Don’t be deceived by my headline. Those of you avid readers of newspapers would be recollecting the ‘Random Agenda’ fame. It was a must read column in the 1990s in The Mirror, a weekend paper of the Graphic Group. It was authored by my senior colleague, Dornu Adjokercher. No lover of newspapers could have a weekend without this column. We had a lot of fun in the wooden partition office of The Mirror then, including Mr. A.B.A Fuseini affectionately called Baba, now a Member of Parliament for Sanlerigu. His main ally was Mr. Kofoya Tetteh, now retired, Vance Azu and the Acting MD for the Graphic Communications Group, Mr. Ransford Tetteh and my humble self were all there. It was an interesting Newsroom to work in.
This my column, VOICE FROM THE WEST, is 10 years old this month. I have used this column to primarily champion the cause of my beloved Western Region, the region which virtually carries this nation on its shoulders. For some obvious reasons of lack of leadership, politically and traditionally, the region is only offered the crumbs that fall from the table. That has been our lot.
Of course as a politician and a staunch member of the NPP, this column has also done a lot of work for the party, fighting its opponent, espousing the strengths of the NPP, preaching the political gospel of the tradition and defending its leaders each time the voracious and mendacious children with sharp teeth, goaded on by their old dwarfs descended on our leaders. I do not know whether I did my work well in this regard or not.
It is very soothing to say, however, that a lot of adults from the Western Region, both home and abroad showered their praises and support for me for being consistent in bringing the sordid plight of the region into focus. I remember when I was introduced to an elderly man of 76 years, he wept before me and shared his own frustrations about the neglect of the region. He told his story about how he and a few had taken up the fight some decades back but lost the fight.
I was reminded of the late Professor Kofi Emerah Agovi’s WEREMUND, Western Region Movement for Unity and Development, which drafted me as a very young man. The PNDC intimidated us and ‘scattered’ us. May his soul rest in peace.
On the national front, I have had and still have admirers for the strength in the fight I got myself into when the party fell into opposition in 2009. I never allowed the children with sharp teeth to mess up with ex-President Kufuor. I remember the counter organization I embarked upon in Western Region when the NDC organized some Ga hoodlums to eject President Kufuor from an office he was using because he is not a Ga. Our reaction pricked national conscience and calmed the marauding hooligans being pushed by mindless political leaders the nation had mistakenly elected into office.
There is this Editor of one of the NDCs rented press who claims to come from Wassa Akropong in the Western Region who made it a point to join the bandwagon of those who had nothing ill to say about now President Akufo-Addo but had made up their minds to paint him so black when no evidence was available to support those insulting and defamatory insinuations and attacks. I went to Wassa Akropong to investigate his background when I was the First Regional Vice Chairman of the NPP.
His father was nobody near Nana Akufo Addo. In fact his father was and may be still a notorious drunkard who had to be ferried on common porter’s truck home in some cases when he was at his drinking best. When I put those information about his father out there, he stopped that nonsense against our Presidential candidate then. This column has also looked at social issues in an unbiased manner in as far as they affect the lives of the people of Ghana. We are 10 years old, long enough to go on retirement and sit my somewhere and look on.
MARTIN AMIDU
Hmm, last week saw the nomination of Public vigilante, Mr. Martin Amidu as the Special Prosecutor for the newly prosecutorial office to help deal with the corruption that has crowded all of us in the society. While the ordinary man on the street was very happy about his nomination, many in the political class were scared including people within the ruling NPP. What is your fear? The President appointed no one to go and steal public funds and there is no reason to protect anybody. Corruption exists all over the world, petty and grand. But when people come to believe that the law will deal ruthlessly with them when they are caught, there is disincentive for people to blatantly engage in it.
It is the fear of being punished when caught that will reduce this canker. We have lived with impunity for long. It is time we deal a deadly blow to it to build trust and confidence in the system. Merci, Monsieur President, bienvenue, Monsieur Martin Amidu. See how I am struggling with my French. I was fooling around when my teacher in French in Secondary school was teaching me.
Back to Martin Amadu, he is the best person to have happened to Ghana in our quest to deal with corruption. If your hands are soiled, find a ‘shithole’ to hide in. In every situation, it is fear that makes men and women in this case, react to the expectation of society. Welcome WA gentleman. I remember you cross-examining me in the criminal libel case of the Republic vrs Kofi Koomson. Let’s end it here.
THE POLICE AND THE BOMBS
Ao my, Police why oo why? The Sitrep I had on this ISIS bomb matter was that after the arrest and interrogations of those in your grips, ‘efforts are under way to extend investigations to stated or mentioned communities for retrieval of such arms and arrest the buyers.’ Why come public with pictures when you have not laid hands on the suspected people who possess the deadly arsenals? Having come public, do you think they will be waiting for you to come for them? Why the rush to go public? Cheap publicity? Or lack of professionalism? Or the first to break the news? Who are you competing with for information to the public? Hmmm.
LEGON HOSPITAL
All of a sudden there is a waging war between the Ministry of Health and the University Authorities over who controls the University of Ghana Health Facility. Media reports indicate the Ministry of Health is taking over the facility because it is under its jurisdiction. The University is fighting the Ministry and would not want the Ministry to take control of the facility. Ao, Mr. Minister, why want to over load yourself. The public health facilities are in dire state, financially, infrastructurally, (if there is any word like that) personnel, drugs, you name them. In many countries the world over, the most trusted hospitals are the University Hospitals. Why do you want to poke your hands in this and reduce it to the level of public hospitals under your control? Why? Please allow the University to efficiently manage the facility. All your Ministry needs to do, is to ensure that it operates within the confines of our health rules and regulations.
AHANTA WEST OOO, AHANTA WEST
Just go to these beautiful offices of the Ahanta West District Assembly where I had the privilege of serving for eight years, courtesy President J.A.Kufuor. Go to the Assembly, and the place is stinking. The offices do not have water to flush toilets including the office of the DCE. Staff defecate and urinate around the premises of the offices. Water was flowing under my tenure because we had a Small Village Water System. It is still functioning. The only problem is that the Water Managers have disconnected the Assembly for owing less than GH¢3000.00 over the past year. If the President should visit the offices, he can’t use any of the facilities there. CRY MY BELOVED DISTRICT. I am going to take a permanent leave very soon my dear readers.
Daavi, offer me three tots