Strike by organized labour: For every worker, a good future

Friday, October 24, 2014

As usual, folks, the perennial ritual of strikes have begun being performed all over the country as organized labour obeyed the voice of the leadership of the TUC to lay down their tools. All over the country, then, the industrial action is in full swing.

This time, the motivation for the strike is not salary-related nor does it have anything directly to do with working /service conditions. It has a lot to do with pensions! The news report citing the TUC leadership as supporting the workers’ industrial action revealed the cause:

Democracies grow when truth prevails in governance

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Folks, the news report yesterday about what happened to the United States President, Barack Obama, at a restaurant came as a huge surprise to some of us; but it threw more light on why the kind of democracy being practised by the United States is relevant to that country's development agenda.

If you missed that news report, here it is in full (as carried by the BBC) under the headline "Barack Obama's credit card 'declined':

"President Barack Obama's credit card was declined at a restaurant in New York City last month, he said. "It turned out I guess I don't use it enough," Mr. Obama said. "They thought there was some fraud going on."

Who says that Akufo-Addo is neither corrupt nor can’t corrupt?

Friday, October 17, 2014

Folks, don’t make any mistake to believe that any human being is above corruption, especially if we define corruption in a wider sense than the very narrow and simple one that characterizes happenings in Ghana. Corruption is corruption when somebody does something to unduly influence another for an advantage. It is not done for its own sake!

We in Ghana are very much aware of how corruption in public office, among our politicians and the clergy, not to mention the traditional rulers, security services, and almost every sector of the population has ruined our moral fibre and thrown governance into disarray. In one way or the other, someone is corrupting another or is being corrupted.

Some elements in the NPP have raised Akufo-Addo to a high pedestal, claiming that throughout his tenure in public office, he hasn’t been corrupt nor will he corrupt anybody. In other words, he is CLEAN and far above reproach, for which matter he stands far taller than all others stained by corruption.

Our democracy encourages waywardness in public office

Thursday, October 16, 2014

My good friends, I want to stick my neck out to say that Ghana can never be (re)built with the kind of “democracy” in place that is not being used to solve problems but to reinforce the inadequacies characterizing governance in Ghana or those making this 4^th Republic a laughing stock.

Why am I being so brazen? Simple. There is too much theft of public funds without any prompt action being taken to punish the culprits or to institutionalize preventive mechanisms, which angers the citizens. Make no mistake. Public funds are the livewire of democracy; and when public funds are so easily stolen, the democracy itself is endangered.

In Ghana, theft of public funds is second nature to those with access to the national coffers and their dependants motivating their waywardness. So, appointment to high public office is a green light to theft of public funds; and whoever succeeds is lionized. It is inescapable. What a sick country to live in!

Can ex-President Kufuor ever be neutral in the NPP?

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

I want to wonder aloud: Why should ex-President Kufuor swerve both Kyerematen and Akufo-Addo?

As has been reported, “Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has revealed that he will not vote for any of the candidates contesting the flagbearership race in the national delegates congress of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Sunday. Kufuor, who was president from 2001 to 2008, refrained from voting in the party’s super delegates congress in August, stressing the need to preserve his neutrality.

Speaking to Citi News, the spokesman for the former President, Frank Agyekum, said Mr. Kufuor believes the best thing for him to do at this point in time in the NPP’s scheme of things is not to cast his vote, but rather stay behind and give his support to whoever wins.” (See: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=330326)

Who is helping Woyome not to bear his cross?

Monday, October 6, 2014

The Supreme Court gave an order that Alfred Agbesi Woyome should refund the 51 or more million Cedis to the national coffers. It is past many months now and we don’t know what has happened to that court order. Has Woyome yet refunded the money to the state?

If he hasn’t why hasn’t he? What is preventing him from doing so? Is he willfully flouting the Court’s order and still going strong just because he hasn’t yet relinquished as the financier of the both the NDC and the NPP? (After all, being a clever thief, he knows how to play his cards so he can still be favoured whether it is the NDC or the NPP that is in power. If you doubt it, just do a quick tracing of the steps that he took to win goodwill within the NPP camp while at the same time using his substance to nurture the NDC. Such clever thieves really endanger our democracy).

Is Ekwow Spio-Garbrah really arrogant?

Friday, October 3, 2014

Folks, some Members of Parliament are of the opinion that Ekwow Spio-Garbrah is arrogant, which they consider to be a major flaw. The news report on proceedings in Parliament prior to his being approved as Minister of Trade and Industry says it all:

“Minister-designate for Trade and Industry, Mr. Ekow Spio-Garbrah has been counseled by Parliament not to exhibit arrogance in the discharge of his duties and to also accommodate the views of personalities who may not be on the same level of intelligence as he is.

It does appear that the attitude of the nominee even at the committee was one that appeared to be bereft of modesty and lack of accommodation for diversity. If you are a leader, you must accept that not everybody will be at your level. A major part of leadership is to coach and bring people along in building a team…” (See: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=328868)

OYIWA: NPP wins case to proceed with October 18 Congress

Friday, October 3, 2014

Folks, when I said in a post a few days ago that the suit against the NPP by two of its members protesting against the October 18 date for the national delegates congress to choose a flagbearer for Election 2016 would be dismissed, some NPP buffs dismissed me as a troublemaker. Some even dared tell me that by my political coloration, I risked losing my credibility.

Here we are now: NPP wins case to proceed with October 18 Congress. Judge Mustapha Logoh of the Accra Fast Track High Court awarded Ghc5000 cost against the plaintiffs. And the reason given by is as lame as I can’t imagine: “the two (plaintiffs) should have engaged all mechanisms within the party before heading to court for redress”. (See: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=328767)

What a farce!! One expected something more “legalistically tenable” than this sorry apology of a reason. In the first place, there was nothing wrong with the suit because the plaintiffs sought nothing but that the court would direct the National Council (of the NPP) to grant more time for the congress.

Ex-President Kufuor is lying through his teeth!

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Let's hear him: “Busia would’ve made Ghana a ‘fantastic’ nation”—Former President John Kufuor has said Ghana would have been a better country than it is today if former Prime Minister Kofi Abrefa Busia (late) had been allowed to carry through with his policies when he assumed power in 1969. According to him, the private sector agenda which was being promoted by the late prime minister was imperative for the development of the country.

Speaking to Citi FM on the 45th anniversary of Busia’s assumption to power, Kufuor said: “His ideas would have been fantastic for this country. The man believed in the private sector, under him a host of businessmen, all the big private sector people had a place under him. He understood the private sector and their role in providing infrastructure.” (See: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=328423)

MY COMMENTS

I wonder what purpose Kufuor sought to achieve with this sorry utterance, 45 years after Busia had entered office only to be booted out 27 months later by the Acheampong coup d'etat because of obvious inadequacies.

Of Christianity, Character, and Influence on Society

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Folks, we have for many times now been discussing matters arising from the lifestyle, public utterances, and claims about gifts of prophecy that continue to raise serious questions about Christianity in our contemporary times, especially as practised in Ghana and Nigeria. I have been particularly strident in condemning the “Men-of-God” who always catch public attention with their prosperity messages and prophecies of doom. It’s all meant to throw the searchlight on goings-on in the church to prove that Christianity is a lifestyle to be lived and not professed by word of mouth.

Living Christianity as a lifestyle enjoins the Christian to be above reproach so his/her lifestyle can positively influence the world and win more “souls” for Kingdom business. After all, the Great Commission is still relevant and can be fulfilled only if Christians can live and do things that separate them from those they seek to proselytize. Otherwise, if the would-be converts don’t see any difference between themselves (what they are or how they do things) and the so-called Christians (what they do or say), they will not be willing to be converted. And they will have a good cause not to become Christians.