Greedy Bastards and Bootlickers III

The Minister of Power and Energy, Dr Oteng Agyei. There is no doubt that when ex President Rawlings spoke of the Greedy Bastards, sycophants, strangers and bootlickers, he had the Minister of Mines and energy as one of such people.

With all the hullaballoo that attended the Mills administration futile attempts to import fuel into the country for the first time and persistently lying to Ghanaians about the importation, the Minister ought to have thrown in the towel a long time ago.

Kofi Wayo’s allegation of underhand dealings by the sector minister speaks of volumes of wrong dealings. When Kofi Wayo made those spurious and damaging against the then NPP Presidential Candidate without providing any iota of evidence, the NDC, then in opposition jumped at it and used it during their campaign. Why is the party refusing to accept his allegations now that it is affecting one of their own? Why has the Mills administration not said anything about it?. This calls for the setting up of a Presidential Committee in line with the Mills administration’s penchant for administering the country through the committee system.

There is this erratic power supply. Many people have suffered loss of equipment as a result of such power outages which on an average occurs thrice a day. A friend told me he has counted more than three thousand and fifty eight of such power interruptions since the NDC came to power nearly one year ago. We should also not overlook the fact that there have been more than 50 times that the entire country has been plunged into total darkness as a result of such power outages.

And until just last week, we never knew the cause of such outages, because we were aware of the fact that the water level at Akosombo had not gone below the acceptable level. If the Mills administration was aware of the cause, why did it take them so long to come out with such an excuse? And now that we are being told that the equipment are obsolete and need to be replaced can the sector Minister tell us what measures they are putting in place to ensure that such power outages are reduced to the barest minimum?

Where are the numerous energy experts the NDC boasted of when it was in opposition? Wonders, they say, will never end.

Then comes the price of petroleum products. The price we are now buying fuel in the country is the same price that we bought the commodity when the price at the world market was $147.00 per barrel. And the price at the moment is just below $74.00 per barrel. What will happen when price rises at the world market? What happened to the slogan, “Atta Mills will drastically reduce the price of fuel in the country”? How much will Dr Oteng Agyei and President Mills sell petrol and diesel to hardworking, but impoverished Ghanaians when the price goes above $100.00. We need to know so that we prepare ourselves for that eventual calamity.

Mrs. Betty Mould. Yes, when ex-President Rawlings made his scathing attacks on Professor Mills, he had Betty in mind. He feels disappointed at the way Betty is messing up affairs at the Justice Ministry. The Attorney General has been losing almost all the high profile cases she has sent to court, especially those concerning the prosecution and “persecution” of NPP members and sympathizers. It is not every case that should be sent to the courts, if the facts on the grounds do not support conviction.

But Madam Betty Mould would not do her work with a fine tooth-comb. The zeal to demonize top NPP functionaries’ is paramount on her mind or agenda. And so, the slightest allegation of malfeasance against any top NPP member is enough to warrant persecution and prosecution.

It is pertinent to remind Ghanaians that the NDC had in their manifesto promised to separate the office of the Attorney General from that of Minister of Justice. Yet, almost one year into their administration, nothing has been said about it. Mrs. Betty Mould, Ghanaians had high expectations when you were nominated for your present position. But your mediocre performance has put a deep gulf and schism between you and your mentor, former President J.J.Rawlings.

Director of Communications at the Presidency, Koku Anyidohu. Yes, this man is carving a niche for himself as a bully at the castle. But should we have a bully at the seat of power? No, the Castle should be the last place we should see such uncouth language and arrogance being exhibited without restrain. His own level of disdain for “lesser mortals” and arrogance is three times those of Tony Aidoo, Ama Benyiwa Doe, Okudzeto Ablakwa and NPP’s Edumadze put together. I will not dwell much on him since I will devote a whole piece on him. People claim Asamoah Boateng is arrogant because he suggested Ghanaians should make “konkonte”a staple diet. Please get a tape on Asamoah Boateng and compare it with tapes on which we have Koku’s threats, insults and vilification of people whose faces he does not like and it will give you the mindset of the man called Koku Anyidohu.

People have short memories. How can we forget so soon the obscene and vulgar language the Ghanaian Lens whose Sports Editor then was Koku Anyidohu, used to describe the then President, Kufuor and other NPP activists. As the person in-charge of the then Candidate Mills Communications Directorate, what was the outcome of investigations into the alleged assault of one, Kojo Yeboah at Cow Lane, in Accra on Tuesday, July 3, 2007 by a member of then Candidate Mills Security detail. Koku Anyidohu promised us a thorough investigations into the alleged assault and battery attack, but we have since not heard anything about it. It is such things that we expect the President’s Director of Communications to speak on, but not to issue threat to ordinary and law-abiding Ghanaians who are going about their legitimate duties.

The Mayor of Accra, Alfred Vanderpuye: Sometimes it pays to have a taste of Ghanaian lifestyle for one to understand how the Ghanaian behaves. I cannot say when our honourable mayor left the shores of this country to sojourn abroad. I doubt if he even had a taste of our life and hospitality. If he had, he would not have embarked on such callous and destructive course he took the previous week. I had dwelt extensively on the destructive and barbaric acts they became the mantra last week, when instead of protective life and property, human beings deliberately set fire to people’s property and watch with glee as those properties were burning.

I am happy the President ordered a halt to that act. I commend the President on his initiative. The Accra Mayor worsened his plight when at a hurriedly-organized press conference he alleged that the President had twice called and apologized to him in connection with the story carried out in both the Graphic and the Times to the effect that the President had ordered the suspension of the demolition exercise in Accra.

Is the Accra Mayor a team player? Does he have to share his conversation with the President to the entire world, assuming the President even apologized to him? The conversation was not meant for public consumption. It was privileged information he had by virtue of his position as the Mayor of Accra. What was the purpose of the hurriedly convened press conference? Was it to elicit the sympathy of others because of the “bashing” he was receiving as a result of his actions? It has rather alienated him from a lot of people. By his action, he has brought the name and image of the presidency into disrepute.

The best thing to do now is to thrown in the towel. In the alternative, the President should fire him. But I beg, make him no ask Koku Anyidohu to draft his letter of dismissal oo.

CONCLUSION: They promised us a lean government, but look at them. They are passing through the backdoor what they don’t want to get from the main entrance. See the wife of the Vice President being given an office in one of the bungalows whose renovation alone costs One Point Two Billion Cedis. This is in addition to free this, free that. Since when has the wife of the Vice President been catered for by the State? What would Nkrumah be feeling in his grave when he sees all those reckless spending going on? What would J.B.Danquah, Paa Grant, Ephraim Amu, S.D.Dombo, Nene Azu Mate Korle, Ako Adjei and many other ancestors be discussing among themselves when they see Official state vehicles which have been confiscated from Ghanaians who could not pay such exorbitant taxes placed on their imported cars .See them riding the best cars which they shared amongst themselves at common Fifty Pesewa apiece. Ghanaians should not lose hope. Rainfall is normally followed by sunshine

The Lord has heard our sufferings and since our God Father is not dead but alive, I shall surely return, insha Allah

Daniel Danquah Damptey

E-mail Address : [email protected].