Opinions of Monday, 15 March 2021
Columnist: Kwaku Badu
The notion of Jehovah God’s divine providence or control in a system which depends solely on the universal adult suffrage (the will of the people) creates tough questions, so to speak.
Indeed, since Jehovah God is in control, we are not merely to rest in His divine providence, but to briskly exhibit His character in the choices we make.
Truly, political leaders may emerge under Jehovah God’s providence, but in so far as we gleefully pick them, we will be held responsible for whether they are right leaders or not.
Some of us, in fact, could not hide our utter disbelief over Ex-President Mahama’s somewhat bizarre assertion that it was God who made NDC lose to NPP in the 2016 general elections in order for Ghanaians to differentiate between ‘water and alcohol’.
If you may recall, prior to the NDC’s 2019 flagbearership race, Ex-President Mahama claimed somewhat spuriously that he is vying for the slot because he owes God a duty to redeem the suffering Ghanaians from socio-economic bondage(emphasis mine).
The overarching question every discerning Ghanaian should be asking then is: did the so-called redeemer Mahama manage to redeem the poor and disadvantaged Ghanaians from the extreme economic bondage in the eight years of NDC’s administration?
We heard and read , albeit with extreme incredulity to former President Mahama and the NDC loyalists somewhat sophistic argument that the NPP government had messed the economy in less than four years in office and therefore will most likely return to the Jubilee House in 2021 with God’s full approval (emphasis mine).
It was extremely nauseating for former President Mahama and his teeming supporters to keep hiding behind the biblical narratives and put words in God’s mouth.
Sad but true, the invocation of God’s name in every facet of life in Ghana has been the norm. In Ghana today, all sort of people have made it a habit of hiding behind the Holy Book (Bible) and shamefully proselytising and hoodwinking unsuspecting truth seekers.
Yes, the pretentious geezers have succeeded in proselytizing and fleecing unsuspecting truth seekers, who only want adulterated, more 'palatable' forms of Truth, watered down and compromised for convenience.
Similarly, the political manipulators would often seek refuge in the Holy Book and try to manipulate a section of the voting public into accepting that it is God who predestines politicians to lead the nation.
Of course, the political tricksters will always succeed in brainwashing some gullible truth seekers who doubled up as eligible voters in accepting such red herring.
Let us even agree that it was God who appointed Mahama to steer the affairs of the nation. But was the same God going to allow the people of Ghana to suffer again under the insensitive NDC government?
If we were to accept the inveterate apologists somewhat fallacious biblical narratives that it is God who ordains every leader, then, we may infer for example, that the late Saddam Hussein of Iraq was enstooled by God. But what was his fate following his perceived shenanigans? Wasn’t he brought down to his knees by God? He was indeed humiliated.
The overarching question again then is: did the Omnipresent God also ordain leaders like Milosevic of Serbia, Charles Taylor of Liberia, Daddy Iddi Amin of Uganda, Mengistu of Ethiopia, Neto of Angola, Najibullah of Afghanistan, who brought nothing but socio-economic anguish to their citizens as it happened during NDC’s administration?
Truth be told, if those leaders were ordained by God to lead their respective nations, then they failed woefully and were dethroned by God accordingly.
Somehow, former President Mahama and his supporters refused to acknowledge the fact that his calamitous errors in decision-making amid alleged corruption, untold economic hardships and business crippling dumsor largely contributed to his 2016 humiliating election defeat, but not God who made him to lose.
How can former President Mahama blame God for his rejection by discerning Ghanaians, when his sibling Ibrahim Mahama revoltingly took advantage of his presidency and blatantly refused to pay import taxes in the tune of over GH12 million?
Why must His Excellency President Mahama blame God for his historic defeat when he egregiously gave away 58% of Ghana’s bauxite to his sibling Ibrahim Mahama to the utter disgust of discerning Ghanaians?
How could former President Mahama fecklessly give apologists like Madam Akua Donkor of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP) two four wheel drive cars and a luxury bungalow (estimated to cost a staggering $470,000) for no work done, and then turn around and blame God for his historic election defeat?
Why must former President Mahama blame God for his humiliating defeat when he wilfully dragged an economic growth of 14% in 2011 to a miserable 3.4% by December 2016?
God could not have caused Ex-President Mahama’s defeat when he abysmally raised Ghana’s total debt from GH9.5 billion in 2009 to a staggering GH122.4 billion by December 2016 with little to show for.
His Excellency President Mahama cannot blame God for his defeat when he dreadfully reduced the GDP of $47 billion in 2011 to $40 billion by December 2016.
How can former President Mahama blame God when the agricultural sector grew consistently in the negative?
God could not have masterminded Ex-President Mahama’s defeat when the industry sector grew appallingly. .
The fact of the matter is that Ex-President Mahama thinks Ghanaians still suffer from chronic memory loss and can keep taking us for granted.
K. Badu, UK.
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