“Electricity for all in 2011” – When Will the Joke and Deception End!

By Kwaku A. Danso

Folks, there comes a time when people must wake up! The Ghanaian politician seems never interested in telling the truth, no matter what political party they belong to. We the people have allowed this to happen by failing to arrest these people we elected to office and end the joke and lies! Democracy does not work by simply having elections.

In the Monday, December 27 issue of Ghanaweb, a GNA report from Keta said:
“All communities in the country would be connected to the national power grid by the end of 2011, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information said at Keta.”

Who do these people think they are fooling! Whiles 80-90% of the people in Ghana do not have potable water and electricity, elected and appointed officials, from MPs, Chief executives of Districts, Metro areas and Regions, to Ministers of State and even Directors of government agencies can simply take money from public coffers to “renovate their houses”. The renovation we come to know means water reservoirs, generators, air conditioners, curtains and furnishings in some cases such as the former Speaker of the House Begyina Sekyi-Hughes. In addition to taking as much as they want these people see nothing wrong with a demand for hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in ex-gratia emoluments. Some are asking for houses and cars, whiles others feel they deserve moneys for their libraries, and even gold chains as awards. Our democracy is not on the right path! No way! Our leaders in Ghana have made our nation a joke!

There is a saying that you can fool some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time! Ghanaians officials in government have for decades been sitting at their desks writing documents to obtain loans. In 2008, of the $295 million of foreign grants received, the auditor General report indicated only about $30,000 could be accounted for. To date nobody has taken any action. These officials can sit in their offices, furnished with leather sofas, and proclaim that we are a “middle income” nation, whiles we all know middle class neighborhoods don’t have daily water and most drink from poly tanks and wells. In addition electricity is interrupted many times and hours per week and hence most of these homes own generators.

Information Disclosure:
Information about government should be a right in a democracy. Not in Ghana. A simple question to a Ghanaian official at any government owned office, such as Electricity Corporation, Ministries of Roads and Highways, will be met with many untruths, half-truths and sometimes simply lies. Ghana Water Company executives I have found to be more honest. Two executives in 2004 and again in 2010 have confirmed for me that since 1965 Ghana government has not invested any money to expand the water treatment facilities. As such one can conclude that almost all the moneys taken as grants and loans for water since that time have simply vanished into the general funds, and most probably some in private pockets. In the last meeting of GLU members with the Chief Director of the Minister of Roads and Highways (Mr. A.T. Essilfie) in November 2010, the room almost turned into a fight as I insisted on information and the Director was simply not ready to give any information. Fortunately he ended up giving me a copy of the Press release by the Minister, Joe Giddisu, presented in early November, 2010; this was so very revealing indeed, showing Ghana hardly invests any of the toll funds and other revenues in our own roads and bridge construction, but rely mostly on foreign grants and loans – further comment to be made at a later date. Some of us can see through the charade! We are tired!

The National Budget:
One of the greatest jokes in Ghana over the years is perhaps the national Budget. An examination of the 2011 National Budget by Minister Dr. Duffuor shows only essays and only one table in the whole 79 pages. Anybody who has worked in the West in Finance and real business environment knows a real Budget should have tables, calculations of financial projections, revenues and expenses, and less of words and essays. Ghanaian Budgets, over the years, are simply a wish list of essays and promises - promises of new roads, water for all, electricity for all, etc. What these politicians forget is that some of us older ones have been hearing these for decades, through many administrations, from the 1970s to now. The government officials have never made an effort to balance Ghana’s budgets. Is that the way they manage their own family affairs? Folks, the lies must end! And end now! We are tired of the deception and the pretense that these people know what they are doing when in fact they have no clue even how to do financial projections and the PhDs don’t seem to help them. And if they don’t know, nothing prevents them from learning from some of their colleagues who have worked for decades in the West! Our people are tired of living second class in the world fifty years after political independence! And the Joke must end!

A few years ago in the mid 2000s, the people of Ghana were told that electricity was erratic because the Akosombo dam did not have enough water. The term “load shedding” was coined and became a household word. What people did not understand was that electricity was being rationed, as government was not investing any more money in transformers to distribute power. Whatever money was allocated by the Ministry of finance in the Budget was not enough, irrespective of whether people paid for electricity or not, and whether enough tariffs were paid or not. During my inquiries in Ghana there was even a joke by somebody that possibly used 2nd hand equipment was sometimes ordered, and some people in management pocketed the difference. The truth is that moneys were not adequately appropriated for the different areas of the suburbs. As such some parts of East Legon or any town or suburb may have stable electricity whiles other parts have overloads and fuses may trip as soon as too many people are using electricity.
This is sheer madness! (As the British may say). It is sheer deception and somebody must be responsible for the nation. The responsibility must stop at the President! And President Mills must either take responsibility or simple declare he is not able to govern and resign. Agency heads of the utility corporations and the PURC must be held accountable and pay a penalty for the damage being caused by faulty and unreliable electricity! We have heard enough excuses. The PURC, ECG, GRIDCO, and other distributors must show a system of monitoring their quality and reliability and be monitored to adequately plan and deliver to modern standards as modern nations do, a minimum of 99.99% on-time reliability. Better still the distribution of electricity should be deregulated and private operators allowed to enter and simply monitored by the PURC. The Directors of the PURD must be fired if they cannot regulate. Period! How does the President think people live their lives when electricity is turned off in the middle of the day or night or appliances damaged due to unstable voltage and current? Why should everybody in the modern day have to invest in generators and plants that average about $15,000, when we can work together, collect funds in each neighborhood or town and manage our own electricity or water, sewage, schools and public parks! Is this too much for the mind of the educated African to fathom? What is the use of the Western education if we cannot do these things after 50 years!!

According to a former British Official who worked in Ghana, a $700 million loan for upgrading Ghana’s electricity was lost due to malfeasance and poor management. The Kufuor government was not able to deliver electricity and in almost two years President Mills has no clue about the malfeasance, misappropriation and potential corruption going on in the energy distribution sector. In his frustration he was reported to have retorted that he is not an electrician to produce electricity. The ignorance of our leaders shows up in massive shades to cover the actual lack of leadership and managerial acumen.
Electricity, called nkanea in Twi, however, has been used as a political gimmick for decades since Independence. Any government which was able to erect poles and string some wires on poles and promise electricity in a town got the votes of the people! It is simple: many associated electricity with an era of civilization out of the dark ages most have been forced to stay for ages. It is no surprise then that the young deputy Minister would make these deceptive promises about electricity to all communities in Ghana which he has no clue how to and when it will even be possible!

Seeking Help from Colleagues:
Wise men learn from others. The acquisition of knowledge demands humility. We teach humility to our children but practice pride as adults in high office. Our culture of pride must end when people enter public service. Granted many of these politicians have no clue how electricity is generated and the methods by which it is distributed, one should expect that 50 years after educating Ghanaians, these politicians would remember that their often smarter school and classmates who did Science and Engineering may have an idea when we are being fooled about technology. Some of us at least know enough and are aware and sophisticated enough not to be deceived by such flagrant political deception, if one were to be blunt! Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa is perhaps the youngest man in the administration, under 30 years old and with no managerial or other life experience except completing University of Ghana and one of the student leaders who sang the NDC song. He has done a good job, in my opinion, in being outright and giving ultimatum to outgoing politicians who wanted to steal (if we want to be honest) public vehicles in their use. As much as I like him for his ability to speak his mind, during a time when the silence from the slave castle by President Mills has been a major disservice to the leadership.
One may justifiably ask the Deputy Minister of Communication, what the heck does he mean by “all communities will be connected to the national grid”?
Does the young deputy Minister know what this means, and can he break down the number of districts in Ghana that do not have electricity, explain the component steps and procedures and cost to generate electricity and deliver to communities?
Can he tell us even how many communities, whatever definition he uses, have electricity today and can he tell us the reason some affluent areas like even East Legon, Adjiringanor, Adenta and many other suburbs of Accra do not have reliable supply of electricity?

Ghana is a nation where some rich people who can hardly articulate a policy or speak in public have been elected from various districts. Most of them have had to bribe delegates to win their party nomination. Unfortunately these men and women enter politics to seek their self interest and have no clue even what the needs of their communities are. As such men like Okudzeto have risen to prominence in the land of the blind and the era of a President who does not feel he owes the people any public explanation or dialogue so far as he shows up once in a while to speak at a funeral till election time is coming. My Okudzeto was reported to have added that “hundreds of mainly rural communities were also to be served with potable water stressing that that President John Evans Atta Mills meant business when he declared the year 2011 as year of action.”

Yes these people in office may think they can fool all the people all the time. This electricity used as political gamesmanship has been played by politicians for ages, and let us see if Mills succeeds in using it come 2012. If I cannot get electricity in a suburb of Accra, I’d be darned if my village of Hwee-Hwee and Asegya where trucks go once per week gets electricity. What are they going to do with it? Hook up the Internet? And who pays the bills?
Tweaaa!! These politicians think they are fooling everybody?
There is a time when our leaders will have to be serious. A writer by name Obrefo on Ghanaweb Comments section wrote:
“Comical Ablakwah on the loose again. We're yet to see the 1.6 million jobs created, and now, you're promising every community with an electricity and water. What a comic relief” (Obrefo, Ghanaweb, 2010-12-27 16:59:43.

Recommendations:
I strongly suggest that those closer to the President make him aware – whatever it takes, some of us will make electricity (and water, and roads) an election-defining point for the nation. This article cited about Ablakwa’s statements has generated almost 100% of the comments indicating they know the government statement is false information! Perhaps the Constitutional Review Commission should think of making a legal requirement for political parties to make a decent attempt to fulfill their promises or else lose some benefits. This will teach them not to lie deliberately for votes!
Another strong recommendation I will make is that our Presidents should have a 2 year evaluation by an independent pollster, and if the evaluation shows he or she is failing and get less than 50%, must be required to resign. Ghana is too young a nation to have 4 year term of mistaken choices and non-performance or incompetency. President Mills seems to be an honest man, but for God’s sake he seem to have neither the guts and fire in the belly, nor managerial competence or leadership skills that a developing nation lost in the wilderness needs to catch up as these Asian nations are doing. Perhaps resignation may keep his dignity intact.

Dr. Kwaku A. Danso -Email: k.danso@comcast.net
President-Ghana Leadership Union (GLU), Moderator, GLU Forum

OTHERWISE LETS ALSO ENSLAVE THEM

BY MR GHANAIAN
GhanaWeb
2010-12-29 04:29:10


OTHERWISE LETS ALSO ENSLAVE ANY EUROPEANS WE FIND ?


SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE POPE OF ROME

(1) "I hereby decree today in the year of our lord 1455, that black people are inferior and are animals, and should be taken and shipped by europeans and be sold in the americas. The first slave ship-load shall be mine, to be called J esus Christ of lebeth, and to be captained by my rev. missionary john hawkings. let all ship-loads and all enslavers of Africans pass without let...."
-by my order. nicholas viii, pope, vatican, 1455

(2) "My priests and pastors fucking male children's anuses has reached un- imaginable dimension"
- My words, Ratsinger Benedict, pope, vatican, 2010
-bbc 21/12/2010

(3) “Give the inferior Africans the bible and the church and the christian doctrine, and let them know by it that they are inferior, and that Jesus and God are our colour, and thus you would have removed the sense of self from them and made them subservient to us and our colour for ever. The bible and christianity is the weapon, and there is no better weapon. we shall control them and their resources in perpertuity”.
- Willie Lynch, british enslaver, Jamaica, 1712

“With our overthrow of Kwame Nkrumah, we have removed light from the eyes of black people, and they will never be able to see light again without Nkrumahism”.
- British MP, Hse of lords, 1966


THE WORSE THING TO HAPPEN TO GHANA IN RECENT YEARS, INDEED ALL OUR LIFE ON EARTH , IS PRIESTS, PASTORS AND CHURCHIANITY, (WHAT THEY CALL “CHRISTIANITY”).

THE GREATEST THIEVES AND ARMED ROBBERS ARE PASTORS AND THE POPE HIMSELF. THEY HAVE STOLEN THE PEOPLE AND STATE, CONFUSED THE PEOPLE AND STATE, EMBEZZLED THE PEOPLE AND STATE AND CONFUSED AFRICA AND AFRICANS FOR A VERY LONG TIME. THE POPE MAKES OVER $100MILLION DOLLARS FROM POOR AFRICA ALONE, EACH YEAR, AND FOR HIS PASTORS, NOBODY CAN COUNT HOW MUCH THEY STEAL FROM THE MASSES EVERY YEAR.

LETS FACE IT,
WAS JESUS NOT BLACK?
DID NOT THE EURO-SATANS MANIPULATE THE BIBLE AND FIX RACISM IN IT AND SLAVE D US WITH IT. (SEE Gen 9:20-27) . I THINK WE NEED TO SUSPEND RELIGION FOR 10YEARS IN GHANA , AND SEE HOW THAT ONE ALSO WORKS WITHOUT THESE POPETRICTIANS AND PASTORTRICIANS.


IF THIS PRESIDENT CAN SAY THAT HE WISHED GHANA WAS A PRAYER HOUSE OR WHATEVER, THAT TELLS HOW FAR STILL WE HAVE TO GO IN PROGRESSING THE COUNTRY.

THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD IS TAT AFTER 500YEARS OF SLAVERY, HITLERY, HOLOCAUST AND WORSE BY EVIL EUROPEANS, EVEN OUR “PHDs”, “PROFESSORS” AND PRESIDENTS, STILL KNEEL DOWN AND CRY B4 A WHITE GHOST, MACHAELANGELO'S UNCLE WHOM THEY CALL JESUS CHRIST, AND BELIEVING THAT HE AND THESE NUTS OF EUROPE WHO HATE THEM SO MUCH, ARE THE ONES GOING TO "SAVIOUR" THEM FROM EVERYTHING. WHAT MORONIC BLINDNESS IS THIS.

DO ALL THESE CHURCHIFIED-TO-DEATH CHRISTIANS KNOW THAT:

1. ENSLAVING AFRICANS BY EUROPEANS WAS STARTED BY KING JAMES AND CO-FIXING RACIST STUFF INTO THE BIBLE TO THAT EFFECT? (SEE GEN. 9:20-27)
2. IT WAS THE POPE OF THIS SICKNESS CALLED CHRISTIANITY,POPE NICHOLAS VIII WHO IN 1455 USED THE ABOVE WORD TO CALL FOR, INSTRUCT, ENFORCE, FINANCE AND PARTAKE IN THE SLAVERY OF AFRICANS.
3. THE FIRST SHIP THAT LOADED THE FIRST AFRICANS AS SLAVES TO AMERICA WAS CALLED "JESUS CHRIST OF LEBETH" (LEBETH IS A PLACE IN ENGLAND WHERE HOMOSEXUAL CHURCH PEOPLE GATHER YEARLY TO FUCK EACH OTHERS ANUSES).
4.THE FIRST CAPTAIN OF THAT SHIP WAS A "REV. FATHER" CALLED JOHN HAWKINS.
5. THE FIRST AFRICAN DROPPED FROM THAT SHIP INTO THE SEA FOR FISH TO EAT WAS A 12YEARS OLD GIRL WHOM HAWKINS RAPED AND KILLED, WITH BIBLE HANGING ON TOP OF HIS BED IN THE CABIN.

YOU FOOLISH AFRICANS SHOULD STOP CRYING OVER SOME SPOOKY JESUS CHRIST AS "SAVIOUR" WHO IS NOT GOING TO SAVE YOU FROM NOTHING.

THE REAL SAVIOUR, MESSIAH OSAGYEFO KWAME NKRUMAH, SAVED ALL OF US FROM SLAVERY AND COLONISATION, AND GAVE ALL AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE. THAT WAS REAL SVIOUR BECAUSE WE ALL SAW IT LIVE, AND WE WERE ALL REALLY SAVED AND STILL SAVED.

USE YOUR SENSES!. IF JESUS IS TO SAVE YOU FROM YOUR SINS, WHAT IS HE TO SAVE EUROPE FROM WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN HIM. HOW MUCH SINS HAVE YOU AFRICANS DONE IN COMPARISM TO THE CRIMES OF YOUR HOLOCAUSTER EUROPE WHO ENSLAVED YOU AND KILLED YOU AND HITLERED YOU AND NAZIED YOU 500YEARS. WHERE WAS YOUR JESUS ALL THAT TIME? AND WHAT DID HE DO ABOUT THAT? WHY DID HE NOT SAVE YOU THEN WHEN YOU NEEDED SAVING ?. HE DID NOT EVEN RAISE A FINGER AGAINST YOUR NAZI HOLOCAUSTERS. AND THEY NEVER GIVE HIM A HOOT WHEN THEY KILL YOU AND ENSLAVE YOU AND COLONISE YOU.

FOOLISH AND MORONIC AFRICAN CRIERS FOR SPOOKY JESUS, WHEN WILL YOU USE YOUR SENSES?.

Viewpoint: Ivory Coast is test case for Africa

BBC


Knox Chitiyo, head of the Africa programme at the Royal United Services Institute, considers the deadlock after Ivory Coast's disputed elections and asks: What happens next?

From the outside the Ivory Coast election looks like a classic case of an African incumbent refusing to stand down after losing an election.

There are, however, a number of complicating factors which may lead to a protracted struggle and which stiffen Laurent Gbabgo's resolve.

He has the support of the military and a significant percentage of the southern electorate.

He is basing his claim to the presidency on the dubiously revised 51% vote awarded to him by the Constitutional Council. The electoral commission said his rival Alassane Ouattara had won, with 54%, before the Council annulled a large number of votes from his northern stronghold.

Constitutional paradox

Although the UN which oversaw the election has backed the election commission and Mr Alassane, Mr Gbagbo is basing his claim on constitutionalism
The fact that the Constitutional Council has awarded him the majority vote and sworn him back into office is seen as constitutionally legitimising his tenure. Mr Gbagbo has in effect, masterminded a constitutional coup.

The security chiefs have also declared their loyalty to Mr Gbagbo. It is this combination of military support, nominal constitutionalism and some electoral support from the south which has convinced Mr Gbagbo that he can ride out the storm.

Mr Ouattara has also taken the oath of office and appointed a cabinet but the fact he was not sworn in has given Mr Gbagbo some ammunition to claim that it is Mr Ouattara, not he, who is the unconstitutional leader.

So Ivory Coast has two presidents and multiple paradoxes, the main one being that the legitimate president-elect has sworn himself in unconstitutionally while the defeated incumbent has refused to relinquish power and used the constitution to undermine democracy.

What next?

The Ivory Coast elections are about much more than promoting democracy; following the peace deals which ended the 2002-2004 civil war, there has been a fraught balance of power between the north held by the New Forces insurgents and the south held by the pro-Gbagbo security forces.

The election was thus also intended to promote national unity and the demilitarisation of politics in Ivory Coast.

Currently there is an unusually broad regional and international consensus that Mr Ouattara is the rightful winner. The UN, France, the US and the West African group Ecowas have all urged Mr Gbagbo to step down.

Given that the country has had a power-sharing government for the past four years and that both men have set up rival governments, there seems little likelihood that Ecowas would be able to push for yet another power-sharing coalition.

Both men have painted themselves into a corner which makes it unlikely that either can countenance "surrendering" executive office or being able to explain a "capitulation" to their followers.

More likely is that the region and its partners will try to negotiate an exit strategy with Mr Gbagbo and the various militaries in Ivory Coast.

Ecowas will not want to use force against Ivory Coast forces for fear of igniting a return to civil war, so they will use a combination of pressure - regional sanctions - and persuasive incentives to persuade Mr Gbagbo to step down now, or within a recognisable time frame.

There will also be discussions with Mr Ouattara to sound out whether he would be willing to temporarily put his presidential aspirations on hold and work in some form of short-term coalition with Mr Gbagbo.

Both outcomes are unlikely but not impossible.

Can sanctions work?

The likeliest outcome is that Mr Gbagbo remains president while facing increasingly severe regional and international sanctions and increased insurgency.

Co-ordinated Ecowas and international diplomatic and financial sanctions proved effective against coup leaders in Niger, Togo and Guinea in the past year or so.

The recent UN resolution on Ivory Coast will, if seriously implemented, put considerable pressure on Mr Gbagbo to step down sooner rather than later.

A broad range of diplomatic and financial sanctions could weaken the patronage system which has allowed the incumbent to flourish. The key word however is "serious" international sanctions have often proved to be porous. In this instance, UN would need regional input if they are to have teeth.

But it is not certain that the sanctions threat would immediately persuade Mr Gbagbo to step down, as he still controls many of the state levers of power.

An Ecowas-UN military operation to remove Mr Gbagbo is unlikely unless his forces attacked the UN first.

Mr Ouattara has support in Abidjan but his real power base lies in the north and parts of the west. There will thus be a resurgent north-south polarisation in Ivory Coast until some kind of deal is reached.

The region and international community will have a major influence in what happens but ultimately, it will be behind-the-scenes discussions between the various military stakeholders and the politicians which will determine whether a deal - and what kind - can be reached.

What example for Africa?

The Ivory Coast crisis has repercussions for Africa and the global system.

Post-electoral disputes are nothing new in Africa but the fact that the two protagonists have formally established rival governments in the capital sets a complex and dangerous precedent.

Neighbouring Guinea has just emerged from a hotly contested run-off election; national elections are due in Nigeria in 2011.

The fragile and increasingly fractious power-sharing governments in Zimbabwe and Kenya are headed for elections in the next year or so.

There is thus enormous pressure on Ecowas and the wider community to ensure that Ivory Coast does not set a new template for post electoral meltdowns.

If the impasse continues, the implications are that elections don't matter and that defeated candidates who have military support can always use constitutionalism to subvert democracy.

Given that Africa has actually made enormous progress over the past two decades in strengthening the institutions of democracy and in holding elections, it would be a tragedy for the Ivorian people and for Africa generally if the world sees the Ivory Coast elections as yet another example of failed African governance.

Press Statement on NDC Top 50 Achievements in Two Years

Courtesy GhanaWeb

The Statesman

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, we thank you for showing up in your usual numbers at such short notice. We called you here today for a short review of a 39-page publication compiled and presented by the Ministry of Information, the same Ministry that announced at the beginning of the year that the Mills-Mahama administration had created 1 million 6 hundred thousand jobs in under one year.

This latest potential award-winning fiction from the Mills-Mahama government, which I hold in my hand, is titled: BETTER GHANA AGENDA - TOP 50 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE PROF. JOHN EVANS ATTA MILLS LED GOVERNMENT IN HIS FIRST TWO YEARS IN OFFICE.

On Thursday, December 2, the President admitted that his first two years have been marked by inaction. In his own words he conceded that things have been slow but that Ghanaians should not give up on him yet.

Prof Mills said, "Time is not on our side and we want the year 2011 to be a year of action. Our people are very expectant and justifiably so. They know that there are a lot of things in the pipeline and they are itching to see what is going to be on the ground."

With this uncharacteristic confession from a president who awarded himself an 80% mark for his first 100 days, President Mills has conceded that his first two years have been marked by broken promises. That, at best, the wheels of the Better Ghana Agenda have been grinding slowly even if in the wrong direction, with the poverty of the masses, the very people that he promised to care for, increasing by everyday.

In this case, it would be hopelessly optimistic to expect his top 50 achievements to be anything to write home about. But, since he has spent money and a portion of our depleting forest to print those modest achievements in a book, we are compelled to check the facts against the claims.

Ladies and gentlemen, what this document shows is that the NDC has given up on any hope of caring about the plight of Ghanaians; any hope of telling the truth. In fact, the book is an embarrassing litany of barefaced lies, quarter-truths, exaggerations, deceptions and hijacking of projects undertaken by the New Patriotic Party. A cursory glance through the book would show that about half of the top 50 achievements are either about projects being planned or dreamed of and the other half comprising mostly projects that were initiated by the New Patriotic Party under the excellent leadership of President J A Kufuor and his competent deputy, Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama. Indeed, commissioned or completed projects, like the 100-bed Hospital with Malaria Research Centre at Teshie, Accra, were the ones that President Kufuor started and secured funding for their completion.

With this document, the Mills-Mahama administration has only confirmed the reputation that they have earned in the eyes and minds of Ghanaians half way through their four-year term and are jealously guarding and guiding to defeat in 2012, by the grace of God. This is a government that has spent more time, energy, personnel, money and other state resources on perfecting the art of deception, hypocrisy, incompetence, mediocrity and propaganda than on finding a formula to implementing their stated Better Ghana Agenda.

Ordinarily, one would support a smart decision to publish a book that highlights the achievements of the Mills-Mahama administration because how else would we have known? The achievements are such that one needs telescopic propaganda lenses to sight them on the ground. When achievements are lost to the sights, hearing and feeling of the people, it beholds on Government, the sole claimer of those so-called achievements to enlighten we the seemingly ignorant masses to its 'wonderful' deeds.

So disappointing have the first two years of Prof Mills' presidency been that his own deputy, Vice President John Mahama, does not even wish to be associated with it. He is begging that we allow the President to carry the burden of liabilities alone. He has warned Ghanaians against calling this government a Mills-Mahama administration. He wants us to spare his future ambition the stain of a Better Ghana. So disillusioning has the Mills-Mahama administration been that the unthinkable has happened; in that, with more than half of the four-year term left to go, the ruling party's foot-soldiers are said to be busily drafting a challenger or two to stop the President from attempting a second term on the ticket of his own party at their party's 2012 presidential primary.

So what are these top 50 achievements of the Prof Mills-led government in its first two years that are so worthy of being promoted at a cost to the struggling Ghanaian taxpayer?

Let us pick the achievements randomly and expose them for what they are: empty or borrowed. Achievement Number 14 of the 50 has the NDC citing the School Feeding Programme as one of its top achievements. The NDC says that the programme has been expanded and/or will be expanded, by saying, "230 more schools will be enrolled in January 2011." The programme, it is recalled, started as a pilot scheme under the NPP with over 500,000 schools. In the 2008 NDC Manifesto, "A Better Ghana: Investing in People, Jobs and the Economy," Ghanaian parents and school children were promised that an NDC Government would "expand and improve the quality of the School Feeding Programme to cover all primary schools countrywide," within its first two years. According to the 2011 budget statement, only 670,000 pupils are covered by the programme. The NDC has broken its promise to provide one free meal a day to over five million Ghanaian children yet it sees the honour and glory in announcing that only 230 more schools will benefit next year.

Still on education, page 42 of the 2010 Budget promised to "replace all schools under trees with classroom blocks". But, Achievement 16 of the green book claims, "A sustained peogramme involving the Ministry of Education, GetFund, and resources allocated by the various District Assemblies has" led to the elimination across the country of "almost 1,000 schools under trees. out of the 4320 schools under trees."

The 2010 budget, however, put the total number of schools under trees at 3,427. Does this mean that the Better Ghana Agenda has rather led to a nearly 900 additional schools under trees? Yet two weeks or so before this book was published, on November 18, to be precise, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, in reading the 2011 Budget Statement, reported to Parliament that only 175 new schools had been built to replace schools under trees; more than a 500% difference between the two figures from the same Government. So, I beg to ask, which one should we believe? In fact, at this rate, it would take the NDC at least 30 years to fulfill its promise of eliminating schools under trees.

This is even more worrying when the Mills-Mahama administration is going to reduce revenues into the GetFund, District Assembly Common Fund and the NHIS by a massive 30%, ostensibly to pay salaries. This translates into huge cuts in frontline social services such as healthcare to the poor and needy, education for our children and provision of other vital social services by District Assemblies to the communities which they are elected to serve. The suffering of the masses will continue in 2011 - that is the action we are likely to see. More poverty and action for some rations.

SINGLE SPINE

But, even after the 30% slash off these social funds, our numerous nurses and teachers have no reason to expect 2011 to be a year of action in terms of their demands for better salaries being met. Going by its own budget provisions, the Mills-Mahama administration has no plans of migrating education and health workers onto an acceptable Single Spine Salary Structure before the end of the year four-year term. Even in 2010, with the Police and a few others being put on board the SSSS, not even the revised budget provision of GHC3.46 billion could cater for them because the estimated cost of implementing the 2010 SSSS was GHC4.43 billion, leaving arrears of GHC1.01 billion, with GHC755 million of that being shifted to 2011, by the MOFEP's own estimation. For the 2011 budget, Government has only made provisions of GHC3.73 billion for all personal emoluments of public sector workers. Even if all that were to be used for the SSSS, its estimated cost for 2011 is, by the Ministry of Finance's own calculation, GHC5.29 billion, GHC1.96 billion short of what is put down for all personal emoluments for next year. Yet, Achievement 5 of the green book states boldly, "Single Spine Salary implementation is vigorously underway." However, the dictionary defines 'vigorous' as characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity; full of vim; raring to go. By the words of the Minister, it may take another 5 years for the going to rare its head.

Achievement 9, which talks about the TOR debt repeats the claim that the Mills-Mahama "administration has. cleared over 50% of the [TOR] debt with an amount of GHC445 million." This presupposes that the outstanding TOR debt must be around GHC445 million. If so, then why has Government decided to increase the TOR Debt Recovery Levy by 400%? How much of the TOR debt is left? How much has the NDC added to it? This 400% levy hike would add another 6 pesewas per litre on petroleum products by January 1, 2011, the very year President Mills has nicknamed a Year of Action. Already we know that Government intends to raise petroleum prices by at least another 10% in January, on top of an expected upward review on utility prices. Are Ghanaians being told that what our tax expert President, Prof Mills, meant by a year of action is really a year of more insensitive, coldhearted, merciless action on increasing the tax burden on Ghanaians?

When President Kufuor, after commissioning a report on it, set out to integrate the revenue agencies, the idea was not necessarily to increase the tax burden on ordinary Ghanaian taxpayers but to bring efficiency in their work. Ironically, true to the dishonesty in this green book, Achievement 6 claims the integrated Ghana Revenue Authority as one of the top 50 achievements of President Mills.

Achievement 20 cites the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority, a major broken promise as a top achievement even though its funding is about 1000% below target. Achievement 45 symbolises the deception of the NDC. Both in their 2008 manifesto and the President's state of the nation address this year, they gave their word to implement before the end of this year a one-term premium payment for the NHIS. But, the 2011 Budget is absolutely silent on it. The green book, highlighting their top achievements can only say, "With or without the implementation of one time premium payment, the NHIS will need additional resources to sustain it." A clear achievement, according to the green book, is that "A nationwide survey to determine the willingness of the citizenry to pay the one time premium was conducted in 2009." What can be more profligate spending than this?

Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the Finance Minister, said in his maiden budget that the NDC projects to save GHC8 million from cutting dowm the number of Ministers and running a lean government. We are therefore disappointed that Achievement 19 in the green book still states, "It is projected that approximately GHC 8 million is saved annually by this bold decision." So after two years the Finance Minister cannot tell Ghanaians how much he has really saved for the Information Ministry to still rely on projected savings? This is not good enough. Did you make savings or did you not, Mr President?

Achievement 29 says, "Pair trawling and light fishing totally banned." We wish to advise the President and his propaganda artists to extend their occasional publicity walkabout to the fishing communities. In fact, there is one not too far from the Castle. Pair trawling still persist. If in doubt ask the fishermen of Moree, Cape Coast, Ekon, etc. In fact, the worst performing sub-sector in 2009 was the fishing industry. On top of that, premix fuel price has jumped from GHC1.80 from December 2008 to GHC2.70 per gallon today. This is in spite of the official price being set at GHC2.48. At Moree, Anomabu, Biriwa, etc, the fisher-folk allege that GHC0.20 is illegally put on the premix and the proceeds put in the NDC party's account. We have evidence of Account No. D733 at Nyankumase Rural Bank, Abura Dunkwa. Price of outboard motor has gone up from GHC2,800 in 2008 to GHC5,400 today.

But the green book continues with its tale of two Ghana - a Better Ghana for the few who have access to power and the Bitter Ghana of the vast majority of Ghanaians. Achievement 25 makes another of the numerous false claims that the "distribution of fertilizer to interested farmers at a 50% discount" as a Mills-Mahama achievement. Perhaps, the social democrats, so-called, want us to congratulate them for keeping an NPP programme going, somehow.

Let us continue. Achievement 26 have the NDC, again, making a false claim that the first phase of the Tono Irrigation Dam rehabilitation, undertaken by the NPP, is an NDC achievement. The document also takes credit for the farm tractors which the NPP imported and paid for in 2008 only for the NDC to distribute in 2009 to grateful beneficiaries, including Mahama Ayariga, as an NDC achievement.

The green book, if we may repeat, has been completed with projects undertaken by the NPP, depleted with plans and programmes either yet to start or to complete.

Achievement 37 makes another misleading claim the NDC has "transformed the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into an Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) with more powers and independence. It was President Kufuor's Attorney General, Joe Ghartey who spearheaded the transformation after studying a similar organization in the United Kingdom.

Under Achievement 41, the NDC makes another propaganda claim that "President Mills has returned to the Nungua Stool 60% of the lands taken from them in the 1940s." Strangely these same lands have been returned three times, first under President Kufuor in 2008, when all the documentations were processed, second, in April 2009 the same land was returned to the original owners by President Mills, according to a Daily Graphic publication, and, again, in February 2010.

We would like to know why is President Mills deceiving Ghanaians and trying to take credit for President Kufuor's achievements when he himself admits that his first two years have been characterized by apparent inaction?

Such is the pace of action that Achievement 38 couldn't have captured it better. Referring to the stalled but vital Madina-Pantang 5.6km road dualisation project, it reads: "Work is in progress on this project, though slow."

Indeed, eleven of the thirty nine pages of the green book are devoted to roads, including the Kumasi-Techiman Road constructed by the NPP, which President Kufuor even referred to during his 72nd birthday message yesterday.

The Mills-Mahama administration unashamedly lists critical artery road construction projects which were started by the NPP and have been stalled under the NDC as some of their top 50 achievements. Instead of dealing with the news that their refusal to pay contractors is responsible for 20% of bad loans on the books of the country's banks, the NDC prefers to tout this plight of contractors and commuters as evidence of the Better Ghana Agenda.

Among the stalled road projects listed in the green book are the extension to the La-Teshie Road, which has suffered long delays; the Oforikrom-Asokwa bypass (including an interchange at Timber Gardens), which was scheduled for completion last June but now not likely to be completed before 2012.

Even for funding road works, the NDC touts as an achievement their decision to divert $250 million that the late Kwadwo Baah Wiredu secured from Brazil for the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Oti River for the construction of the Damanko-Sakeigu Road. And this is a government that promises to increase Ghana's power base to 5,000 megawatts.

The NDC makes a shocking but true-to-character claim that the 5.7 km three-lane Achimota-Ofankor Road is 80% complete (yes, ladies and gentlemen, 80% complete) and that the "expected completion date is May 2011." What is so 80% about the level of work so far achieved on that major road, which links Accra to the rest of the country northwards? It is as convincing as the President awarding himself an 80% pass mark, which translates into a first class distinction. All the big machineries which represented action on all the major road projects (except the Millennium Challenge Account sponsored Tetteh Quarshie-Mallam Road) are now nowhere in sight. The number of workers on these major road projects started by the NPP look conspicuously as small as the number of watchmen one would normally find guarding a collapsed factory. Bebi ara awu!

May be we should be charitable here since the NDC has shown themselves to have problems with appreciating numbers and percentages of work completed. We do all recall how, in August this year, the Vice President did not find it awkward to commission, amid razzmatazz and paparazzi, an uncompleted Mile 7 overpass footbridge on the stalled Achimota-Ofankor road. In the 2011 Budget Government did not allocate any specific funds for that project and yet the NDC remains optimistic that the project would be completed in five months time.

We consider this false optimism to be an insult on the injuries caused to commuters who have to endure the inconvenience of stalled but important projects like this, including the Nsawam-Apedwa Dualisation and the 4.6km Tetteh Quarshie -Madina Road. Here again, the green book obediently tells us that "substantial part of the road works in respect of this project has been completed." This project, which was also not allocated any budgetary funds is, according to the gospel of the green book, "programmed to be completed by the end of 2011."

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, these are the top 50 achievements as told by the apostles of the Better Ghana Agenda. You may wonder which of the projects mentioned can be described as an NDC initiative. But, don't give up just yet. The green book contains a generous list of some new projects. What is distinctive of these NDC programmes is that they are mere plans. To be fair, with some of them, plans are said to be far advanced in getting their implementation off the ground.

Several designs are stated as among the top 50 achievements. For example "Designs are ready for the Phase 2 of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital redevelopment". Also, "Plans are far advanced to procure 2 MRIs for Tamale and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, respectively."

Achievements 31, 32, 33 and others , focusing on roads, tell us:

· Elubo-Asemkrom Road:- 50km out of 84km have been surveyed and designed. Tender documents are being prepared for tendering and award by the end of the year.

· Enchi-Benchema-Goaso-Sunyani:- Plans are being made for reconstruction of the sections in poor condition.

· Tarkwa-Bogoaso-Ayumfuri:- The Tender Evaluation Report has been completed and forwarded to the European Union for review.

· Ayamfuri-Asawinso:- Draft Tender Documents for procurement of works have been submitted to the World Bank.

· Hohoe-Poase:- designs drawinhs have been completed.

· Dodo Pepesu-Nkwanta:- Tenders will be re-launched before the end of 2010.

· Nkwanta-Bimbilla-Yendi:- A consultant has been engaged to uncdertake feasibility studies and detailed design of this stretch of the corridor.

· Buipe-Tamale:- Tender Evaluation report has been submitted to the World Bank for 'no objection' before an award of contract."

The NDC has a history as a Government that sets its own targets and misses them for fun. Achievement 34, for example, states, "The Department of Feeder Roads had carried out routine maintenance on a total of 5,149km of the feeder road network." What it does not reveal, however, is that at Page 127 of the 2010 Budget, it was promised that routine maintenance would be done on 26,223 km of feeder roads. Hit and miss.

Again, the Department of Urban Roads (DUR) was to undertake routine and periodic maintenance works on at least 9,033 km of its urban road network, according to Page 129 of the 2010 Budget. But, according to Page 112 of the 2011 Budget, the Mills-Mahama government only managed to complete a total of 3,550km of routine maintenance and periodic maintenance works across the country. Here we go again with the hit and miss target practicing.

Government promised to sink 1,474 new boreholes, rehabilitate 225 bore holes, dig 1,093 hand dug wells, and construct 134 small community pipe systems (ref: Page 111 of 2010 Budget). But, it only managed to construct 64 new boreholes, 2 small community pipe systems and 2 hand dug wells, as well as 36 existing boreholes rehabilitated. (see Page 98 of 2011 Budget).

In the President's State of the Nation Address, he repeated a manifesto pledge that he will "revise the Assets Declaration Law to make it more functional." Not only has he broken that promise, his well-publicised directive for all his ministers to declare their assets by a certain date last year was ignored by virtually all of them - and the good professor spared them the cane, as usual. See no evil, hear no evil, and touch no evil.

Nevertheless, the green book is proud to say, "President Mills [is] leading by example with integrity, as he has never been embroiled in any corruption allegation."

Under 'Rule of Law, Achievement 11 of the green book, the party, whose National Chairman, boasted he knew so many ways to "kill a cat", threatening to cleanse the judiciary, presumably, by extra-judicious means, says it has observed "non-interference with judicial decisions" in the last two years.

The President promised to make every Ghanaian sleep in peace without worrying about armed robberies. But, while the statistics show that reported robbery incidents went down insignificantly by 1.8% so far in 2010, there were significant increases in robberies in the Ashanti, Northern and Upper West Regions. More alarmingly, car snatching and highway robberies increased by 31.3% and 9.3%.

Surprisingly, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Paul Tawiah Quaye, has sought to put a mighty spin on the unacceptable attacks on police officers by saying the recent attacks and killings of police personnel by armed robbers will continue because the gallant officers have become a thorn in the criminals' flesh. In his words, the recent killing of police officers is "an indication of an assurance of the strength of the police service and the fact that the police are up there doing what they are expected to do without fear or favour."

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Mr Tawiah Quaye went further to explain, "When you have a situation where the institutions that have been mandated to protect lives and properties do their work very well, they are considered impediments on the part of those who want to commit crime. They would not like them; they would try to do the best they can to eliminate these boys."

President Mills has declared 2011 as a year of action. If the top 50 achievements boldly and proudly stated in this green book is an indication of what is to come then the fear and panic of poverty, insecurity and joblessness would continue until the Good Lord and the majority of Ghanians relief the nation and the people from this bondage of inaction, incompetence, economic hardships, weak land visionless leadership in December 2012.

Until then we would ask President Mills to think again because the Better Ghana Agenda can never be achieved on the alter of propaganda, lies, hypocrisy and a rudderless management of the nation's economy. He cannot tax his way out of the poverty he has plunged Ghanaians into. It would only lead to more and more poverty.

2011 is but a year of taxing economic hardships for the majority of Ghanaians.

How many hungry Ghanaian children could President Mills have fed with Ghana's money that he spent to print this NDC propaganda document and to buy the TV ads and documentaries that we can expect our Christmas holidays to be disturbed with?

Does the Mills-Mahama government think that simply writing to Ghanaians that you are making plans to do something is an achievement? An accomplishment, as the rest of us know it, is actually doing something that matters in the lives of Ghanaians.

President Mills and Vice President Mahama, do something before you go!

How on earth are we comfortable with this malaise ?

By Dr Obiba Twum Barima
Professor of Pro Engineering Design
University of Little Ferry


It was sad to read that President Mills had the nerve to entertain some dignitaries from abroad at the Peduase Lodge a few days ago. Few questions invaded the inquisitive mind as to How they got there and how many times they might have stopped to dust off as they drove along that bumpy dusty Madina road ? The second is how did they return to Accra ? Through the circuituous narrow alleys of Madina slums leading to nameless cross sections within confines of other dusty slums ? This government ought to be ashamed for embarrassing us all. How long have we waited for ALMOST ALL the roads leading to Accra to be fixed ? Some have taken as long as eight years and still remain filthier than before - with an occasional display of one or two tractors and a handful of so-called workers standing along heaped embankments. Travelling from Anyinam to Accra puts the driver on one of the most dangerous roads in the entire world. After spending over four hours driving a distance of about thirty miles over this dusty and dangerously bumpy road the good mind is justified to question the administration's spending efficacy. What happened to the billions of dollar loans we have been getting and the Toll we have been paying ? Something must be wrong with the perception of those whose leadership positions mirror poor accountability of trust bestowed upon them by the public to dispense services.