A general consensus shows that majority of the Ghanaian public are committed to a reset agenda. Ghanaians right now have a high appetite for a thorough house-cleaning exercise that will on this occasion be able to treat and to cure this pandemicesque menace that has bedevilled ours shores since independence. I am referring to the almighty, satanic retrogressive phenomena, the canker called corruption .
Those within the opposition party who have developed a habit of opposing positive changes may live to regret as they will find themselves in the wrong side of history. Today Ghanaians have acquired high appetite for good governance. The general public is yearning for, in this case, probity and accountability from people in high office. So those minority partisan groupies who are refusing to conform to and accept what the masses want, should to be told in clear terms that it is in their own interest morally, legally and politically not to create an impression of being against the fight to curb corruption. Otherwise they risk setting themselves against what Ghanaian citizens see as legitimate response to fraud and theft in public office with impunity by people who see themselves as the premier political class .
The insensitivity and the crass assumptive elitist posturing of some NPP MPs, the notion that the so-called political class should be shielded against any scrutiny, from any accountability and from any public opprobrium.They want us to assume with them their sense of superiority of the elite class who should perhaps be made the untouchables.The unintelligible arguments made in parliament the other day by Afenyo Markins and Stephen Amoah(Sticka), that the so-called Political Class should be placed somehow above or around the law. Stika in particular in a high pitch bellicose rant implied that to put the former finance minister in the spotlight to go through investigation would somehow reflect negatively on us in the estimation of the international community.
This isn’t true. It is rather the other way round. If the world community get to know and to see that we are applying democratic methods to regulate our public management and administrative systems.To bring them apar with international standards, we would rather gain more respect, approval and recognition in the knowledge that we are on course to becoming a cleaner society. Especially when we demonstrate the willingness to instill probity and accountability in our systems through democratic means. The likes of Stika have probably forgotten the international community’s pledge to support the ORAL. How can the idea of bringing sanity into governance system be seen as bad or inappropriate by the same international community.
Why shouldn’t the class A people be investigated especially when there’s a clear need for it. Such thinking emanates from a deep and pure sense of superiority, which is routed in depths of arrogance and self-righteousness, the better than the rest attitude, the type of pomposity only comparable to the exhibitionism of the male peacock sunbathing in the Australian outbacks, with no care of the many dangers around him.
Thank goodness the cool-headed majority leader, Mahama Ayariga in the parliament rose to make it clear that any thoughts or suggestions that the political class should be allowed to assume the status of the untouchables would be an unfortunate situation that’ll be an affront to the very goals and ideals of good democratic governance. The type of good governance which we as a nation are seriously trying to attain.
What is happening in Ghana with ORAL and the Reset agenda should be seen as the required legitimate democratic process which is being undertaken by a democratically elected civilian government. It should never be seen as a witch hunting tool to condemn anyone. That has never been the intention as has been stated many times by president mahama. If this democracy will endure and succeed we must discard and abandon the misguided notion that civilian governments can not or will never be able to successfully defeat the menace of corruption.This cleanup process is something that must be taken in and be embraced by all because one way or another, a house cleaning exercise will happen either within a democratic system or other type of undemocratic governance system which nobody wants presumably.
Grievances abound and coming from people who have just been defeated in elections. They are wailing and whinning angrily about this and that. They don’t understand why the current government is going after the people in opposition or so they believe. The fact of the matter is that this NPP people feel power should be theirs to keep.The are yet to arrive at the realisation that they’ve lost power and therefore are not in charge of the decision-making process. But we also know they are hurting but a restraining mechanism must be sort otherwise events will outrun them.
The NPP fraternity is angered by mere fact that the former minister has been declared a fugitive, a wanted man by OSP for his part in a suspected mismanagement of public funds and Ken Ofori Atta being the former head of the finance ministry is required, and rightly so to present himself for probe by his peers. And this, the NPP people are finding it difficult to live with, why? They find it unthinkable or uncomfortable the idea of Ken Ofori Atta being put under real pressure and be made to account for his stewardship in the public domain.
This is a strange behaviour from the NPP, given that not long ago, majority of their own MPs decided to align themselves with the rest of majority in the country to demand the sacking or the resignation of Ken Ofori Atta. A party that prides itself as having huge numbers of intellectuals. They, we are told are the believers in the Rule of Law better than everyone else. For such a party to cry foul when one of theirs is asked to account for his performance while on duty, this is simply unacceptable.
The NPP would be well advised to restrain themselves and to reposition, realign themselves with the majority of Ghanaians who want transparency and clarity in all matters concerning current and previous management processes of public funds.That may help revive their waning fortunes going forward. For anyone and for the NPP who boasts of high intellectual makeup, it would be politically unconscionable to be seen to be swimming against the tide of a popular, majority disposition in a matter.
The idea that public finance scandals the likes of IML, PDS, AMERI, Keln GvG, Pwalugu dam, sky train project, moneys spent on flagship programs such as Planting for Food & Jobs, 1D1F, the embassy in Belgium money laundering allegations, covid moneys, 52billion cedis money transfer saga, the cathedral the shs funding, road construction, ambulance purchase, ambulance spares parts procurement, the recent Ghana vs world football stadium saga, the All African Games hosting, the rumoured financial dealings in the Caribbean, etc etc etc. The list goes on and on. The idea that these must not be revisited and interrogated because this may bring certain personalities and their reputations into disrepute, well, tough.
The NPP should stop creating the impression that they prefer a cover up. This perception, will destroy the NPP completely if they carry on with this self-serving tantrums about what isn’t necessary to fight against. The Ghanaian public want probity, accountability and transparency and that’s what the ndc administration headed by john mahama is obliged to do. No amount of daily press releases can stop it. The simple calculus is this, if you are clean, you have nothing to fear .
