Today two-thirds of the population still live on two dollars a day. The inequality and the poverty gap between those who govern and the governed is widening every year. This is evidenced in the number of people working as street vendors including children who work as head potters in our cities instead of going to school and the high number of children being trafficked to work in various parts of the country. There is a sense of anger and frustration among the populace as is indicated by the growing number of unruly behaviour of the so called foot soldiers of the NDC youth with their incessant seizing of public toilets, locking up National Health Insurance Service and National Youth Employment Programme offices and constant calling of District Chief Executives to be fired. These activities suggest that the people are not benefiting from our democracy and are getting increasingly disillusioned, a situation that can easily be nurtured to cause political instability in the country. 

The only people who seem to have benefited from our democracy are the politicians who go home every four years with fat ex-gratia payments while majority of the people live in squalid conditions. Take E. T. Mensah for example. Since 1992 he has been representing Ningo Prampram as an MP and going home with ex-gratia every four years while many people in his constituency can neither read nor write and lack the basic necessities of life including water, electricity and housing.

The expensive and cosy sport utility vehicles (Land Cruisers etc) that has come to represent the taste of NDC and NPP politicians do not reflect the harsh economic life being experienced by majority of the people especially those in the rural areas who live in mud houses roofed with raffia and bamboo leafs and without water and electricity. This is unacceptable and is very dangerous for the continuous existence of democracy itself. People cannot continue to cast their votes every four years and continue to live in the same pre-independence conditions without jobs, proper housing, electricity, roads, farming equipments and access to water and sanitation. People cannot vote every four years while they continue to live on two dollars a day. That is slavery, not democracy. Democracy must come with liberty, economic empowerment, social development and improvement in the overall quality of life of the people. This has not happened in Ghana more than seventeen years of democratic governance and over fifty years of self rule.

Slowly we are missing the opportunity to develop as a nation and to add quality and value to the lives of our people. Despite promises of a better Ghana and jobs for the youth nothing seems to have changed, courtesy the politicians who are trapped in their narrow view of state management and who are going round the circle unable to work out a solution for the nation’s many problems. Slowly many of the people who have placed so much hope in democracy are being betrayed not by democracy as a system but by those elected to lead them to economic freedom. This cannot continue forever.

The people who vote must have something to live up to if they can continue to support the democratic efforts of the state. Therefore, the promises and pledges that characterise our elections must be transformed into actions and deeds. The broken promises and the politics of the same on the part of those who govern must stop before apathy sets in. Those who rule Ghana must recognise that their performance is not measured by what they say but what they do. Therefore we must act now and make good use of our peace, stability and democracy if we want to avoid any cataclysmic political upheaval in future.

In light of the abysmal economic performance of the nation and her inability to reduce poverty, I strongly believe Ghana needs strategic counselling and I want to offer my suggestions here.

First of all, Ghanaians need strategic leaders with the ability to vision and ability to bring the vision into reality; leaders who can turn aspiration into reality and inspire the people to great heights and help build a new Ghana that all of us can be proud of. Those who manage state institutions must be strategic thinkers who can formulate good policies and implement them to bring positive change. The begging mentality (i.e. the focus on aid as a development model) that continues to permeate those who live in the Osu Castle must give way to a more ingenious ways of state management that has as its focus the attraction of foreign investment, promotion of trade, support for indigenous producers, farmers, the promotion of local entrepreneurial development and the building, renovating and expanding the economic and social infrastructures in the country i.e. energy, roads, rail lines, harbours, telecommunication, silos, canals, schools and hospitals. It is unacceptable that while other nations are going outer-space to discover new planets we are still struggling to feed ourselves. Therefore the politics that has come to define our education (3 years for NDC, 4 year for NPP) must give way to a non-partisan approach to problem solving.

Secondly, evidence from Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and China has shown that a country’s economic growth, human development and her ability to reduce poverty are dependent on her technological development. Therefore, if we are to make sense of our 53 years of independence and over seventeen years of democracy; if we are to take advantage of the current favourable political climate and make it a force for good and a force for development, then a ground work for export-driven industrial economy must be laid through the adoption of a comprehensive export-driven industrial strategy. Such a strategy must make the development and acquisition of advanced technologies a priority so as to take advantage of the huge unexploited natural resources in the country, to increase production, and create wealth for the people. Why should our child-bearing women continue to carry their children on their back in this African heat when we can adopt technology to build pushchairs/prams for them? Why should we continue to wash our cloths with our hands when we could adopt the technology to build washers to save us precious time? Why should we continue to sleep in darkness when we could adopt the technology to convert solar energy into electricity? Why should our farmers continue to farm with cutlasses and hoes when we could adopt advanced farming technologies to increase yield and reduce hunger and poverty in the country? And why should we continue to carry things on our head when we could use technology to do it?

China and India’s development of their own technologies and their acquisition of technologies from the West has shown that it is possible to move hundreds of millions of people from poverty through technology acquisition. I believe that nations that turn away from the development and use of science and technology are bound to remain primitive and face extinction, and even if those nations survive extinction they will probably remain slave to others with superior technologies. Ghana cannot afford to remain technologically backward while our independence peers in Asia are moving forward scientifically and technologically and the earlier the policy-makers in Ghana look into technology acquisition the better.

Added to the above point is the fact that Ghana cannot continue to depend on the export of some few raw materials while the population continues to increase almost exponentially. Ghana cannot remain agrarian if we are to solve the teeming unemployment problem, eradicate poverty, hunger, malnutrition, malaria and improve the overall quality of life in the country. The policymakers must device ingenious schemes and work assiduously to diversify Ghana’s economy by shifting emphasis from the current reliance on raw material export to manufacturing, service, and knowledge based economy. The diversification of the economy will not only help the nation expand her revenue base but will also lead to increased production, create more jobs and protect the country from the shocks that always threaten the vivacity of our economy.

Lastly, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning must be told in plain language that lowering inflation alone will not meet the aspirations of unemployed Ghanaians who are looking for jobs. The National Development Planning Commission and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning must live up to their names and build some credibility for themselves as institutions tasked with planning the nation’s development. Ghana deserves better fiscal policies/financial management than it has been offered by Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. These institutions must think strategically and device strategies with inbuilt policy priorities to stabilise the nation’s financial market, revive the defunct firms, create jobs and put money in the pockets of the people.

I want to conclude by saying that if Ghanaians are to make sense of democracy, cherish its values and ideals; if indeed democracy is to thrive in Ghana, and if Ghana is to continue to serve as the guiding light for the rest of Africa, then more must be done to improve the economic well-being of the people, for democracy without economic and social development is a catalyst for chaos.

By Lord Aikins Adusei*

*The author is a political activist and anti corruption campaigner. His e-mail is politicalthinker1@yahoo.com

Irate NDC youth takeover NHIS office in Zabzugu

Angry NDC supporters demonstrating at the Electoral Commission office during the 2008 general election Rampaging youth of the National Democratic Congress in the Zabzugu constituency in the Northern region on Tuesday forcibly took over the offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the area. The irate youth allegedly chased out the scheme manager on suspicion that he is loyal to the New Patriotic Party. Citi FM’s Northern Regional correspondent said Mr Abubakari feels threatened by the action of irate youth and has gone into hiding. Some of the workers of the scheme were said to have been manhandled prior to the takeover, but the reporter could not tell the extent of injuries sustained. The youth have since the coming into power of the National Democratic Congress made several attempts to seize the office, accusing the government of not providing them with jobs. It is unclear what the police and handlers of the National Health Insurance Scheme will do in the Rambo style takeover. Meanwhile in the Ashanti Region, members of the New Patriotic Party are accusing Abuga Pele, National Coordinator of the NYEP of plotting to sack perceived New Patriotic Party members employed under the scheme. Abuga Pele had stated that the scheme will make use of an exit plan embedded in the National Youth Employment Programme which stipulates that appointees of the programme (health assistants) placed under the NHIS will exit after two years of appointment. But the beneficiaries claim no such agreement was entered into at the time they were given the appointment. They accuse the National coordinator of deliberately exploiting this policy to get rid of them. The Regional Youth organiser of the NPP in the Ashanti region said the government must not pretend to be providing jobs to Ghanaians by sacking others who, whether real or perceived, are members of the NPP. Rather the government must widen the scope of the programme by employing more Ghanaians, he noted. If the NPP, whilst in power introduced the Zoomlion programme to employ Ghanaians, the new administration can also establish a zoomtiger to employ Ghanaians, he chided. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Ghana: The Coming Anarchy: A stitch in time saves nine

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II When in the early 1990s Robert Kaplan warned of a looming anarchy that would engulf the whole of West Africa, many thought that he was an alarmist of insane proportions. But it came to pass that few years later Liberia, Sierra Leone and later the Ivory Coast saw anarchy of unimaginable dimensions. What Kaplan saw as necessary ingredients for the anarchy were the dictatorship, the clientilist approach to governance, corruption, tribalism, indiscipline at all levels of society, and above all imprudence in economic management, that were pervasive in the governance systems of west African states at the time. We in this column have had occasions to warn of similar consequences for our nascent democracy, if we did not eschew exclusivism, partisanship, mediocrity, pettiness, and especially indiscipline from our body politic. We had said that an undisciplined society never progresses, it retrogresses at all times. The negatives that we have enumerated above did not start emerging in our society today. Unfortunately, we are fond of nurturing them for use at the appropriate times. Since the days of the so-called revolution, indiscipline has been allowed to be part of our national psyche. The rule of law has been thrown to the dogs. Instead of nurturing and growing the principles of the rule of law and of democracy, we practice how to be defiant, lawless, and unprincipled. The worse offenders have been the political leadership of this country and the media. We call on people to be so-called positively defiant and they do our bidding for pittance. As such they are ready to carry away ballot boxes or beat opponents in times of elections. They are ready to be called ‘macho-men’, or in a more polite form ‘foot soldiers’. The media, on the other hand is prepared harp on the sensational, the controversial, the most mind-boggling non-sense, the insipid lies, and many more that assist more in polarizing society than help nurture democracy and growth. In effect, we have a society so polarized, and effectively impatient, illiterate on all dimensions of nation-building, and ready to tear the nation apart in the name of politics. Partisanship has permeated all the fabric of society to the extent that very soon the air we breathe would have to be distributed through partisan lenses. Incidentally, state institutions, upon whose platforms democracy may be built have all been belted under the idiotic hypnosis of this unfortunate but unfolding drama. Anytime there is a change of government state institutions begin to behave differently. The police, for instance had to instantly act as soon as my friend, Kofi Adams, reported that someone had insulted the former Head of State, Jerry John Rawlings. I do not know the law. But I know that insulting a Head of State is unlawful. We are told that there is a law dating back to the 1970s which forbids the publication of false information designed to cause disaffection and/or to incite public unrest. That is a very good law. But where were the police when Asemfofro kept heaping insults on President Kuffour? Where were they when on 28th December a Radio station asked Ghanaians to get ready for war? Where were they when we were told that President Kufour had emptied the vaults of the Bank of Ghana of all the gold bars? Some ex-government officials are being hauled to the courts for various alleged offences. I have no quarrel with that. My beef is where were the SFOs, BNIs, CIDs etc., and all the state institutions mandated to be the gatekeepers of our country in various capacities? President Clinton was made to face the law by an Attorney General (Janet Reno), whom he had appointed to office in the first place. All this is happening in our country because of all that we said above – partisanship, indiscipline, clientilism etc. Politics is polarizing our society to frightening dimensions. In appointments to public offices, in issues of national interests, in fact, in everything, politics is the least common denominator (LCM). The most frightening of all is that politics has entered the Chieftaincy institution. Most of the tribal wars we have on our hand have been exacerbated by politics. It is nauseating to note that during the succession deliberations of who inherits Otumfuo Opoku ware II, a government delegation went to Kumasi to present drinks to the Queen Mother on behalf of a contestant. Again, after the unfortunate assassination of the Ya Na, Yakubu Andani of Dagbon, political capital was seriously made of it to the extent that a particular political party quickly made T-Shirts, bearing the party colours and the effigy of the slain Ya Na. Of late we are witnessing partisan cleansing of the public sector institutions. The ‘proceed-on-leave’ syndrome and the spectre of party faithfuls and/or ‘foot-soldiers’, hounding officials out of their offices and virtually dismissing them are a sour blot on our democracy. What this means is that we are going to have cycles of vengeance politics – a recipe for disaster. Dear Mr. President, you promised to be the ‘father of all Ghanaians’. But you recently told the journalists that if anybody did not share your ideology it would be difficult to work with such a person. This reduces you to be the father of only one party. This statement of yours may have served as a catalyst to the syndrome of macho-men, foot-soldiers hounding people out of office. This is against the rule of law! Janet Reno, whom we earlier referred to is a Republican but President Clinton appointed her and worked with her for eight years. The current Defense Secretary of the US, Gates, is equally a Republican who worked under President Bush. But Obama has retained him. The current US Ambassador to China is a Republican. The latest on our hand is the Tuobodom-Techiman feud. It is precisely because it has been politicized, it is precisely because the police are perceived to be partisan that the Asantehene is angry and bore his teeth. Now we have to rush a government delegation in to calm the waters. Quickly and ironically, the police are now prepared to investigate the kidnapping issue. Can we imagine how even the chieftaincy institution is becoming undisciplined and that the macho-men syndrome has reached our palaces? What a world! Can we build a society based on rule of law and institutional governance? We in this column have always said that democracy is a process. It is driven by the rule of law and wheeled by institutional autonomy (governance). Democracy is derailed when there is no rule of law. Democracy collapses when institutions of state are belted under the whims of an incumbent government. Such situations breeds indiscipline and anarchy is the inevitable result. Credit: Dr. V. Antwi-Danso/Ghanaian Times

Ghana to lose $1.5 billion over "uninteligent contract"

The former Deputy High Commissioner for Britain is raising alarm over what he says is an “unintelligent contract” entered into by the government of Ghana and an American company, Balkan Energy Company LLC. Mr Gregg Murray alleges that government of Ghana continues to lose a whooping amount of $1.5 billion every year, as a result of the contract. According to him, only an “extremely stupid” person could enter into such an agreement and wondered which official signed on behalf of government. Balkan Energy Company LLC was contracted in 2007 to repair and operate the Osagyefo Badge which is expected to generate 185 megawatts of power, with its dual fired unit which can operate on diesel as well as natural gas. Balkan Energy is also expected to convert the barge into a combined cycle power plant with an incremental capacity of 60MW within 9 months after the effective date of the agreement at a cost of about $100 million. But Mr Murray in an interview with Citi News said the deal was fraudulent and urged the government to abrogate the contract. “They are charging government of Ghana $45 million a year for providing electricity from a plant which already belongs to the government Ghana. It is like you lease your own car to somebody, they are going to lease the Osagyefo barge for $10 million a year.” “…I wish I understood why nothing has been done,” I think the government is very concerned to act legally. “It is hard to say whether the agreement was just negotiated by somebody extremely stupid and incompetent and corrupt.” “Either way this contract must be abrogated or it is going to cost the people of Ghana an amount of $1.5 million,” he sniped. Gregg Murray also mentioned another agreement entered into with Zakheim by the Volta River Authority, of which the former is to provide turbines to the people of Ghana. According to him the agreement stinks of corruption and called on government to take immediate action. Mr Murray also criticized recent statements from the British High Commission which sought to prevent any government investigations into deals entered into with the British companies operating in the country. The current High Commissioner Nicholas Wescott has however denied any wrong doing from the commission. Story by Nathan Gadugah with additional files from Citi FM and Daily Guide

CORRUPTION IN CEPS WHO DOESN'T KNOW?

The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffour, has taken the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to task and challenged its leadership and workers to rid the service of its perceived corruption.

In addition to its corrupt image, the minister also chided the service for failure to meet its revenue collection targets, saying nothing could explain the sloppy performance it registered.

He expressed regret at the frequent negative reports of corruption and malfeasance within the service and told the Commissioner of CEPS and the entire staff to be proactive and boldly come up with interventions to raise the sunken image of the service and win back public trust and confidence.

n his admonition, Mr Duffour had said, "Much as the government accepts that there are logistical and technical challenges hindering your delivery, the growing trend of negative conduct and reportage go on to retard the country's development, thus leaving the citizens in poverty."

He noted that the Tema collection of the service accounted for 55 per cent of the country’s total domestic revenue mobilisation but the service failed to achieve the set target, which he said dwindled massively last year to about 40 per cent, a situation he described as spelling doom for the country's growth.


Dr Duffour was at the port for a day's working visit to familiarise himself with the revenue collection modules of CEPS.

He expressed regret that allegations of corruption, malfeasance and massive fraud in the service continued to make headlines, quizzing, "Why can't you go out and embark on a massive image cleansing exercise that will go into restoring the service’s trust among the public?"

"It always saddens me to see my picture in the papers each time unspeakable publications about the service get to the public, just because 1 am your sector minister," he lamented.

WHO WILL DELIVER GHANA?

There is too much poverty in the country:in the cities and in the countryside.

There is too much corruption in the country: in the NDC and NPP, police service and CEPS; at the harbours; in the universities, polytechnic, teachers' training and nursing schools sex for grades and money for admission. Many people are victims.

The illiteracy level in the country is very high: 44% of the adult population cannot read and write. Unemployment is very high between 25 and 50%. Many of the youth have no jobs and have resorted to illegal activities such as armed robbery, prostitution and other social vices.Graduates from our universities are without jobs either and many are doing their best to leave the country for the corrupt politicians.

Water pollution and poor sanitation is everywhere in our cities. The people of Teshie and Nungua are using the sea and the coast as places of convenience because they have no access to toilets. Many people in our cities and towns are without quality and the right quantity of water. In some communities, residents have to live without water for weeks if not months, yet there is a president and his ministers who receive tens of millions of cedis every month for not providing the people with water.

People live in mud houses roofed with raffia leaves in most of our rural areas. They are without electricity, water and social security. In the cities people have no mortgage, they face high renting and utility bills with poor services. Power cuts is everywhere in the country, yet every month the minister of energy receives millions of cedis for not providing the people with the facilities thy need.

Farmers have no access to tractors and fertilisers and have to plant using cutlasses and hoes every planting and harvesting season. They have no access to irrigation facilities and if nature fails to provide them with water then they are doomed.

There is entropy of infrastructure decay in the country. There are no proper waste management system.The traffic jams and pollution in Accra and Kumasi are unbearable.

There is food shortage everywhere and prices are beyond the reach of ordinary Ghanaians as a result malnutrition is increasingly affecting most of the children especially in the rural areas.

Poverty is driving more and more children into the streets of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Ho, Tema and many others. Children serving as head potters are visible everywhere in the country. They are selling ice water, coconut, plantain chips and other hawking activities. They are sacrificing their education to find food for themselves. The MPs, the president, the vice president and their ministers drive by: some of them even stop to buy the stuff these children are selling without asking question why these children who are supposed to be in school and be trained as future leaders are on the street selling.

Most hospitals are without essential medicines and medical staff are in short supply in most health institutions. The minister of health says there is no money for medicines but every month taxes are paid so where does the money go?

Ghana has not modernized at all. 52 years after independence we still carry things on our head and wash our clothes with our hand. Nothing is manufactured in the country not even bicycles let alone cars, computers, dish washers and heavy equipments that help nations to develop. We are a nation that depend on what others have used and thrown away. Our economy is is littered with used computers, used clothes, used cars things that most Ghanaians could not do without. NDC and NPP have been promising to build castles in Ghana, yet people are living mud houses. We cannot even device plans to help our farmers to increase food production. We have not recognised that the cutlasses and hoes they have been using since the time of slavery and colonialism cannot help us to move forward as a nation.

Rawlings and his P(NDC) spent 19 years joking and toying with Ghanaians and the problems facing them. Kuffour and his NPP spent 8 years talking more and doing little.

Attah Mills has been in power for one year and has not found his feet yet, though his ministers are enjoying tax payers' money, driving Land Cruiser while fishermen have no premix fuel.

There is corruption at the Castle where Alex Segbefia who is the deputy chief of staff at the Castle and his men are rapping Tema harbour of cars that have been seized by the state. Those at the helm of affairs are doing their best to loot as much as they can for themselves leaving Ghanaians to suffer.

Frustration, hopelessness and desperation are written in the face of many Ghanaians. Ghanaians appear to have no leader: a leader who will provide jobs for the youth; a leader who will provide infrastructure for the economic take off, a leader who will transform Ghana's railway sector into viable transportation industry; a leader who is a problem solver and not just arm-chair president.

Come 2012 NDC and NPP politicians aided by the corrupt press and media practitioners will come with the same pack of lies, deceits and with smooth words: vote for us and we will do this and that but once they get to parliament they cannot even put a bill together to solve some of the problems. Once they become ministers they cannot even formulate policies let alone implement one.

Ghanaians are suffering not because we are poor in terms of natural resources. We are poor because we have bad political leaders who are interested in getting power without using the power to help develop the nation for all to benefit. Those entrusted with the management of the nation are simply visionless. They love to drive in convoy at the expense of the nation yet have no idea how to help Ghana become a food sufficient nation. More than 52 years after independence we still import rice from China and India and there is no sign that the importation will stop soon.

Ghana is a leading gold exporter but where does the money go? Ghana is a leading cocoa exporter but where does the money go? Rawlings couldn't give a straight answer when he was asked. Kuffour could'nt give a straight answer either. We continue to receive grants from rich countries in the global north but the politicians and their business friends are not allowing it to have impact in the country.

Hundreds of loan agreements have signed and billions of dollars have been received by our governments (Rawlings and Kuffour and now Mills) and we are paying heavy fees for it yet Ghanaians cannot trace where all the loan money has gone or the projects it has been used to complete.

It is so sad that the leaders who came after Nkrumah have done very little to add to the foundation he laid. I don't know what would have happened to Ghana had Nkrumah not built Akosombo dam. I don't what would have happened to Ghana had Nkrumah not built Tema city and the harbour with all the infrastructures and industries such as Valco. Nkrumah spent 9 years from 1957 to 1966 doing all these landmark projects, Rawlings and his PNDC spent 19 years doing nothing but selling what Nkrumah built and where did the money go? Rawlings and his PNDC couldn't even maintain the things Nkrumah did let alone adding some to it. They had to allow it to rot and decay because they did not have any idea how important those things were to the economy of our country. Kuffour spent 8 years selling Ghana Telecom and where did the proceed go?

The NDC and the NPP are toying with Ghana's secondary school system: 3 years for NDC, 4 years for NPP meanwhile they are sending their children to be educated abroad leaving Ghanaians to suffer from their selfish and ill conceived policies.

Will NPP's Alan Kyeremanteng and Akuffo Addo save Ghana? I don't think so. Because they are part of the same wagon that has not deliver to Ghanaians. Can Mills save Ghana? Well his style of governance shows that unemployment and many of the woes he came to meet will worsen. He has not shown any clear policy direction as what he wants to do or achieve for Ghana.

We have been mining gold for decades yet Ghanaians cannot even buy products made from gold. We have been selling gold at the international gold market for decades and ordinary Ghanaians do not know where the money goes. No one in Ghana except the corrupt NDC and their equally corrupt NPP rivals who know where the proceeds go. Now they are happy that we have discovered oil and are seriously strategising to steal so Ghanaians will continue to live in poverty again.

If Ghana is going to be a nation for all its people then the is the need for a leadership that will aggressively implement policies and programmes that will transform the nation from its current economic predicament. A leadership that will mobilize all the resources in the country to develop Ghana for all its citizens to benefit.

Ghanaians sit up and beware of who you vote for in 2012.

Credit: Lord Aikins Adusei

NDC and NPP:They know the road to power but they do not know how to solve Ghana's worsening poverty situation

That Ghana has huge natural resources that with the right political leadership could be utilised to benefit majority of the people who are living on $2 a day is a fact. That Ghana is deeply poor is a fact. That Ghana is governed by corrupt visionless people masquerading political leaders is also a fact. There is no argument that the poverty situation in Ghana keeps worsening everyday despite the fact we have people calling themselves ministers, MPs, presidents and vice president who are drawing huge pay cheques, bonuses at the expense of the people yet do not know how to lead the people out of poverty.

Why was Nkrumah able to build the whole Tema city with roads, industries in nine years? Why was he able to build Akosombo Dam and other industries in the country with just 9 years? Didn't Rawlings spend 19 years in power, what can we remember him of? If Rawlings had built another Akosombo dam wouldn't Ghana had been better? Didn't Kuffour spend 8 years in power, what can we remember him of? Is it not the selling of Vodafone and other national assets?

Nkrumah from 1957 to 1966 managed to build Akosombo dam, Tema harbour, VALCO, GIHOC distilleries, Jute factory, KNUST, established hospitals, secondary schools, training and nursing schools. Rawlings in his 19 years sold almost all of these factories and where did the proceeds go? Do you? Into his personal bank accounts. Just look through Ghana from Accra to Wa can you see anything remarkable that was done by Rawlings or Kuffour?

Why was Nkrumah able to do them? Was he a magician? No he wasn't a magician he was a visionary, thinker, a real politician who cared for the people of Ghana and was bent on helping Ghana to develop. He knew what he wanted for Ghana and was determined to do it. He built schools, infrastructures that made a middle income country. Can we say the same about Rawlings and Kuffour and Papa Attah Mills? Do they have vision...hmmm I don't think so. Are they forward thinking people who want the best for Ghanaians? Hmmmm...I don't think so.

Think twice when you vote for NPP and NDC politicians for they the road to power but they do not know the road to solving the worsening poverty situation in Ghana.

Where are the Independent Minded MPs in Ghana?

Government cannot be wrong all the time. Opposition parties cannot be right all the time. Ghana needs independent minded MPs who will be willing to call a spade a spade without conforming to the politics of the same. In Ghana issues are always discussed based on political lines where MPs of the ruling government always vote in favour and vote for the policies of government whether they be good or bad, whether the policies hurt farmers in his constituency or not, whether traders will be affected by the policies. There are no independent opinions in the ruling government. There are no independent opinions in the opposition parties either and Ghana is getting a bad deal. Why are our MPs not able to speak their mind freely for the good of Ghana? Do they have to vote on party lines all the time to the detriment of the nation and her people?

Due to lack of independent minds in both the the NDC and NPP the country is always driven by politics of the same. Ghanaians must begin to think about voting for independent candidates who do not support any of the major parties whose members continue to mismanage the nation while living on fat bonuses at the expense of the tax payer.

Are NDC MPs saying in Parliament saying everything that Mills has been doing is good if no then why they not letting their voices heard for the good of our country? Are the NPP MPs in Parliament saying everything that Mills has done is bad if no then why those who think otherwise are are not letting their voices to be heard for the good of our country?

Do you know what your vote can do? Very soon the president and his vice and the MPs will come begging you again to vote for them so they can keep you in poverty for another four years. Say no when they come.

If there is an independent candidate in your constituency listen to what he/she stands for and vote for him or her. Because if you vote for NDC or NPP MPs they will blindly put their interest and the interest of their parties first. Ghana and you will come second. You can let them think by refusing to vote for them.

"Ghanaians Must Sit Up"

Will Ghanaians vote for NDC and NPP for another 4 years of poverty?

Why do Ghanaians keep punishing themselves by electing corrupt NDC and NPP men and women who think nothing more than their own stomach? Have you seen any independent minded Member of Parliament in either the NDC or NPP speaking for Ghanaians or for Ghana other than themselves and their parties? Has anyone in the NPP or NDC being advocating for economic help for the poor in the country? Have you heard from your MP since he or she was elected in 2008? Has the regional minister in your region being doing anything to help the poor farmers and traders? Has the district chief executive been doing anything to help you and your community get water, waste bins, clean environment, and sanitation facilities in your community?

Don’t you know as a citizen of Ghana you have the right to know what your tax is being used for? Why have you kept silence when you do not have a job? Have you forgotten that Ghana is paying the minister of employment fat salary and bonuses to provide jobs for Ghanaians?

Why have you not taken any action when your community is without electricity? Have you forgotten that the Minister of Energy receives millions of cedis to ensure that you get electricity? Why have you not gone to his office to find out why he continues to receive salaries and bonuses every month yet you do not have electricity? Take action now. Organise the people who live in your community and are suffering like you and go to the minister, his deputy and the directors responsible for providing the service they are denying you, and ask for answers. Don’t take no for answer, demand answers now.

"Ghanaians Must Sit Up"

NDC and NPP and their politics of Inaction (Corruption)

When they were in opposition the National Democratic Congress [NDC] constantly accused the New Patriotic Party [NPP] of being corrupt and the accusation continued when President Mills government took office. The NPP has been accused by the NDC for appropriating millions of dollars during the celebration of Ghana@50. The NPP has also been accused of making profits from the building of the Jubilee House built to house the presidency. The allegation has forced President Mills to delay moving into House. The allegations against the NPP seem to go on by the day with P.C. Appiah Ofori a member of the NPP party going public to accuse Members of Parliament belonging to the NPP. He accused them of receiving $5000 each during the sale of Ghana Telecom in which they were asked to vote to support the motion.

The NPP too has countered the NDC’s accusations by pointing to the massive corruption that existed during the 11 years of PNDC and 8 years of NDC rule. They also point to recent revelations that suggest the NDC transition team spent a whopping 3.61 billion cedis on tea and water within two months.

NPP also points to revelations in Nigeria and Ghana newspapers that the Governor of Rivers State of Nigeria Mr. Rotimi Amaechi paid $3.5 million to ex-President Rawlings which was used to bankroll their 2008 election campaign that brought them victory.

NPP says the NDC is like a silver calling the kettle black and points to recent information in public domain that Mahama Ayariga the spokesperson for President Mills has illegally acquired five tractors meant for poor Ghanaian farmers. He took five tractors meant for underprivileged farmers and paid for only one whose price was further reduced for him.

NPP says the NDC should shut because it has no moral right to accuse its members of corruption. They accused the NDC of shady deals and point to Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak who used his office as a charity buying pampas, khebab and travelling around with his girl friend.

And as if that is not enough Nana Ohene-Ntow, the General Secretary of the NPP in a hot exchange with Kofi Adams has called on Jerry Rawlings to come clean if he is not corrupt. Nana Ohene-Ntow told Adams who doubles as the spokesperson for Rawlings and NDC Deputy Youth Organiser, “he [Rawlings] should tell Ghanaians how he got money to build his mansion at Agyirigannon, how he financed his children’s fees abroad, and those who provided him the 4 wheel drive vehicles.If he fails to provide the hard facts, he should desist from disturbing the peace of this country”.

The fact of the matter is that both parties are corrupt. Their members are getting richer everyday while majority Ghanaians live on $2 a day, without adequate food and shelter, water and sanitation. The mistake Ghanaians are making is that they keep voting for these individuals who are more interested feeding themselves and their families than taking care of the entire population.

NDC and NPP and their politics of Inaction (infrastructure)

The health of every nation’s economy and its potential to grow strongly depend on a reliable infrastructure system because infrastructures are the bedrock, life blood and the engines that drive the economy. The role play by infrastructures in the economy of a nation cannot be overemphasized especially its effect on sustainable development, foreign direct investment flow, GDP growth, inflation reduction, job creation, trade, agriculture, delivery of goods and services, lowering cost of business, improving health and standard of living and poverty reduction. Therefore, efficient and effective provision of infrastructure in a nation underlines all attempts to reduce poverty.

P(NDC) and NPP which have been governing Ghana for the past 28 years have neglected Ghana's infrastructure needs for years, yet we have forgotten that no nation can develop without investing in infrastructure and technology. The state of Ghana's of infrastructure is so appalling to describe yet we have NDC and NPP governments taking hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and grants and receiving hundreds of billions of cedis in taxes from the poor Ghanaians yet cannot provide the basic infrastructures that will make life a little bit comfortable for Ghanaians.

The telecommunication including ICT sector, is still struggling to catch up with the rest of the world. Fibre optic cables, which make it possible for internet users to have access to fast speed internet connectivity, are very limited in the country. Internet connection is absent in the rural parts of the Ghana and connection is very slow in the cities where internet may be available. Besides it is also very expensive. In many areas, there are no fixed telephone lines and mobile telephone infrastructures are still at the infancy stage. Absence of telecommunication infrastructures is part of the reason why cost of running businesses is expensive in the Ghana compared to other countries. Schools, hospitals, banking and security operations are handicapped by the absence of these vital infrastructures. Companies and industries that heavily rely on ICT for efficiency and higher productivity are prevented from doing so, due to the poor state or absence of the infrastructure.

For example the problems of waste management in the cities and the associated health effect on the people need no telling. Accra and Kumasi Metropolitan authorities and other city authorities are struggling with waste management issues due to lack of vehicles, waste treatment plants and inadequate personnel capacity. Sewerage in the country is almost non-existent, with only a portion of Accra, Tema, and Kumasi enjoying piped sewerage services. There is no centralized wastewater treatment system in most of the cities and households and commercial premises generally have no onsite flush latrines. Within Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tema and most of the cities and towns solid waste is unhygienically burned, disposed; and indiscriminate dumping of waste is creating health problems.There are few cities and towns with reliable piped water supply. Many residence of Accra do not have access to good drinking water and many households have to resort to extreme measures to be able to cope. In short the infrastructures to deliver water to the people do not exist and poor city planning and management as well as untamed urbanization and continued influx of people from the rural areas into the cities have complicated the matter. The water situation in the rural areas is even worse. In the three northern regions people have to walk several miles in order to get water. The end result is that people are not able to live healthy lives due to poor water quality and dwindling accessibility.

That is why Democratic Republic of Congo has every mineral you can think of yet it is one of the poorest in the world. That is why Malaysia, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong have developed and that is why President Obama is talking about building US infrastructures because they are the engines that run the economy. You cannot export if you do not have harbours and airports to support it. You cannot attract tourists if you do not have airport, hotels, well developed roads and other infrastructures that support it. You cannot move goods from centres of production to centres of consumption if you do not have roads, rail lines and inland water infrastructures to deliver it. You cannot supply the industries with doctors, architects, bankers, lawyers, planners, engineers, teachers, nurses if you do not have the educational infrastructure to deliver it. And you cannot run an efficient and vibrant economy if you do not have the energy and telecommunication infrastructures in place.

Look at the state of Akosombo dam. Ghana is shut off anytime it refuses to rain yet we have had parties and their political leaders who have promised us so much yet have delivered so little. Ghana has been experiencing serious disruptions in the energy sector for years and no political party has seen any wisdom to solve it. As a result factories are folding up and are laying off workers and we are waiting for nature to help fill Akosombo Dam before we rectify the problem. Will this do nothing approach to problem solving help our nation? What are we doing with the abundance of sunshine in the country? We have not taken advantage of it, have we? We have sunshine 365 days and we have not tap into solar energy which is cheap and more reliable than hydro.

In a situation that mimic problem facing the entire African region, the Finnish president on a visit to Nigeria in March 2009 asked, “Nigerian people have so much sun and wind, why don’t they use it for the generation of light for cooking and every other thing”? She queried, and added that “we do it in Finland for our renewable energy”. Source: www.dailytrust.com, 12 March 2009. The sad story is that Finland and most of the nations in Europe are locked up for most of the year by cold winter but take advantage of the short summer to convert the little sunshine they receive into solar energy while here in Ghana we have sunshine most of the year but do nothing with it. Dwindling rainfall has limited the ability of Akosombo dam to produce the needed energy to support the economy. It is another indication of the NDC and NPP inaction, lack of positive agenda.

"Ghanaians must sit up"