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Opinions of Monday, 21 September 2015

Columnist: Damptey, Daniel Danquah

Where Are The Prophets?

I have never seen a fruit that is not pointing at the tree that gave birth to it. Those who rely on their sword to solve every problem will one day die with the swords in their hands. The world is a staircase. While some are climbing up, others are coming down. Not all palm trees can be climbed by a hoop and it is equally true that not every river can be crossed by a canoe. Finally, a child that tells his father’s proverbs will have to pay his father’s debt.
The latter day saints/prophets have done a great deal of disservice to Ghanaians. They have twisted history to suit their own arrogant eyes. Do not get me wrong, please. I mean no harm. I am not referring to men of God who preach the Gospel. No, far from it!
My focus is on those who have arrogated to themselves the power to speak on every issue including even those they know nothing about with such a passion that the novice and the uninformed will regard such words as sacrosanct. Sometimes their utterances border on criminality and blasphemy.
Who are you to question their authority? They claim to be repository of all knowledge. But judge against the recent happenings in the country, they are empty barrels making a lot of cacophonous noise. O God, why do I have to see their UGLY faces and hear their discordant tunes every day? There is no way I can get rid of them. Turn to any TV or FM Radio Station and you see their faces filled with venom. The worst aspect of it is that they are like convicted witches at a shrine who are not ready to spit out the atrocities they have committed.
The apostles of Energy have to accept blame for their deceit. A few months ago, I had to go “out of coverage area” because within a period of six weeks, I lost two lap-tops, courtesy of Mahama’s unfriendly energy policy. The Two Lap Tops “died” just like that. Knowing very well the situation in the country where the eating formulae cannot go beyond 0:0:1 or 0:1:0, I found the situation worse than hell. That has been my dilemma. I now patronize public internet cafes. Whom do I apportion blame? The President, the Apostles of Energy and the Electricity Company of Ghana, of course!
Now, I ask the question: “where are the apostles of energy”? In the novel, ”Rasselas” the author speaking through Rasselas advised us not to pay heed to teachers of morality because they discourse like angels but live like ordinary men.
I remember in those days when NPP was in power, those so-called prophets mounted soap boxes in every nook and cranny in the country to castigate Kufuor and the NPP when the energy crisis erupted, The claimed that they left a blue print on how to resolve the crises but the NPP Government did not heed their advice. Read back numbers of “The Ghanaian Lens”, “The Crystal Clear Lens”, “The Ghana Palaver”, “The Democrat” and you will come across these nebulous men making their unjustifiable claims. But now that they are in power, they have not been able to translate their expertise into concrete action. May God save Ghana!
The Ghanaian Lens No 134 (Thursday 22nd March, 2007) had on the front page this headline in bold letters, “We have the Expertise to resolve Energy Crises – NDC MP”. The story was by B.E.Akproh. The NDC MP being referred to was the Hon Dr. Kwame Ampofo – North Dayi Constituency. The most ridiculous aspect of his argument was that the NPP Government did not heed his advice but went outside to consult some energy experts outside the country. “What they (government) do not know is that the people that they went to consult also come to me and the very advise that I was giving freely was what I gave them and which they passed on to the government”. Honourable Ampofo revealed
“Stating that the expertise to resolve the crises is right here in Ghana, Dr. Ampofo cautioned against playing partisan politics with the energy crises, and promised that if he is given the chance he would assemble a team of Ghanaian energy experts to handle the crises and resolve it within the shortest possible time.””
The Energy Crises in Kufuor’s time lasted not more than 15 months. That of NDC started in 2009 and till date we are still experiencing “Armageddon”. In Kufuor’s time, one knew when to get electricity and when not to. But in Mills/Mahama’s Ghana, one cannot predict anything. The worst aspect of this theatre of absurdities is that there are times one has money to buy units but will be told that “the server is down.” About a month ago, we went to different EC Pay Points in Accra in search of where we could buy units, but the “verdict” was the same. Where are the experts Dr Ampofo said he would assemble? Do not trust teachers of morality. They discourse like Angels but live like ordinary mortals.
We have not forgotten the time when these Apostles of Energy moved from one FM Radio Station and TV Station to lambast the NPP Government. But like I have stated, the epileptic power supply lasted less than 15 months during Kufuor’s time and pronto, there was light.
Today, I ask these questions: Where is A to Ahwoi? Where is Inusa Fuseini? What about Asiedu Nketiah, Ama Benyina Doe, Alban Bagbin, Kobby Acheampong, Dr. Omane Boamah? Where are they? They have lost their voices. It seems that if one talks about the energy crises, their mouths appear to have been glued with “nkruma” (okra). This goes to prove the point that we should not trust men of morality. “They discourse3 like Angels, but live like ordinary mortals”.
Now, come to think of this. When Rev Professor Emmanuel Martey, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana asked “Danger Boy, President John Mahama who is riding a bicycle without brakes”, the hawks, vultures, hyenas, pigs, rabid dogs, vicious snarling snakes, babies with sharp teeth, and those who had just descended from hell in the Nefarious Destructive Cancer descended on him with the rage of the devil. They attempted to tear him into shreds, but the man of God, filled with the Holy Spirit refused to bulge. He announced to the annoyance of the visionless members of the nefarious contraption that he could solve the energy crisis in a matter of weeks. And I bet, he spoke the minds of most of us.
With all the powers at the disposal of President Mahama, he should not lose focus as to how to solve this crucial national problem. If he has, then I beg to say that our “Commander in Thief” has no business clinging on to the presidency for even a second. He was elected to solve our problems and if he has no solution to our energy problem, he should relinquish the position with special apologies to Ghanaians for having deceived and failed.
I want Ghanaians to take a critical look at the achievement of President Mohamadu Buhari in his first 100 days of assuming the Presidency. He has been able to almost resolve the perennial power crisis that has afflicted Nigeria for nearly Three Decades. Yes, this is the transformation “the Old Man” has brought into the country whose power regulatory body is referred to as: “Never Expect Power Always”. Nigeria had been in coma as far as power supply was concerned. Today, Nigerians can heave a sigh of relief and say, “Thank You, Baba. You are God sent”. Today, they refer to Buhari as “A Daniel has come to judgment”. Yes, this is a decisive President indeed!
But can we say same of our “elected” President? What legacy would he leave behind? What would the rest of Africa say of him?

I pause for answers!

Daniel Danquah Damptey (Self-Appointed Special Aide to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo)
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