Feature: I Told You So

Bob Cole as Kwasi Twii, Margaret Quainoo as Araba Stamp… a young lady finds her lover as an armed robber; her father answers; “I told you so”. In Ghanaian parlance “I didn’t say?”- A 1970 film.

The ingredients of the failure of the NPP to “break the eight’’ had been in the front burner all the while since to 2017 when NPP took over power. The wordsmith could describe the 2024 election as an ‘’end of an error, not an end of an era. Chroniclers of the history of NPP will find a fitting place for His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, Negus Negusti (King of Kings) especially for the “Agyapadie Book” allegedly authored by “opposition assigns”.

The NPP tradition had been enunciated by Danquah-Busia-Dombo whose footfalls were religiously treaded by Victor Owusu, Dzane Selby, Brodie Mends, Harouna Esseku, Paa Willie. Macbeth’s soliloquy is apposite here, “This even handed justice commends th’ingredients of our poisoned chalice to our lips… “The pre-2016 promises were wild: “One Village, One Dam”, “One District, $1 million” turning Accra into the cleanest city in Africa; a whole Ministry was created for doing so, not the local Government structure; expensive flights and hotel booking!

We may not worry about Nana Akufo-Addo not keeping faith with the NPP Constitution and selecting Bawumia as his running mate despite the latter not being 5 years as an NPP member. But did Akufo-Addo need a person he could control and make a poodle (unfortunate). Were Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong a good riddance?

Now, with steadfastness and stubbornness NDC have brutally whipped, humiliated and annihilated the NPP. Things have fallen apart and the centre is seismologically shaken – a tsunami. Election 2024? The reality is before us. Some people think the appropriate adjective for Nana Akufo-Addo is “tintin-tininti”, arrogant, stubborn and self-centred.

They claim Nana Akufo-Addo will hardly listen to any advice! He would rather order chiefs to get up from their seats to greet him! Too many failed promises. The economy was biting: $1 for GH¢17.00 when Mahama’s was $1 for GH¢4.00 and the “family and friends”, led by Gabby Otchere Darko and Nana Asante Bediatuo would not tell him the truth. “When the fundamentals are weak, the exchange rate will expose you” Pensioners lost their savings; private banks were collapsed.

Inflated contracts! Corruption! Crass indiscipline in government. The free SHS was sapping from our budgets. And when the Ghana Bar Association (of which he is a member) suggested the assistance of those capable of funding their wards’ education, he would ask the wealthy persons to send their wards to private schools!

And the Chairmen of the Regional NPP executives would not be tamed… golden boy Wontumi (Antwi Boasiako) Ashanti would flaunt his wealth-gold bars-openly on Television with families starving and Abronye (Kwame Baffoe) Bono Region spearheading an attitude of intolerance, “fighting” everybody. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo) is now commonly described as a “disaster” when he slipped and said “your Kwame Nkrumah” we wrote a “small article” to draw his attention to the advice from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene to be “humble”. A newspaper, for editorial reasons, rejected the article, so we had to “move on” from that newspaper, more so, when we could not be bedfellows with those who would fill the pages with huhudious stories about particular political persons, supported with obnoxious cartoons.

The National Cathedral? Was it subjected to a national debate? And who should be enthused about the hole dug for a charge of $58 million? What is the fate of the Board who superintended this loot? Sorry for “some” of our priests who were there with “genuine” intentions.

And some of the MPs would behave as untouchables – K.T. Hammond would not use his age to advise his fellow NPP MPs on “moderation” and Afenyo-Markin would not respect the Parliament and the Speaker “take your Parliament” -and would rush to the Supreme Court at the least opportunity.

Apathy and protest votes? It does not surprise us. When a person whose background we know would join NPP and within three years build many houses and leave $30m in his accounts! When Cecilia Dapaah’s house help could steal $1 million from her room!

Fear delegates – as Sir John (Owusu-Afriyie) would put it may not be a true maxim: the delegates are discerning.

And when we talk about galamsey, the very people who should see to the abolishing of L. I. 2462 will be found to be neck-deep in complicity, so we would continue to destroy the water bodies, and there will be no clean water for the village-folk

But why the attack on Techiman South Police Station; why the looting of a shop at Ayawaso, Tepa, Navrongo, Tema (GPHA) Ghana Gas, Accra and Nsawam Adoagyiri.

NDC, you have won the elections, so you assume great responsibility. It is said that “Those to whom much is given, much is expected ‘(quibus multum datum est multum expectatur).

Why would anyone deliberately destroy government property? What if the thugs are arrested and charged with criminal offences?

We remember Mahama saying: “NDC is born from revolutionary roots…” So, you bring back some of the horrors of the infamous times 1979, 1981.

Rewind to 2016 after the NDC lost the presidential election. At that time the NPP Chairman, Honourable Blay would say: “…if people are stealing cars, carrying away items that should attract duties,.. it is your duty, my duty… to stop the stealing…” Should we perpetuate this obnoxious culture? Let us remind Ghanaians: we are building Ghana, not personalities (like the statue of Nana Akufo-Addo at Takoradi and that of Afia Tiwaa at EOCO office in Accra) nor family heritage, we go by the motto of Ghana and will tout probity and accountability to the heavens.

Ghanaians have voted for change. Who would blame Bawumia for conceding defeat even before the official declaration of the results to avoid a possible conflagration.

And the prophecies “flew” in. Few prophets behaved like Opambour and Owusu-Bempah who openly “predicted” Mahama win: “Oka na aba mu…” And Opambour is justified for his “tears of joy” after the election. Mama Pat (Agradaa) had moved from the shrine to the Christian faith and predicted a Bawumia win. But why insult people who are asking her to return to the shrine: “mmoa (beasts)…ntwa mmoa (rodents) (kwasea (Racca; fool) Has she forgotten her own words: “… return to the shrine if Bawumia does not win…?

Rev. Kwabena Owusu Adjei said: “Stone me, lash me if Mahama wins – Mahama, has been banned from the Jubilee House: “Where is God? Could God be truthful? An usher would urge listeners to kill him if Mahama should win. His family should not look for him. Rev. J. Y. Adu prophesied against a Mahama win (And he would be peeved not getting GH¢1.5 million from NPP). Would we be wrong to say all these so-called prophets were doing this as a result of the “winner-takes-it-all” approach to governance? The least said about Rev. Kusi Boateng the best. He already has his problems over his identity: two different names, two dates of birth; financing the National Cathedral with a personal loan …(?)

Shall we go to Deuteronomy 18:22 “… if a prophet declares and it does not come to pass… he should be put to death”. History is being written: Giambattista Vico’s “Verum Factum” (what is made is true) should be studied for its power of truth.

 

The post Feature: I Told You So appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story