I know I joke around alot especially on Facebook and on Twitter and once a while in those funny posts of mine, you may have seen a post saying that I want to meet with the President for 24 hours in which I hope to tell him the simple truth though I am not a fan of his party and especially his government. If I was joking then now I am serious. Sigh! I know to most of you I am one of the biggest people against the current President being in office but I do not want him to fail. Until the court proves otherwise, we are saddled with him, until the court proves otherwise his actions and inactions as President affects my livelihood. It affects my salary and what it can do for me. Maybe if I want to be more dramatic, I say that in addition these same actions and inactions affect the way the country is viewed internationally, so yes in as much I do not believe in the methods/ideologies of the President and his party, I hope he will does not fail. For our sakes.
This week and the next weeks to come, the president is in the news because he has dramatically reshuffled/reassigned his ministers and their regional portfolios.
First of all, lets clear the myth and stop the awkward praise singing...He is not the first president or leader of Ghana to have done so. Prime Minister Nkrumah did same (speaking of Nkrumah he was an Nzema but stood and won the Odododiodo seat), General Acheampong did same, President Rawlings did same, President Kufuor did same. And secondly let us stop the falsetto that it shows bold leadership, I really beg to differ. Why? In these past weeks, I am sure it has come across the President's radar how ghost names have festered nicely in the payroll of the National Youth Employment Scheme. This same National Youth Employment that has had people come on radio, print and tv talking about how their allowances have not been paid for months. Manasseh Azure did a beautiful report on that, ummm is the leadership of the Youth Employment Scheme still at post? Yes. Have they been investigated ? No. Another detailed report from the same Manasseh Azure showing us how the some of the security bodies are attempting to shield some leaders. In plain black and white terms what would you have done? Won't it be ummm a bold decisive decision to send a clear signal to everyone that you have arrived. Or? But your guess is good as mine. Resounding silence from the Executive. Wait a minute, do not forget the National Health Insurance Scheme. I feel very embarrassed for the President, maybe he does not feel it but I certainly do. How many of you watched the IEA debates? How many of you remember how candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo told the entire nation that night that the scheme was collapsing, How many of you remember the answers given by candidate John Dramani Mahama. The figures he gave out, telling us that the scheme covers 60% of Ghana.
Well just over a week ago in Geneva, the same director of the scheme told the people at the conference that they have had to revise their figures and that the scheme covers only 18% of Ghana. Pause and think about it a minute, assuming the President was fed wrong information this is clearly information that he must work with and interrogate what has been happening as well as find out why they have not being able to pay their vendors leading to most hospitals resorting to cash and carry or simply turning patients away. Are the directors of the scheme still at post? Yes.and I am still asking myself why? Why Mr. President? Why? Just when I am asking myself this you just had to reshuffle your ministers. This is not the first time he has done this in his selection of ministers (remember the minister for creative arts, I stand to be corrected Hon. Rashid Pelpuo and some issue with Prof. Naana Opoku Agyemang) at first I thought he was being cautious now I seriously do not know what to think anymore.
In a bid to praise sing, the excuse being given to us (painful pill actually) is that this will stop tribalism. Cough.Why tribalism? Is it because of the fury exhibited by the footsoldiers in the North because someone is from tribe A or tribe B? This is every bit the ruling parties fault nothing to do with the rest of Ghana. Heavens only know the kind of promises, they gave out during campaigning. If you did not put that into their minds, why do they be thinking such nonsense. And it is not as if it is a small group of misled people protesting, it is a calculated organised group who have something they are standing on to misbehave. I am willing to bet a simple what were you promised will get us some answers. Aside all that it is an open secret that the party executives especially in the NDC have turned themselves into kingbrokers. They will openly defy the President by making the work difficult for these appointees. Not forgetting they were selected because they were well acquinted in their regions, have they been trained for another terrain, I am not even talking about language barriers I am talking about knowing the people and their immediate needs. Really if this is what you were going to do? Why didn't you do it from day one. Please this might die down, do well and lets not go there when choosing Heads of Institutions and Boards. Let the political communication be clear and precise. We certainly deserve that after the past cantata from the Ministry of Information.
Mr. President, Mr. President find black and white people. Find people who will tell you what you need to hear. And you can start by sending press releases during the day. It comes at night as if you are afraid of daylight. Step into the daylight. It is brighter and livelier.
We are finding our feet, we need to look up and not be cringing in shame.
Too much is at stake here.
Have a good evening.
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