It is time to take on these politicians

Friday, August 16, 2013

My good friends, Justice Atuguba made a very bold assertion yesterday when he identified Ghanaian politicians of Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie’s type as doing “illegal political galamsey”. He accused them of inciting their unwitting followers with inflammatory language and belligerent public posturing that threaten national peace, security, and stability.

According to him, such rabble-rousing activities also endanger harmony and prevent Ghanaians from enjoying their lives to the full. He cited instances when people just sell their property and emigrate from the country to preserve their lives and condemned those “illegal galamsey politicians” for being intemperate and causing needless panic and fear. I agree with him.

Of course, in each historical epoch, a people get the kind of government they deserve.

Cameroon’s Paul Biya takes the fight to Pentecostal Churches

Friday, August 16, 2013

The news report is that the Cameroonian President Paul Biya has ordered the closure of nearly 100 Christian churches in key cities, citing criminal practices organized by Pentecostal pastors that threaten the security of Cameroon (See http://edition.myjoyonline.com/pages/oddity/201308/111537.php). He did so to protect national security. And protecting national security means guarding the citizens against activities of the Pentecostal churches that either undermine the integrity of the state or expose the citizens to exploitation by the charlatans running these Pentecostal churches.

I call this a very audacious step, whether he has any ulterior motive or not. The Church should know its station in the body politic and remain there, doing things to solve problems, not to worsen them or create new ones to torment the system.

Some things that make me MAD!!

Monday, August 12, 2013

Let’s be honest to say that politics in Ghana has become too dirty for our comfort. I wonder what will become of the country if the situation doesn’t change for the better. Justice Atuguba is right, after all, that the bane of our national life is the dominance of affairs by “illegal galamsey politicians”.

Here is a clear demonstration of what really detracts from our national life and reduces national politics to a nauseating state of absurdity.

A member of the Communications Team of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Gabby Assumeng, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of bringing a curse upon the country.

According to him, the current hardships and economic challenges being experienced in the country is mainly as a result of the electoral dispute on-going at the Supreme Court filed by three NPP bigwigs; Nana Akufo-Addo, the NPP’s 2012 presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, his running-mate and the party’s National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey. (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=282591)

Gibberish from this NDC noisemaker. Utter nonsense, to put it more stridently. Hiding behind this smokescreen to pass the buck is the height of lousy thinking and lazy, clumsy politicking. Assumeng has misfired big time!!

The Supreme Court will not jail Owusu Afriyie: True or False?

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

I stick my neck out upfront to say that the Supreme Court will not jail the NPP’s Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie when he appears before it tomorrow to answer for the contemptuous utterances for which he has been summonsed. Hopeson Adorye may have a different fate.

Both Owusu Afriyie and Adorye made utterances that have varying dimensions. While Owusu Afriyie’s utterances verge on “personal attack” mostly, that of Adorye are horrendous, verging on the genocidal. That will be where the line will be drawn to determine the fate of each as against the other.

Jailing Owusu Afriyie will definitely shake the NPP camp and shatter hopes; it will be the bated calm to precede the storm—the loss of their case on Election 2012. How will they take it, especially being wary of doing anything to “annoy” the panel of judges not to see them in a good light at this critical time in the hearing of their petition?

Why did the Supreme Court help the NPP petitioners?

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

We now know that this Wednesday, the Supreme Court will seek clarification on the written and oral presentations made by counsel for the petitioners and the respondents, respectively, on the NPP’s petition challenging the outcome of Election 2012. Barring any unforeseen negative circumstance thereafter, the Court will come out by two weeks’ time with its ruling.

Not many aspects of the petition or its hearing are any more unclear to us at this stage, our having followed and monitored proceedings over the past 4 months or so when the hearing of this petition began.  We know many things: that the petitioners have been inconsistent in telling the Court the exact quantum of pink sheet exhibits that they have based their petition on; and that the petition has been skewed to suit the premeditated agenda of the petitioners, which is why no evidence from the NPP’s strongholds has been adduced.

We also know that instead of presenting a petition covering all the 26,002 polling stations that participated in Election 2012, the NPP petitioners chose to do otherwise, giving the Court a tunnel-vision perspective on their case, not the bird’s eye view that should reasonably have been provided for a holistic appreciation of issues. We also know that the petitioners are asking the Court to annul over 4 million votes to put Akufo-Addo in power rather than seeking electoral reforms to improve our democracy. Some self-serving petition!!

Who is misinforming President Mahama?

Monday, August 12, 2013

The spate of open agitations and rioting against the manner in which President Mahama is handling the nomination of CEOs for the Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) continues throughout the country. Concerns are rife that the President’s retention of undesirable CEOs or nomination of others described as “unqualified” is needlessly creating tension and threatening local governance. The President has stuck to his guns. What does he hope to get from this fracas?

The unfortunate part is that someone in his circle may be misinterpreting the agitations against his nominees to mean a challenge to his authority. It is not so. The protests are against his nominees, not his authority as the President, empowered by the Constitution to appoint CEOs as such.

Pathetic NPP petitioners are clutching at straw

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Let me begin my opinion piece with this aspect of proceedings at Wednesday’s sitting of the Supreme Court:

“Addison is belled out at this stage (meaning that he had exhausted the 30 minutes allotted to him for his oral submission).

“Judge Atuguba adjourns hearing to August 14. The judges will ask clarifications from the parties and will return 15 days later with a verdict.”

Many issues cropped up in the day’s oral submissions. The oral submissions given by the various counsel produced deep insights to help me understand all the more why the NPP’s petition is nothing but a huge sand castle. I expect that sand castle to tumble down sooner than later. But this aspect of Addison’s submission is nerve-wracking and must be discussed as such.