Sammy Gyamfi
They were feisty in the run-up to the last elections, dealing with assortments of subjects.
Their neutrality in local politics generally assumed until their posturing gave them out as being in the pockets of the then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
They presented themselves as champions of probity and accountability, but time eventually gave them out.
Their involvement in the anti-galamsey campaign was especially nauseating, as they toed the line of the NDC declaration of a state of emergency.
Even election management issues were not spared their long hands, their knowledge of everything bringing out the hubris in them.
By the time the results of the 2024 elections were called out, many began to notice their alliance or flirtation with the NDC. Their modus operandi was so subtle that only the observant, reading the lines discovered their game plan.
When the elections were over and the NDC turned out to be victors, and the spoils of the elections were shared, their leaders were not left out.
They are busy today, and with their neutrality proven to be a sham, they have gone completely silent, deliberately oblivious to the bad governance going on in the country. For them, even the dollar sharing by Sammy Gyamfi is a no-go area.
It would appear that Ghana requires a new set of civil society organisations (CSOs) which would not flirt with the highest bidder.
The feculent CSOs, now in hibernation of sorts, have lost the moral right to delve into matters of national importance.
In the light of the Sammy Gyamfi dollar scandal, many Ghanaians now getting used to a country without active CSOs have begun posing questions as to the whereabouts of these organisations.
Our answer is: “we do not know about their whereabouts any longer.”
We can however state that because of their engagement with government, they are no longer interested in their mandates. While some are now CEOs of entities like the Shippers Authority, others are elsewhere, one of them reportedly saying a few months ago that he is too busy with his new occupation that galamsey is no longer a matter worth his attention.
Like Rip Van Winkle, they might be in a slumber, but that notwithstanding, we challenge them to wake up. They should express themselves about the Sammy Gyamfi dollar spraying episode before returning to their slumber.
They cannot be neutral in this matter of national importance because if they do, their partiality, if you like, will give them out as hypocrites who had monetised the management of CSOs.