Opinions of Monday, 14 November 2022
Columnist: Owula Mangortey
I am a Citizen.
I find it shocking and surprising to watch the slugfest between the Government of Ghana and its own NPP Majority Caucus in Parliament over the appropriateness of Ken Ofori-Atta to continue in office as Ghana's Finance Minister.
Interestingly, the NPP internal fight has a bald men fighting over a comb vibe about it! What exactly are they struggling over?
May be, William Yeats had Ghana in mind when he wrote The Second Coming:
"Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon (Ghana)."
If Ghana's Security Chiefs listen carefully, they will hear and find that the NPP internal fight has gone beyond the person and capability of Ken Ofori-Atta to handle Ghana's Finances. It is now a struggle borne out of a conspiracy to replace Ken Ofori-Atta as Minister of Finance with a devious, deadly, greedy, brigand in Parliament, masquerading as the best gift of God to the NPP.
State Security capos should be aware by now that President Akufo-Addo and the NPP government will be victims of the greedy agenda of this lead Brigand in Parliament when he becomes Finance Minister.
His biggest enemy is his ego which manifests in selfishness, arrogance and destructive engagements.
He is a dogged, unbending person with such fixedness of purpose. He is some one who is willing to break dishes and ruffle feathers to keep people focused and moving ahead with his greedy agenda.
As a Citizen, I rise to ask President Akufo-Addo whether he is replacing Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister with that lead
GREEDY BRIGAND in Ghana's Parliament.
Indeed, if I were in charge of State Security, I would present briefings and advice to President Akufo-Addo to sway him from the appointment of that lead greedy brigand, who is working the cabal inside and outside Parliament to oust Ken Ofori-Atta.
When they listen carefully, State Security Chiefs will find that the interests of Ghana and its citizens are not the prime concern and purpose for calling for the axing of Ken Ofori-Atta as Finance Minister.
What is at play is the greed, selfishness and hunger of some brigands, buccaneers and highway robbers masquerading as saviours inside and outside Parliament. It is a vaulting ambition to get a hand on the public purse and misuse it for personal and private gain.
I don't care a toss about Ken Ofori-Atta being axed as Ghana's Finance Minister! After all, if he is incapacitated, he will be replaced in the next minute.
What I care about is Ghana's public purse and whether it will be in a safe pair of hands!
Accordingly, I call on fellow Ghanaians, the Academia, Civil Society Organisations, Religious and Traditional Leaders, the Media, Political Parties, Heads of Security Agencies, Ghana's Development Partners to take a keen interest in, and to scrutinize a self-serving agenda of replacing Ken Ofori-Atta with a lead GREEDY BRIGAND in Parliament.
Ken Ofori-Atta must speak up!
There is an old saying, every one has a plan until they get punched in the face. Ken Ofori-Atta's plans are awry because he is being punched in the face by his own NPP zealots.
As a Citizen, Ken Ofori-Atta deserves a hearing of his side of the issues by his own NPP zealots before he is set up to be judged in the court of public opinion.
One thing Ken has to do if he really wants to prevail or prove a point is to do the unimaginable!
I suggest that Ken Ofori-Atta must speak up, and explain his achievements and failures and what has led to the situation where elements in his own NPP say it has become necessary to put an end to the " Akyem self-superiority, exclusivity and permissiveness!"
The NPP zealots say Ken Ofori-Atta has left Ghanaians up the creek without a paddle. They say trying to fix Ken Ofori-Atta's "corrupt and incompetent image" is like treating gonorrhoea; his problem is internal. That is why he must go!
Leadership is about messaging. There is power in what Ken Ofori-Atta says. And there is power in what he does not say.
My advice to Ken Ofori-Atta is simple: "If a fight is inevitable you have to throw the first punch!" And, if the snake is not dead you don't put down the stick."
Were we not in this country when NPP Parliamentarians and communication apparachiks were shouting all over the roof tops that Ken Ofori-Atta had won the prestigious Best African Finance Minister Award for 2018?
Were we not told that the award recognised Ken Ofori-Atta's role in restoring macroeconomic stability, renewed confidence in the Ghanaian economy and other key successes?
Were we not in this country when President Akufo-Addo praised Ken Ofori-Atta saying, "I came into office in 2017 under a strigent IMF programme. This same man was able to manage the affairs of our economy in such a way that in my first term, we were one of the fastest growing economies in the world?"
Ken Ofori-Atta must speak out before his image is shedded into the dustbin of history. He should not deceive himself that he is meek, because in Ghana the meek do not inherit the kingdom of God. The meek get eaten up!
It is such a pity that Ken Ofori-Atta cannot be helped by his mainstream and Social Media friends and partners.
It is quite ironic and tragic that that there are no longer NPP giants in the Media who enjoy respectability, acceptability, believability and reliability. It is such a pity to notice the decay of the much touted influential voices of NPP-aligned Senior Journalists
"Trust but verify," Ronald Reagan was reported to be fond of saying.
Going forward, Ken Ofori-Atta ought to verify trust by outlawing devious, inconsistent, manipulative, and self-serving behaviour by his fellow appointees, especially that of the lead Brigand in Parliament who wants to be the next Finance Minister.
I shall return.