Opinions of Friday, 14 October 2016
Columnist: Sarpong, Justice
The word "incompetent" seems to ruffle the feathers of President Mahama but he continue to exhibit incompetency everyday that goes by. How can a President with a coterie of hundreds of Presidential HANGERS ON we call Aides demand from a former Deputy Bank of Ghana Governor to tell him the cost of redenomination that took place in 2007? This is what President Mahama told some Ndc supporters in Accra recently that clearly shows he is either incompetent or he was inebriated when he made this stemwinder.
"Do we remember the cedi redenomination under President Kufuor? During that time, someone was the Deputy Bank of Ghana and up till now, even me as a President do not know the cost of the redenomination exercise," President Mahama said at a rally in the Ablekuma North constituency in Accra. Up till today, no Ghanaian knows the cost of the redenomination exercise and the same people come and say someone is incompetent. When you redenominated the cedi how much did it cost us? Simple things like these you cannot tell us and you have the nerve to come and talk about corruption. Look in the mirror and look at yourselves.Take the log out of your eye before you point at the mote in somebody's eye. Only God doesn't make mistakes. I am human, I am not God."
Mr Accidental President, are you really serious? Seriously, are you really serious? Were you not a member of Parliament in 2007? You are quick to label others for sleeping, what were you doing in 2007 when Dr. Acquah, the Governor of Bank of Ghana gave detail address about how much the redenomination cost? Were you drunk as fish as usual you did not hear him?
As a President, if you really want to know the cost of the redenomination, you could have sent one of your Aides to do this opuscule task and save yourself from another incompetency embarrassment. This is becoming too much. The Office of the Presidency is a noble position and anybody who occupies it should not tarnish the image of the Presidency but you Mr Incompetent President Mahama is turning this office into a joke.
Let's analyze what this incompetent President said.
"Do we remember the cedi redenomination under President Kufuor? During that time, someone was the Deputy Bank of Ghana and up till now, even me as a President do not know the cost of the redenomination exercise,"
Mr Incompetent President, if you were competent, you could have easily googled that information on line by typing, HOW MUCH DID IT COST GHANA REDENOMINATION IN 2007. This is not brain surgery and you don't need me to tell you that. If you would have done that, it would have saved you this embarrassement. You could also have done this;
As the President, you could have dialed the Governor of Bank of Ghana and asked for that information since that information is archived in the Bank volts and you could have saved yourself this sophomoric embarrassment. This speech you gave at Ablekuma West constituency was not your best afflatus. Mr Incompetent President, you did not even stop here and made it worse by this comment;
"Up till today, no Ghanaian knows the cost of the redenomination exercise"
Mr Incompetent President, are you really sure no Ghanaian knows the cost of the redenomination exercise? Is Dr. Bawumiah you are demanding the information from not a Ghanaian? How many people did you ask if they know the cost of the redenomination exercise before you decided to mount a pulpit and ask this elementary question? Are you telling me with more than 600 People working at the Presidency and over hundred personal Assistants, you don't have a Research group that can get you any information you need? Seems to me your staff sit at the Flagstaff house chewing 'chinchinga' and drinking all day without doing any work when the information you were demanding could have been had within a minute by googling.
"Simple things like these you cannot tell us and you have the nerve to come and talk about corruption. Look in the mirror and look at yourselves."
Is this how a President should talk especially when you are arguing with a surbordinate? This is really a childish talk that should not have any place in a President's lexicon.
"Take the log out of your eye before you point at the mote in somebody's eye. Only God doesn't make mistakes. I am human, I am not God."
Mr Incompetent President, you are human, Yes you are, yes you are, your Lordship President Incompetent. Nobody will ever confuse you with God, don't deceive your incompetent self.
Since your Staff could not give you the information you need, I will help you and here is what Dr. Acquah, the Governor of Bank of Ghana said on November 7, 2007
Business News of Wednesday, 7 November 2007
Source: Daily Graphic
Redenomination cost $66.2 million
The Bank of Ghana spent a total of $66.2 million - about GH¢62.188 million (¢621.88 billion using current exchange rates) - on the redenomination exercise, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Paul Acquah, has disclosed.
He said the figure represented a saving of $28 million, if compared with the $94.8 million spent in 2003 and 2006 to replace worn out notes and coins and top up the existing currency in circulation.
Answering questions from journalists at a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, Dr Acquah said the expenditure covered the total cost of the re-denomination exercise, including the printing and minting of Ghana cedi notes and coins and the multimedia campaign, among others.
"I prefer to call it savings because we now have to spend less to annually top up or replace currency in circulation," Dr Acquah explained.
Mr Incompetent President, that is my widow's mite contribution to your incompetent Presidency.
Justice Sarpong
(CARDINAL of TRUTH)