Is Atta-Mills surrounded by “Yes Men”?

The downfall of many presidents in this world has been their inability to separate loyalty from competence and surrounding themselves with sycophants and “yes men” who sing praises all the way to their banks.

Two questions come to mind here: are the president’s men so scared to criticize him or are they sycophantic “yes men”?

When Ghanaians voted for President Mills in December 2008, they had no doubt that he was poised to deliver a better Ghana but recent occurrences in the country have really turned all hopes into despair. I agree that the president has been in office for 11 months but like the old African saying goes,” you can tell a good game from its onset”. Within the eleven months, all we have seen is lot of management faux-pas and no policy direction for us to have some hope for the better Ghana promised.

Behind every successful president is a mentor or two plus blunt and efficient lieutenants who offer positive criticisms. Atta- Mills needs such people for his relentless pursuit to deliver a better Ghana. He needs the services of men/women who would be willing to tell him he's wrong. If he did, he would not be doing the things that are making him lose the support that propelled him into power.

You would have thought that as learned and politically experienced as Mills is, he would know when to listen and who to listen to. Being the third president in the fourth republic means that he has a wealth of resources to consult. For the first time in our history, a sitting president has two former presidents who are alive to offer the necessary inputs into nation building.

This in theory should have been happening but practically, well, it has not been working that that way because the NDC founder complains endlessly about the presidents refusal to heed to advice and for former president Kufour, I don’t think the president in his wisdom thinks he needs him because he is perceived by the present administration to have mismanaged the country so bad that he is the cause of all our current problems.

Besides these two, the president is surrounded by various advisors, his learned friends and associates mostly in academia, the council of state and above all his spouse to offer advice and direction.
The question is why does he make the elementary mistakes he keeps making with all the people around him?

My thinking is that, the president is either not listening or has scared those around him from offering constructive criticisms or those around him are just “yes men” who do not care if he succeeds as a president or the country moves forward.

I strongly believe the whole truth is that the castle has been taken by “Yes men” (or “yes-women”, for that matter) who are worthless to the presidency, period. The most competent and successful presidents are those who have men of integrity who aren’t afraid to advice them, even when it means telling them something they don’t want to hear but need to- even if it will cost them their jobs.

Think about it. What was the president thinking when he ordered his spokesperson to address a press conference to the effect that his appointees should open their doors for NDC foot- soldiers? The first question I ask is, who were those present at the meeting and how did the deliberations go. Did they ask the right questions but were ignored?

You do not need to be a rocket scientist- but if you were present at the said decision-making meeting and you cared about the presidency, here are a few questions you could have asked.

Mr. President, with all due respect, what happens to the over four million eligible voters who voted against you and the many others in the country? How will the directive be implemented? That is, do we set up a desk to register party members who come to see the appointees and ask them to show party cards etc?, Mr. President, don’t you think party functionaries will flood the offices and prevent your officials from carrying out their mandated duties for which they are paid? More importantly, Your Excellency, you promised to be a father for all so why only NDC functionaries now?

And above all what was Ayariga thinking churning that out irresponsibly? He should have asked the right questions or sugar-coated that nonsense at the very least.
I have really been wondering why some high-ranking persons in the NDC are complaining, is there a communication breakdown between the NDC as a party and the Mills Government, are there really greedy bastards in the party who are fighting the altruistic ones?, is the former president justified in his outbursts or the president has just surrounded himself with sycophantic “Yes Men” who are ready to tell him one-plus-one is equal to three.

There are people at the presidency who are quick to attack and insult anyone within or outside the party who dares offer constructive criticism of the Mills administration.

They claim there are channels for redress but if they did and access was easily available, I do not think that persons no less than the founder of the NDC, the Majority Leader in parliament and Dr. Spio Garbrah will resort to the media to address their issues. All of a sudden anyone who disagrees with the state of affairs becomes a villain and the “yes men” who have formed a brick wall around the president rain insults on them.


These are the people the president should be wary of. There are those hovering around the presidency who believe that they can transition overnight from being mere tramps yesterday into political celebrities on account of being praise poets and repositories of flattery. Mills must be very careful of these political vultures and sycophants masquerading as party fanatics and loyalists who would do anything and everything in their interest to win his support for personal enrichment.

As the seemingly wide- gap between the presidency and the NDC party widens, more vultures and sharks will be coming to the castle.

They will come from different forms: rejected politicians, false prophets, failed and successful business persons, professional bootlickers, and block-headed individuals among others who are playing the game of the stomach. All these people will pretend to love Mills; they will sing praise songs in chorus.

Some will shout on top of their voices and call every radio station and other media houses and boast how much they believe in him.

They will tell him how well and fast the better Ghana agenda is moving when they know word from Axim to Keta and from Paga to Accra is that the country is running too slow and the masses are suffering.
It will be only wise for the president to stay alert and listen to dissenting views within the NDC and even from well meaning Ghanaians if he really wants to deliver a better Ghana.

By. Ouborr Kutando
(Guest)

Obama Should Apologize To Africa (Part 2)

Concluding Part:

The significance of President Barack Obama's planned trip to Ghana should not be over-emphasized. As written by Mathew Kukah:
A more important question is, beyond the emotional and symbolic value, what difference will a Presidential visit make in the lives of ordinary people in the country?
Three American Presidents have visited Ghana as far as I can remember Bill Clinton, George Bush.

The main drivers and beneficiaries of Presidential visits are businessmen and women who, under the shadow of the President, seek to cut the best business deals, concessions, and monopolies they can get for their businesses.

For example am told that when President Carter visited Nigeria during his Presidency but it was not until over 20 years of his leaving office that they reaped the benefits of his tremendous work in fighting guinea worms around the world under the banner of his Jimmy Carter Foundation which is enjoyed by many here.

Ghana today is enjoying the benefits of the MIDA projects through George Bush and today Nigeria through Bill Clinton’s Foundation in the area of HIV/AIDS surpasses a 100 fold what his visit as President achieved. So, by themselves, Presidential visits are useful, but surely, they should not be the measure for a country's greatness or lack of.

Nigerians and Kenyans have gone to town to second guess Obama’s trip and come to the dubious conclusion that the visit is an indictment on their flawed elections. Fr Kukah asked: If elections were an issue for Obama, would he go out of his way to incur the wrath of his fellow countrymen by hugging or bowing to President Hugo Chavez or the King of Saudi Arabia as he did recently? While Chavez had amended the Constitution and secured an open ended tenure, Saudi Arabia's citizens have neither seen a ballot box or ballot paper in their lives. Is President Obama the world's electoral Pope who is going around rewarding and punishing election defaulters? Kukah concluded: It is the oil, stupid!

Yes, Ghana has just discovered oil. It therefore makes sense that the US, with its gargantuan appetite for oil ensures that it is not caught napping.

Kukah added: This visit is, in simple terms, in pursuit, defence and protection of the permanent interests of the United States of America which is the primary responsibility of any President. These interests, whether they are economic, geopolitical, strategic or even intangible, are varied and complex and only the US knows and defines them. America has shown that it will go to any length or overlook any international obligations or obstacles to achieve these interests.

I have written elsewhere that in choosing to visit Ghana ahead of his fatherland Kenya. "The official word is that we're celebrating democracy, but there are probably some ulterior motives," I continued, "It has not gone unnoticed that oil was discovered, and Ghana has 600 million barrels under it and offshore. And many Ghanaian leaders think the U.S. might like Ghana to serve as a kind of capital for Africom," the U.S. military command responsible for African operations.

Further Ghana sits on the eastern Atlantic Ocean, on the southern side of Africa's western hump. The tropical nation of low plains and plateaus is home to 23 million people. This places Ghana at a strategic location relative to Nigeria and other oil rich countries like Equatorial Guinea.

"Using Ghana as a hub would allow the U.S. to keep an eye on Nigeria and the whole Gulf of Guinea." The United States already keeps a very large embassy in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, is it a lie….somebody tell me.

West Africa is arguably the poorest and least stable area on earth. It is also afflicted by a number of transnational trafficking flows, attracted by and aggravating the special vulnerability of this region. On the other hand, the region is rich in Oil, Gold and other precious resources.

The United states are eager to be well-positioned in the on-going scramble for these resources amidst threats from China, Russia and India challenging the dominance of the United States and Europe - West Africa’s traditional friends.

Moreover I warned that Africa should not expect too much from Obama. The reason being that those that understand the way things really work in the United States, a change of a person as president do not necessarily signal a change in policy and direction unlike Ghana.

In the United States, the president is less a leader than a manager of policies formulated by corporate elite interests. Thus there is stability of the political system, regardless of who is president. US presidents come and go, but the interests remain constant.

Let me be clear. I am not downplaying the significance Obama’s visit to Ghana as the first African-American president of the almighty US of A which caught my favorite minister turned into a photographer. However, I believe that this visit is for President Obama to use Ghana as a platform to address Africa by laying down where he wishes to take the US.

President Obama is ultimately interested in expanding America’s interests, America's commitment to seeking collaborators around the world in the search for global peace and an end to world terrorism.
Yes, as Kukah also pointed out:
Obama will politely but firmly speak directly to the leaders of Africa, calling for an end to corruption and the need for an equitable distribution and allocation of the continent's resources. He will call for an end to violence and the need for Africans to hold their leaders accountable and responsible. These may be nice sound bites. The real challenge is that as he may realize, Africans have heard all this before. What they are yet to see is a clear signal from the US and the international community that they are truly committed to helping Africa. For, to do this, they must be ready to expose their multinational corporations and other corporate crooks, the sponsors of strife and violence in Africa in the course of the exploitation of mineral resources and the need to energise and support civil society groups.
But please Africans, don’t look up to an Obama as a saviour of the continent!

Obama should apologize to Africa (Part 1)

This is a continuation of my feature which appeared on this website on 31st October, 2009 titled “The Anti-African Racist Insults Obama Got Away With In Ghana”. I enjoyed the bashing from all of you and I know we are sharing opinions. Enjoy reading.

Obama apologized to Europe during his trip to France in April 2009. He was apologetic to the Arab world in his speech in Cairo, Egypt. But during his trip to Ghana he opined that Africans are responsible for their multifarious problems and said: “It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for these (Africa’s) problems on others”. Obama did not have the courage to admit and take full responsibility for the role of America in the undoing of the continent.

When Obama traveled to Europe in April 2009, in a speech in France he said, “In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Instead of celebrating your dynamic union and seeking to partner with you to meet common challenges, there have been times where America has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive... So I've come to Europe this week to renew our partnership, one in which America listens and learns from our friends and allies...So let me say this as clearly as I can: America is changing”.

Obama sounded apologetic to the Arab world when he traveled to Egypt. He said: “We meet at a time of great tension between the United States and Muslims around the world — tension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate...More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim—majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations...I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world, one based on mutual interest and mutual respect”.

But when Obama traveled to Ghana in July 11, 2009, he said: “It is easy to point fingers, and to pin the blame for these (Africa’s) problems on others. Yes, a colonial map that made little sense bred conflict, and the West has often approached Africa as a patron, rather than a partner. But the West is not responsible for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants”.

Obama did not have the courage to admit and take full responsibility for the role of America in the undoing of the continent.

Some American States like Virginia have apologized to Black Americans for the slave trade because undoubtedly the slave trade benefited America and was promoted by the United States government. For a long period of time Washington D.C. actually served as the chief port through which slaves were imported.

The Southern region of the United States paid for slaves to be brought over. The Southern plantation owners were supplied with their money from Northern industrialists who knew exactly how the South was growing cotton at so cheap a price. For at least 80 years of its existence the U.S. government condoned and allowed the slavery to flourish.

Yes Obama said, “Africa's future is up to Africans”, But at the root of the current crisis in Africa is surely the Slave trade, Colonialism, neo-colonialism, American imperialism, trade imbalances, the support for corruption and exploitation of Africa by American multi-national companies.

As Obama himself admitted: “I say this knowing full well the tragic past that has sometimes haunted this part of the world. I have the blood of Africa within me, and my family’s own story encompasses both the tragedies and triumphs of the larger African story”.

Obama said in Cairo: “each nation gives life to democracy in its own way, and in line with its own traditions”, but America and the West has not allowed African democracy to evolve on its own.

But in so many ways and in so many times, they have interfered in Africa’s development – by sponsoring coups especially the one against Dr. Kwame Nkrumah which I know off and there may be many across the African continent.

Barack Obama said in Ghana: “for far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources”, but what he failed to add was the role of western and American companies in fuelling these conflicts.

Obama is right when he said: “development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa's potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans”.

However, let us not forget that at the root of Africa’s predicament are the tri-partite combination of Bad leadership, Rich Countries exploitation of Africa and the imposition of wrong policies by international Institutions.

Doing a little research work, I came across Malawi which is a case in point. Not quite long ago a New York Times article describes how Malawi went from food aid recipient to regional food provider in just two years after re-introducing fertilizer subsidies for its low-income farmers. The move contravened years of policy guidance from the World Bank and IMF, which warn against such distortions of the “free market.”

In other words, by violating what its wealthy benefactors in Europe and North America say, Malawi achieved success.

Unfortunately for Ghana, the British and American imposition has produced semi-literate leaders that went against better counsel and imposed world Bank/IMF prescribed Structural Adjustment Programme that ruined our economy.

Obama has come and gone, the speech is classic and the rhetoric is exceptional. But the best way to test whether he would be different from other American presidents is to explore the question of African strategic interests, or, alternatively, American strategic interests in Africa, and examine the ways in which and the degree to which Obama's pursuit of American policy is consistent with or diverges from that of his predecessor.

For example: Africom was established during George W. Bush's regime, will the Barack Hussein Obama's regime continue with Africom? What about the interest of American oil companies in Angola, Equatorial Guinea, the Niger Delta and even ours? Will an Obama regime move against their interest vis-à-vis African environmental, economic and political interest?

In Obama’s speech in Ghana, did he comment on Barclays Bank establishing a tax haven in Ghana, warning against such vehicle being used for tax evasion and money laundering; in support of transparency and anti-corruption efforts, to expand cooperation in intelligence gathering and sharing and reigning in the vicarious liability of tax havens and offshore banks.

Did he talk about pushing the boundaries of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) (passed by the US Congress before his tenure) to have the expanded power to bite both givers and takers of bribes – both American multi-national countries and kleptomaniac African leaders?

Did he talk about stopping and Withdrawing US Visa from corrupt African politicians; to stop them spending their looted funds in America; Stopping the marketplace for high stakes elite bribery?

To many, the Bush personality was a bit too crude and, in some respects, robust for the world to accept. Put some colour on him, with a sophisticated and intelligent personality, and now you have the same agenda for Africa, skilfully repackaged in an Obama. The agenda remains the same-imperialistic, exploitative, and, ultimately, deadly-but the general perception is different. It is seductive.

Kojo Bonsu Now An Official Of Sports Ministry?

Mr. Kojo Bonsu, a self-styled football administrator who has harbored the dream of becoming the chairman of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) since Adam, last week, ‘impersonated’ himself as an official of the Sports Ministry in Ghana.

The embattled businessman and publisher of the Agoo magazine, who lied blatantly earlier this year that he was one of the financiers of the jet that took most of the Hearts and Kotoko women to the finals of the CHAN tournament in January when indeed it was a Military Task Order, on Friday, brought the name of Ghana into disrepute after he introduced himself as an official of the Sports Ministry to FIFA’s international relations officer, Jerome Champagne.

Like Muntaka who also introduced his ‘girl-friend’ as an official of the same ministry to the German Embassy in Ghana before acquiring a visa for her for them to jolly-ride to Germany, Kojo Bonsu had wanted to know how much Ghana would earn from participating in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Jerome Champagne, who was surprised because Kojo’s name was not on the official list of the persons accredited for the event quickly went to inform the team who were properly accredited that a certain Ghanaian has approached him and introduced himself as such and wanted to know certain things which was privy to members of the GFA.

Listening to the sector Minister, Mr. Rashid Pelpuo on Oman Fm on Monday I was very shocked as he kept beating about the bush.

On the misconduct of the NDC’s shadow FA President he said, “Yes it might be true, I went to the source (Jerome Champagne) of the information and the source confirmed it but I haven’t had the chance to speak to Kojo.”

“I did not send him to do that; I haven’t even delegated any assignments to him before so it came to me as a surprise when we were told at the table,” the Minister added.

According to the Minister, Kojo Bonsu was in South Africa after he was nominated by the government to represent the country.

Shockingly, the addition of chief agitator cum chief image maker of the Atta Mills government, Mr. Kwesi Pratt popularly called KP whose, 12-page newspaper has nothing about sports but rather writes about freeing ‘the Cuban 5’ was nominated. The question is who nominated him, is it the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) or Private Newspapers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG)?

Kwesi Pratt was on radio saying that he got only $500 for his stay in South Africa at the taxpayers’ expense and I dare him to give it out to the Osu Children Home like the promotional stories he has been running for his fellow Fanti and I will write a whole feature about his gesture and it will change my perception about him too.

Kojo Bonsu begun his diabolical move by distributing miniature flags in the colours of Ghana just to attract the attention of the media and FIFA executives before the draw, I hear.

In the early hours of the day, Kojo Bonsu is said to have approached FIFA’s international relations officer, Jerome Champagne and introduced himself as an official from Ghana’s sports ministry representing the government at the draw.

Kojo Bonsu went ahead to inform Jerome Champagne that government was spending almost $6 million to prepare the Black Stars for the World Cup tournament.

For this reason, Kojo Bonsu requested to know how much Ghana would earn for participating in the Football roll-over prize in South Africa and also asked of the Public Interest Committee (PIC) which he could not defend when he raised it after a document had been circulated by some faceless cowards.

Am reliable informed that the information about how much Ghana will get from the World Cup has been made available to the Minister when he attended the Team Seminar, this information is on the web that is FIFA’s site and every nursery kid who knows how the internet works can get it.

By his actions, is he suggesting that the Minister is incompetent like he is or may be when you are a cadre you have access and right to everything within the Mills government.

Am told that Jerome Champagne, who was disappointed by the actions of Kojo Bonsu, first told Randy Abbey and Kofi Nsiah about the shameful and childish acts of a so called football administrator.

Randy Abbey informed the FA President Kwesi Nyantakyi who also informed the Minister about it and the two men together with Fred Pappoe went straight to Jerome Champagne where he confirmed the nauseating questions he was asked by busy-body and a walk-about at the castle.

The Sports Minister, Mr. Rashid Pelpuo was shocked and dismayed that Kojo Bonsu could go to that extent of misrepresenting the country whilst he being the sports minister was present to represent the country and he has every reason to.

Kojo Bonsu, who is widely believed to be in close links with some officials of the ruling NDC government, is doing everything possible to oust the current leadership at the GFA and I can bet him he will never get the seat come 2011 like how the Kotoko seat eluded him.

To show his ineptitude, he run away from one of the radio stations which was championing his useless cause when the spokesperson of the FA confronted him there and that same night also took to his heels when he was scheduled to meet the FA President on Metro TV’s late night talk-show, Good Evening Ghana.

It is alleged that Mr. Kojo Bonsu could not even account for the performance monies given to Ghana when he was an agent for Adidas when the Black Stars got to the finals of the Nations Cup hosted in Senegal in 1992.

As for his sidekick who cannot I and repeat who cannot account for the numerous transfer monies of players by a premiership club when he was in charge and banned by a committee’s a report, should wash their dirty and stinky hands of our football and allow the GFA to work.

Letter To Kwesi Biney

Dear Kwesi Biney

I read your piece that appeared in the Daily Guide of 30th October, 2009 tiled, “Stop the Ethnocentric Hatred toward Kufuor,” which touched so many issues right in the middle of the head.

You concluded and I quote, “Or is it because the Ewes have still not forgiven the late Victor Owusu for what he is alleged to have said about Ewes?”

Along memory lane, let me inform you that my checks indicate that Victor Owusu did not just get up to describe the Ewes as inward-looking.

It was the late Dr. Agama who, thanks to Rawlings, started as Board Chairman of Bank of Ghana who later, like a chameleon, turned into Governor at the Bank of Ghana who initially described the PP Government as a tribal one.

It was in the heat of the debate that the late Victor Owusu described the Ewes as inward-looking. Please, try to procure a copy of the Hansard of that period may be from my mentor, Uncle Malik Baako in order to appreciate what occurred.

Am told that two of the principal characters in the 1972 coup were Agbo, then Commander of the Army at Tema and Selomey, who was in charge of the Recce Regiment in Accra.

And yet, a Brong like Major Kwame Baah who was from Dormaa –Ahenkro in the Brong-Ahafo region helped the Ewes - Agbo and Selomey plus Acheampong to oust Busia.

Thus your statement, “If Kufuor had been an Ewe, no matter how bad he might have been, the Ewes would have allied behind him.” In 1972, Agbo and Selomey would never have allied with a Brong like Major Kwame Baah to overthrow Gbedema.

Significantly, if Acheampong were to be an Ewe, the Ewes would have seen Union Government as smooth as silk. And yet, the late Acheampong received the greatest opposition to that fraudulent concept in Kumasi am told.

Also, am told that at one football match in Kumasi, an international one with red carpet for Acheampong, he was heavily booed at.

Be that as it may, the PNDC came in. All the juicy positions in the country went to Ewes. Diplomats by convention were supposed to serve at duty station for four years.

But then, for about fourteen years, Kofi Awonor, now Chairman of the Council of State was our envoy to Brazil and the United Nations. It was during this period that he managed to secure part of the Atomic Energy land at Kwabenya to put up his Japanese type house. Try and get his book, read it and you will find “YEBRO” work.

During the PNDC era, the PNDC had/held legislative and executive powers. At a point in time, the PNDC consisted of Rawlings, Kojo Tsikata, General Arnold Quainoo, Ebo Tawiah, Enin, Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama and late Madam Alhassan.

Note that Rawlings, Tsikata and Quainoo are Ewes and out of population of about 15 million, three Ewes from the Southern Park of the Volta Region wielded executive and legislative powers out of seven hand-picked rulers.

With regard to Koku Anyidoho who studied Drama and Theatre at Legon, his father was Northern Army Brigade Commander in Kumasi from about 1996 to 2000.

Then Brigadier Anyidoho actively participated in NDC campaigning at that point in time in the Northern sector of the country. Indeed Brigadier Anyidoho stood on several political platforms with Rawlings and Atta Mills.

When Kufuor won, I am reliably informed that Brigadier Anyidoho wished to be the Army Commander but that was not to be hence his son’s dis-taste for Kufuor I can guess so.

I was listening to Oman fm and the host of the show, Fiifi Boafo asked what Koku did when Kufuor visited the castle when the President of Ivory Coast was in Ghana…hmmm!

During the campaign for political office last year, bastard Rawlings and no apologizes because I see no reason why he called some noble men around our President as ‘greedy bastards’ went to Peki and declared that the NPP government had sacked all military personnel from the Volta Region in the Ghana Armed Forces.

The Public Relations Unit of the Ghana Armed Forces headed by my good friend Col Nibo came out with a statement that indeed for officer crops and the men in the Air Force, Army and Navy, the people from the Volta Region exceeded any other region.

It was this in-balance in the Forces recruitment that Col Damoah from the Brong Ahafo Region tried to cure and I won’t go into it because I have received a lot of bashing and various death-threatening messages and calls.

Are we principled at all, the NPP did it some time ago and so it should continue when we are building a better Ghana? Should this system continue like that?

NPP is to Gbevlo Lartey and NDC is to Col Damoah in the Ghana Armed Forces, many Okaines are popping out like maggots and they will hurt the NDC like how the NPP suffered.

Today, the National Security headed by Gbevlo Lartey who was a victim of the NPP has another Ewe as his deputy, 5 of the DG appointments in the Ghana Armed Forces have gone to Ewes, the police have its Director of Operations as an Ewe and faceless coward Yaw Donkor of the BNI, an Ewe has another Ewe as his deputy.

Information has it that Akans recruited into the NSC and the BNI have either been fired or forced to retire voluntarily.

I wish to continue but I will want to end here now and may be write back later.
Cheers!

President Mills, Should We Shut Up?

President John Evans Atta Mills is reported to have said at Donkorkrom at Afram Plains in the Eastern region some weeks ago that his political opponents who had destroyed the nation over the past eight years should shut up and allow him to repair the economy; I saw it in the Daily Democrat and the Ghanaian Chronicle.

For a man who has built his entire political career on his so-called love for peace and tolerance, I am surprised at the comments coming out of our President. It seems to me that he has started down the long and slippery road that many a leader has trod on, that of making unnecessary and controversial public pronouncements.


The words of a President are supposed to be worth something, and I do not think that the President should indulge in fruitless inanities. Indeed, he knows or he should know that nothing in the world would make his opponents to shut up, particularly since he is messing up so fabulously.
So, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, we are not going to shut up, not today, and not tomorrow.

Fortunately or unfortunately, in making his call for all of us to shut up so that he alone can be the King Kong of Ghana, President Atta Mills also made other comments which to me are nasty indeed. For instance, he told the bemused people of Donkorkrom that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has destroyed the economy of Ghana in eight years and he was busy repairing the damage.

Sometimes, when some people speak, one begins to wonder whether they have the ability to remember their own history. Between 1997 to January 2001, President Atta Mills was the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana. In that period, he presided over an economy that could best be described as collapsed. So bad was the economy that a few months after the NPP took over from him we were forced to declare this nation as poor and highly indebted in order to benefit from favorable debt write-offs.

Why did he campaign anyway, did he and his party not say that our economy was in a mess? Or may be because it was time for campaigning he spoke freely like the way many of his ministers did within the period.

I want to borrow the words of the man I believed could have done well for this country and not Mills, Nana Akufo Addo who said “if you say the Economy is Broke, Fix It”
Buoyed with that fillip, the NPP, in eight years, built an economy that became the toast of the world. Indeed, the size of the GDP quadrupled, and so did our revenue mobilization targets. The statistics, in as far as the economy was concerned, are amazing to say the least.

Indeed, Professor Atta Mills has a daunting task meeting a quarter of the achievements of the NPP in as far as managing the economy is concerned, and it would be sad for him to go about saying that the economy he inherited is a destroyed one that needs to be fixed.

I am praying that he does not destroy the economy, and I personally have very little hope that he is going to be able to pull any miracles. He lacks the ability and he lacks the personnel to wreak any miracles. If it wasn’t so sad, I would have said that our President has a very good sense of humor. According to him there was no money in the coffers of Ghana when he took over. Ha ha ha!

Nothing could be further from the truth. This year, it has been budgeted that Ghana would spend over twenty billion dollars on various programs, and every single pesewa has been accounted for and the budget line identified. That was why he and his men were able to blow 1.6 billion old Ghana cedis on tea, the huge amount spent on painting the castle, the money spent on just welcoming the US President who was here for less than 24 hours, an expenditure which was not budgeted for, but which came to pass. So Mills should stop insulting our intelligence about there being no money to spend!

It seems that Mills is also a person who likes passing the buck. In his Manifesto for a Better Ghana, he set out six clear objectives that he expected to deliver within a hundred days. When the hundred days came to pass without even one of the objectives being met, we were told that that was because the government was still too young.

Eleven months have come to pass yet his government is still leisurely about. Now Mills has started telling the people that he won a mandate of four years and people should stop pushing him to deliver.

For me, he is seeking an excuse and he is passing the buck. The fact of the matter is that in eleven months, there should have been clear achievements under his belt. The fact that there is none to speak off should be a worrying indicator to him and to the rest of the country.

In any case, why should he go to Donkorkrom to ask them what the NPP did for them? What is he, John Evans Atta Mills, President of Ghana, going to do for the people of Donkorkrom? That is what the people of Donkorkrom expected from him, and not a litany of complaints against an old government.

In any case, why is our President such a liar? Why does he keep on saying that he is going to be a President for all and not only his cronies? The fact of the matter is that since he assumed office, many competent people have been kicked out of sensitive public and civil positions to be replaced by his friends, associates and cronies, and there seems to be no sign that this phenomenon is about to end.

Mills did not come to power because of us. He came to power because of his friends, associates and cronies and family members that founder Efo Rawlings calls greedy bastards and he should stop fooling himself that he came for the masses of us.

As for justifying our confidence in him, I can assure him that he has his work cut out for him, and so far, the signs are not encouraging. And in the face of such poor signals, I do not think that it would be wise to call upon us to shut up, because we won’t.

Atta do something before you die because the dullness is too much.

Re: Mills In Massive Abuse Of Office

RE: Eric Ametor- Ouarmyne’s Rejoinder

I write in response to a rejoinder captioned “Re: Mills In Massive Abuse Of Office” written by one Mr. Eric Ametor- Ouarmyne formerly the Features Editor of the Ghana Palaver.

Mr. Eric Ametor- Ouarmyne rather than addressing the issues raised by myself and published in the Daily Searchlight went to town and focused his absolute attention and time going in circles.

I want to state categorically that I called Mr. Eric Ametor- Ouarmyne when I heard the information for his side and did not go to town like many of his likes in the NDC stable would have done.

Again, he never denied using the names of President Mills and Mr. Ato Ahowi as his referees and further told me that “I will add Jesus if I get the chance”.

Again, he told me that referees are on curriculum vitae to attest to one’s competence and character and also asked for a copy of the newspaper to be brought to him personally by myself when the story is out the following day.

I also want to state categorically clear that there has being nothing like Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs and Strategic Direction of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) since its inception. Perhaps the creation of the above is an attempt to create job for the boys.

Significantly, he has never denied this and I want to ask him whether the position he is enjoying now with his so called thirty years of professional practice in communications was advertised in any media be it electronic or print or at least any of the national dallies, I mean the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times.

I did not expect the advert to be placed in the “eight-page political newsletter”? I work for as he claimed but was it ever advertised for many qualified persons like himself to apply?I want to know from Ametor how many people applied for the job and how many were short listed for interviewed and how many actually had the privilege of being interview?

If only you are interviewed by a so called strong team of five (5) top Management officials of the Authority for a considerable length of time and acquitted and discharged, won’t you walk away with a job in hand?

When the famous pissing In and Out mantra came out as a fallout of the Ahowi and Spio feud, social commentators from his party went on air to state categorically that he (Ametor) as a member of the Spio campaign and others have been accordingly rewarded by President Mills, has he ever challenged this.

It is obvious that Ametor have benefited from his closeness with the presidency therefore he should stop moving from radio station to radio station screaming and disturbing our ears.

“What must really be of concern to all well meaning Ghanaians is the fact that a top official of an organization who must uphold the integrity and reputation of the institution he or she serves would stoop so low as to be such a willing tool in the hands of an unscrupulous Journalist whose only desire is to impugn the hard won reputations of others either because of envy or hatred or both”, interesting I say. When did the above occur to Mr. Eric Ametor- Ouarmyne?

I can sense it occurred to him only when he got a job at the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) and with Professor Mills as President.

As for his description of the paper I work on as an eight-page political newsletter of no merit and consequence, devoted to mischief making and political blackmailing, I want to refer him to the paper he worked on before landing his current job.

Were they trying to blackmail a well-known Chief when the Kofi Boakye tape came up and what about the supposed state of emergence President Kufuor wanted to impose when he met their own, General Odotei and the late General Ayiku who got up from the grave for that meeting only.

Does he remember the story of somebody selling off our entire official Gold Reserves reported by the paper he formerly worked for and the reward somebody whose last official employment was selling of Christian literature landed a job as a Deputy Minister of Finance for championing that falsehood?

I can cite many examples but I won’t draw that newspaper into the mud because it is also playing its part in our young democracy.

As I stated in my text to you on Saturday after our short talk, I want to state here again that I don’t hate or envy you but I will do my work diligently and if that constitutes envy or hate than it is up to you.

May God bless us all as we continue to discharge our duties for God and Country