Deeming Hopes and Imminent Death -Rejoinder

Deeming Hopes and Imminent Death. Obenewaa's Songs of Rage: A Rejoinder.

The Ghanaweb feature article by Nana Amma Obenewaa (5 Oct 07) engendered much discourse as only a few writers on Ghanaweb can. Obviously, this is partly related the writer’s writing skills and political position of record, if only with respect to former military dictator Mr. J. J. Rawlings. But the Nana Amma piece was a bit depressing to the extent it focused so much on division of Ghanaians along Northern and Southern lines, belying the promise of Ghana and the solid foundations and road maps that Nkrumah’s legacy continue to provide to Ghana.
According to Nana Amma, under the current administration, the citizens of Ghana have become “wimps, and have shunned their moral obligation to question national priorities, and challenge the present aristocratic establishmentarianism under the auspices of a permissive president.” Not so, I would say!
Many would probably characterize the current attitudes of Ghanaians as just plain lackadaisical, irresponsible, and opportunistic. But that would be only on the part of many, NOT ALL. Point is, many who are not in government and have not traveled overseas do not know or understand how a truly responsive and accountable government of the people ought to operate, and the requirements thereof. But for many, including Prof Lungu, that it where the self-critique ends.
Prof Lungu would say that Ghanaians were “wimps” under military dictatorships headed by deluded, opportunistic, masochistic, professional soldier-wannabees. You know the ones who treated Ghana to the worst abuses ever meted to the people and Ghana: executions of people without fair public hearings, destruction of public and personal property, and other physical abuses of individuals because they were successful industrialists producing commodities and services for the people. Then there is the engineering of statutory mechanisms that have put Ghana in a political strait-jacket, so to speak, ever since “the hand-over.” But Mr. J. J. Rawlings is the worst offender, bar none.
ITEM: There is a crippling paralysis in Ghana government. I believe that no small amount of that paralysis about failure to do any thing about corruption and bribery is related to “things” enshrined in the Ghana Constitution that protect all the abuses J. J. Rawlings and his cohorts meted out to the people, and to the nation. In that context, “Was I surprised” to read about those protections. Those stipulations are as astounding as they are defeatist for a nation that needs a healing for the numerous abuses of authority by the juntas. To enshrine those protections for all those “perpetrators” clearly cannot compel others coming after those sordid affairs to do much better, just as long as they do not do anything worse than the record. (Witness that the Kuffour administration has not proposed and strongly fought for a single amendment to that Constitution).
But Prof Lungu will not call that a problem of “moral credibility.” To me, it has little to do with morality. It is a failure to lead with a grand vision. It is abetted by a seeming lack of patriotism. More important, it is a failure to use the mechanisms of the government, including the Constitution, the laws of Ghana, and international law, etc., to do what is right for Ghana after “the handover.” Through all that inaction, it has become a legal and administrative puzzle for the Kuffour administration itself. It does not permit them to stridently enforce their “Zero Tolerance” to corruption, or even enforce and provide a public account of the Asset Declaration program, or any significant public account, for that matter. Then there is the other matter of the Ghana Freedom of Information Bill (FOIB) law. Subsequently, the administration has sought to convenience their conscience with the mantra, “Corruption is Perception,” as if even that is not actionable by a responsible government in today’s world.
But there is a conundrum for Nana Amma also. In a previous discussion regarding P. C. Appiah-Ofori, we read some rather strident condemnation of the law-maker by none other than Nana Amma Obenewaa. Was Prof Lungu “startled” about a lack of perspective or “proportion” as one very eloquent contributor to the Ghanaweb forum observed? Problem is, in the latest article, we now have Nana Amma Obenewaa saying: “…I am startled by Ghana’s new “moneycratic” Messiah, Alan Kyeremanteng, promising the plebian voting public the very things he did not have prior to becoming a politician. Well, politics is business, and political actors are not Mother Theresa….”
Pray, tell! Where is your focus and priority, Nana Amma Obenewaa? Is there a significant difference today between ““moneycratic” Messiah, Alan Kyeremanteng”” and Mr. P. C. Appiah-Ofori? Is it not important for Ghana’s “countrymen, and women, the intellectual, interpretive, and critical, precocity to see through the veils of political hypocrisy,” to rally around and strongly support one or the other? Did support on Ghanaweb for Mr. P. C. Appiah-Ofori tell you anything, that some things are more important than others? Is that not what is required, if only to make the point to the “moneycratic” Messiah, Alan Kyeremantengs” that we know what is important for Ghana and will not be fooled by “veils of political hypocrisy”?
The fact is many people did not have anything to do with the award to Mr. P. C Appiah-Ofori, including Prof Lungu. But for many, it was a great idea, empowering even, for Ghana, given the corruption and abuse of power challenges facing the people! And isn’t that single act of “The Award” a dramatic departure from what Nana Amma herself calls “the inflexibility of the Ghanaian mindset”?
Maybe all is not lost with Nana Amma after all. Oddly and ironically, Nana Amma “quotes” a Mr. Danso (if he is the same one that spearheaded that single act of “flexibility” of “Ghanaian mindset”). The “Danso quote” at the head of the comments section is tracked to Nana Amma Obenewaa, thus: “I said today is my last day on Ghanaweb, sad but true. Because, I can no longer tolerate the crass arrogance from you Esi, Nana Amma…”
ITEM: I believe that the strident condemnation of Mr. P. C. Appiah-Ofori and the award to him was “Criticality” gone awry on the part of Nana Amma Obenewaa. It was dis-empowering for the many who are inclined to do better out of humility and the hope that Ghana will receive all the sunshine it needs in the years to come.
Get it still, Nana Amma Obenewaa!! You called for “a revolution; a mind altering process.” Seems to me you missed the beginning of the revolution. Hope we can keep things in perspective and according to proportion. Let us not throw out the baby with the bath water.