Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them. – William Shakespeare ‘Twelfth Night’ (What You Will).
At a Speech and Prize-Giving Day at Akrokerri Training College sometime in July, 1972, we were given a book prize for the best student in English with the title “Great Expectations” authored by Charles Dickens. Among the many prizes we obtained that year was an Encyclopedia from the British Council for being the best essayist in a nation-wide competition on ‘The Diary of a Nigerian Deportee” (or a topic like that), Let us give a hint about winning Mike Eghan Club show prize in 1974. The Great Expectations became a constant read, and we likened ourselves to Pip in his ambition to elevate his social status and thus make himself worthy of his lover, Estella.
As of the time of writing this piece, the results showed a clear lead of NDC Votes against that of NPP – showing that the NDC can do business in Parliament, according to Article 104 of the 1992 Constitution with the provision: “…matters in Parliament shall be determined by the votes of the majority of members present and voting with at least half of all the Members of Parliament present”.
Thus, The election was obviously “a referendum on Nana Akufo-Addo’s presidency:” Andy Appiah Kubi is upbeat about the “deals” in the allocation of land and calls for the setting up of a committee to probe this. The NPP presidential candidate, Dr.Mahamudu Bawumia reminded his humble self, except that during the latter half of the election campaign, he resorted to “physical antics” uncharacteristic of his persona. In sum, the following factors conclude the agony of NPP: Arrogance, disrespect, greed, selfishness, mismanagement (bad governance), over confidence.
We had previously highlighted the negative roles of Akufo-Addo’s kinsmen namely, Gabby Otchere Darko, Asante Bediatuo and Dr. Ken Ofori Atta (the last of whom 98 NPP MPs had requested Nana Akufo-Addo to sack as a non-performing Finance Minister. The religious men thought they could use psychology to twist the minds of voters.
Reverend Kusi Boateng, Agradaa Mama Pat (Heaven Ways) and others should be questioned thoroughly. “The Lord told me Bawumia would win” and Parliamentary Candidates would pound people’s fufu, wash their clothes… o-h-o-o.
Professor Gyampo has over 100 points (factors) to explain the NPP loss: corruption, nepotistic appointments, family and friends (including concubines) , Akufo-Addo’s daughters… and the response for the goodies of life – because their Grandfather sent them to notable schools.
Unlike the historical NDC we used to know, this time round, it was serious business; face-to- face; personal contact, use of electronic devices, physical vigilance – to the extent that even boisterous Sammy Gyamfi was calculated in his address in the late evening of December 7th. Humility in NDC? Unbelievable you could hear Kwame Awuah Esq sing: “He that is down need fear no fall; He that is low no pride; He that is humble ever shall: Have God to be his guide” John Bunyan Pilgrim’s Progress (Hymn 405).
And the NPP group would mock the NDC and not listen to any advice from insiders to stop that and be serious with their research. We were afraid of honest public servants suffering our fate in 2009 when we got the sack under the Mills/Mahama administration. Witch-hunting?
The President-elect must know: “Those to whom much is given much is expected” (quibusmultum datum estmultumexpectatur).
“The meat has been eaten, leaving only the bones” to borrow Mahama’s own words. This time round, have the bones been “chewed” by people who have “strong” teeth? But Ghanaians have great expectations. They want an improvement in their living conditions. The economy should be improved: lower cost of living, lower prices of goods.
As for the “free SHS”, Mahama has said “it has come to stay” so a President cannot or need not touch it – otherwise he would be asked why his father took him from Achimota School to Tamale to take advantage of the Northern Scholarship.
We welcome reforms that include “allowing” those who can afford it to pay, and getting the schools to do purchasing themselves instead of relying on the National Food Buffer Stock Company – to avert the spoilage of rice as experienced recently with collaboration of Lamens Investments Africa Limited so, we are pleased to hear John Mahama say: “…The money for the food will be given to the schools directly to make such purchase ….” Involve GNAT, NAGRAT.
The road tolls should be brought back. “Little drops of water make a mighty ocean”. The toll booths would serve as critical points for petty traders (especially food vendors) and the physically challenged.
Thinking of a lean Cabinet? Why not! The U.S. with a population of 300 million has a Cabinet of 25, and note: tall Abraham Lincoln (6ft 4ins) the 16th President had some cabinet ministers who were originally his opponents in the presidential race. Attorney General Edward Bates; Secretary of War Simon Cameron; Secretary of the Treasury Salman Chase; Secretary of State William H. Seward.
Short – heighted President James Madison (5ft 4ins) kept a large horde of slaves given his attitude to slavery. He would not have wished slavery to end.
The pensioners including ex-Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo. We trust that Mahama will scrap the E-levy, COVID-19 taxes and the betting taxes: We cannot pretend to know it all – to advise the NDC on how to run the administration. and with the President-elect’s pedigree – Assemblyman, MP, Deputy Minister, Minister, Vice-President, President and now re-elect President, he must have seen it all – we expect him to hit the road running after January 7th – no honeymoon. Constitutional Review? Yes, Ex-gratia? Why?
The President-elect, like his counterpart, Donald Trump of the U.S., has to make history and some of us like Prof Albert Adu Boahen are recording events while the political parties play their propaganda game of telling the nation “We (NPP) are leaving (NDC) a stable economy”.
It will be pleasant to see an officer from the Ghana Customs heading one of the organs of the Ghana Armed Forces, just as an army officer goes to head the Ghana Customs, takes at least two years to study the intricacies and nuances of the institution and touts his success in exceeding the target because the exchange rate favours the dollar. Anybody in doubt should read, “Restructuring the Ghana Customs 1986-1996” at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana and ask Prof. Boafo-Arthur.
How dare any one say the people of Ghana “made a mistake” in the December 7th election? Let the NPP tickle itself and laugh, instead of doing an objective analysis and research on what went wrong. Kwesi Pratt thinks: the people of Ghana withdrew their mandate. Hopeson Adorye must be sweating for all the mud he has thrown at the Ofori Panin fie.
He has to answer charges over the suit by D.K. Ofori Atta on the “Agyapadie Book” especially on the authorship which the President, Nana Akufo-Addo claims was by “opposition’s assigns” writing; “…In doing this we need to be strategic.
We would have to work with other people from some of the diverse ethnic groups, including some carefully selected people in Asante and other diverse ethnicities or lands. This would make them believe that they also have a hand in the pie. It would obscure any suspicion that the project is essentially an Ofori Panin Project.
