Monday,
October 29, 2012
The
General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church, Dr. Mensa Otabil,
deserves support in his singular effort to disabuse the minds of Ghanaians on a
major political item. He has inserted himself into the controversy raised by
the NPP’s Akufo-Addo and his promise of a fee-free SHS education.
Dr.
Otabil has discounted such a promise and warned Ghanaians to be wary because
there is no “free education” anywhere in the world. I wholeheartedly support
him. He has spoken for many of us and given us a good cause to sustain our criticism
of that promise.
His
arguments are sound and challenging. No wonder by the close of the day,
reaction from visitors to Ghanaweb that published his observation reached 680,
the highest that I have seen in such an online medium.
These
responses are diverse, mostly portraying or betraying political persuasions of
the commentators. The majority took umbrage at Dr. Otabil and insulted him, threatening
to either leave his church or wishing hellfire and brimstone for him. Some
questioned his status as a “Man of God” and wondered why he should oppose
instead of supporting Akufo-Addo’s “vision.” These commentators were definitely
NPP fanatics.
I
pity them for missing the main substance of Dr. Otabil’s viewpoint. Just like
those of us who have persistently criticized Akufo-Addo’s promise, Dr. Otabil isn’t
against efforts to improve education for Ghanaians.
His
main concern is that such efforts can’t yield anything “free” of the sort that
Akufo-Addo is using as a political bait. I agree with him.
But as is characteristic of fanatics,
those condemning Dr. Otabil (and us) have resorted to insults instead of
reasonable explanations to win over the critics. It won’t work because those of
us criticizing this promise aren’t doing so just because we hate the NPP or its
flagbearer. We don’t; but we hate the kind of narrow politicking that they are
doing with this promise.
It must be made clear to these
NPP fanatics that those of us bitterly criticizing this promise are still
skeptical because the basis for the promise is still murky. Akufo-Addo hasn’t
persuaded us that a government under him can fulfill this promise. And we know
the harm that such unfulfilled promises can cause.
We are not persuaded because
Akufo-Addo made this promise as a mere political gimmick, first announcing it
during a BBC interview but failing to provide specifics; then, throwing it into
the equation on his electioneering campaign stunts without providing any
convincing parameters either.
What came from him later on
seemed to be an afterthought just to score cheap political points. That’s why
the initial figure of 78 million Cedis that he quoted as the anticipated cost
of implementing the fee-free SHS education in the first year is still not
convincing. We know that the costs far exceed that figure.
Attempts to explain why the cost
will rise in subsequent years cast the promise in a frightening light than
persuading us that such a promise can be fulfilled without any serious harm
being done to the economy.
The most worrisome of all the
factors that have made some us dogged in our criticism is the failure of
Akufo-Addo to tell us a specific framework within which the promise could be fulfilled.
For instance, had he given us any timeframe within which the promise will begin
being fulfilled, we might have cause to see reason in his so-called vision at
this level. But he did not.
All he did was to throw in the
promise and let it hang. We are more than certain that this promise can’t be
fulfilled as soon as the NPP enters office. From all indications, the conditions
won’t exist at that time for such a drastic change to be effected. So, why not
tell us when exactly implementation of such a fee-free education will be
effected?
Assuming that Akufo-Addo gives us
a definitive time-frame to say that it might begin in the second year of his
taking over the rein of government, we might give him the benefit of the doubt.
It is clear that while he is now outside the corridors of power, he doesn’t
know the strength of the national economy or how much money is available for
him to use in fulfilling that promise in the first year in office.
It means that his government will
have to mobilize the much-needed resources for such a measure, which might not
be completely done as soon as he succeeds the incumbent. Does Akufo-Addo
already have the resources to support this grandiose promise? He doesn’t, which
is why he must be politically savvy enough to explain issues more as a way of
winning over segments of the society still challenging him on this promise.
We know how politically motivated
programmes are treated. The abandoning of development projects is a clear
example. How feasible is this fee-free education even after an Akufo-Addo NPP
government? Or will the policy die out when the NPP is no more in office? At
what expense to the country?
We have already given reasons on
other aspects to suggest that implementing a policy on fee-free education at
the SHS entails more than what Akufo-Addo and his campaign team have told us so
far. Apart from the non-availability of the infrastructure to support such a
promise, other factors will definitely impede efforts. That’s what we want
Akufo-Addo to come clean on.
Does Akufo-Addo’s promise entail
free textbooks and other logistics that are needed at the SHS? We are even not
talking about the boarding schools and costs. Will boarding schools remain what
they’ve been all along or be turned into day schools for purposes of lessening
the cost on the government? When will the conversion be done or will Akufo-Addo’s
government soak up all the costs? Scary already!
There are many other hindrances
that Akufo-Addo’s promise hasn’t touched on. If we consider the perennial
plight of teachers and others, we are not convinced that Akufo-Addo did think
through the enormity of the problems militating against the country’s SHS
before dreaming up this so-called solution.
We hate to be told that money
from other sectors of the national economy will be mobilized and diverted to
support this SHS promise. If robbing Peter to pay Paul is the rationale driving
this promise, we have nothing but doom to contend with. And we will remain incredulous
and indignant about this promise.
Of course, as Dr. Otabil has put
it, education can’t be free anywhere in the world because it is supported by
the taxes that the citizens pay. That is undeniable but irritating to the NPP
fanatics.
Perhaps, the only difference that
we may see in this case of Akufo-Addo’s promise is that supporting a fee-free
SHS education with taxes is a step in the right direction. After all, the various
governments have taxed the citizens but not used the resources to implement
such a policy. If Akufo-Addo intends to use taxes to provide fee-free education
at the SHS, he will make a difference.
Then, the people will see the
practical evidence of the government’s accountability and readily cooperate in
paying taxes. Once they know how their tax money is used (at least, in the case
of the fee-free SHS education), they should have no cause to grumble or refuse
to pay taxes.
That’s what we expect the NPP’s
campaign team to hammer on as a means of persuading skeptics and to counteract scathing
criticism. But they have resorted to insults instead. A good opportunity for
mature politicking being wasted, I daresay.
But I am not surprised by this
approach because intolerance has become their lot. It is the spirit behind an “All-die-be-die”
mentality. Otherwise, what prevents Akufo-Addo and his followers from reasoning
issues out with Ghanaians on this grandiose promise, using specifics and not
insults and name-calling?
Until the specifics are given to
persuade us, we will continue criticizing this promise. After all, it is our responsibility
to do so. Had the electorate in communities bombarded by the string of promises
by the late President Mills and his NDC campaign team been bold to question the
rationale behind those promises, they would have known better.
They would have had enough to
judge the genuineness of those promises and their makers to know how to make
better electoral decisions. They didn’t and have been biting their fingers ever
since. We won’t allow Akufo-Addo to take us for that kind of rough
roller-coaster ride.
That’s why we will insist that he
persuade us with specifics. Not until he does so, we will keep the heat on him,
no matter how much he and his followers detest us. It is our bounden duty to
poke his side for answers. If he can’t provide them, he won’t get anybody’s
nod.
- E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
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