John Mahama
“I love walking in the rain because no one can see my tears” – Charlie Chaplin.
As I was saying last week, Ghanaians are waiting eagerly for promises made by the NDC to come to pass. The Akans say when you go to your farm with your son and you make the boy to carry a heavy load with the promise that, at a particular place you will make the boy put down the load and rest and you fail to keep that promise, the boy will begin to cry uncontrollably.
Islam, a religion which has the second largest followers in Ghana and the world for that matter, is built on five pillars. The last one is that, as a Muslim, when you have enough time and money to spare, go to Mecca and pray at the Kaaba, throw stones at the Satan at Mount Arafat for blessings. So every Muslim looks forward to having the opportunity to go to Mecca to perform the Hajj.
Many years ago, Muslims in Ghana who performed the Hajj went to Mecca on foot. They walk to Burkina Faso, through Mali on their way to the Holy City. It was a perilous journey full of dangers. Many did not reach Mecca and died on the way. Many reached Mecca, performed the Hajj but did not return. They might have been devoured by dangerous beasts or died through sickness.
As the years rolled by, airplanes were used to fly to the Holy City to perform the Hajj. Today, the cost of travelling to Mecca has skyrocketed and few Muslims can afford to make the journey. Pilgrimage to Mecca has, therefore, become a dream difficult to come to reality to many practicing Muslims in Ghana and many Muslims in other countries.
The NDC saw the passion of Muslims in Ghana as far as going to Mecca to perform the Hajj is concerned. During the last General Election, Mr. Mahama said when the NDC is voted into power, the government of the NDC will reduce the cost of travelling to Mecca drastically in order to give many Muslims the opportunity to make the holy journey. Allahu Akbar! This promise sunk in so well so that Muslims in Ghana moved in sympathy with the NDC.
This promise was the more reason why the NPP lost votes in the Zongos and the Northern regions. So now that the NDC is in power, the Muslims in Ghana are looking forward for the cost of travelling to Mecca to be reduced drastically. If this “Holy Promise” fails to materialise, those of us with trenchant pens will descend on the roof of the NDC and rain fire and brimstone. Everything can be taken for granted but not the religious believe of a people. That is why Carl Max said religion is the opium of the masses.
The juiciest promise made by Mr. Mahama was the one that when the NDC comes back to power, the government of the NDC will add private schools to the free SHS programme. Parents who have their wards in private schools are waiting patiently for the promise. Those of us who have our wards in the private schools will settle for nothing but FREE FEES. In fact, we are looking forward to our wards in the private schools to be fed with nutritious meals which include goat and sheep meat as well as eggs for supper.
We will not settle for meals that will not be good enough for the dogs of Mr. Mahama to eat. (Remember Mr. Mahama said food being served in the boarding schools for students in the SHS was not good enough for even his dogs to eat). A mocking bird whispered into my ears that in order to keep the promise of maintaining the free SHS, the NDC will raise the grades of entry into SHS so that many students will not get the opportunity to enter SHS so that the government will be able to manage the few students with high grades. We are waiting for that decision before we tell Ghanaians the type of government they chose.
Like former President Kufuor and the late President Mills, President Nana Addo inherited Galamsey and its accompanying canker of the destruction of our river bodies and the environment as a whole. Previous administrations had worked so hard to fight Galamsey to no avail. It was Nana Addo who put his presidency on the line to fight Galamsey. He set up many task forces to fight the canker but much as he tried the dangerous practice of Galamsey continued unabated.
It was like stepping on bowl full of indelible ink, if you clean, it will not go. Instead of the NDC joining Nana Addo and his government to fight the dangerous practice, the NDC apparatchiks used the unfortunate situation to chastise the government. The rented press of the NDC never missed an opportunity to put the blame on the doorsteps of President Akufo-Addo and his government.
The sages say what is good for the goose is good for the gander. Now that the NDC is in power, communicators of the NPP should not rest on their oars. They should not wait for the rains to stop before going out with their pans and bowls to tap rain water like they did when the NPP was in power. They should carry the fight of Galamsey to the doorstep of Mr. Mahama and his communicators. NPP communicators should not wait for an election year before they carry the onslaught.
The NDC’s promise to end Galamsey should be embedded in the minds of NPP communicators and they must take them for their word. The NDC TV and radio stations and rented press will deliberately keep mute on Galamsey but not me, your irrepressible, irreverent and bombastic Earth Angel Gabriel who dwells in the firmament. They MUST stop Galamsey as they promised! Nothing more, nothing less. Simplista!
The multimillion question is, why do snakes bite and why do birds sing? It is their nature and so it is the nature of opposition parties to criticise the incumbent government. It is not for the ruling government to choose between constructive and destructive criticism. The NDC showed the way. The greatest expectation of this nation is the fight to stop Galamsey. The NDC has no choice. When Nana Addo deployed soldiers to fight the canker, it was met with criticism by the NDC communicators. The NDC has proved that in time of war, everything is fair. Who cares even when they use the umbrella to bail out the polluted water for us to get clean water!
Did I hear that because the NDC has majority parliamentarians, the government will at a point in time table a bill in parliament to extend the number of terms a president should serve? Any attempt to do that will surely invite civil war. Even Rawlings relinquished power after serving two terms and so did Mr. Kufuor and Nana Addo. If really the NDC intends to do that they should first study what caused civil wars in some countries that toed that line. Any attempt to do that will be met with blood and iron. Mark my words.
What the supporters of the NDC should realise is that, Mr. Mahama has about two years and few months to keep all the campaign promises made. He will take about five months to assemble his ministers, nominate MMDCEs who will go through fire to get approval in their respective MMDAs, appoint Board of Directors and conduct election of Council of State members.
His fourth year in office will be an election year where he will be called upon to account for all these promises. Mr. Mahama knew all these when he was making the promises. He cannot give any excuse like to tell us that he had no sufficient time to deliver. We are watching and we will react at the appropriate time of our choosing if Mr. Mahama dares step on the wrong foot. We will not tire, we will not relent, we will not falter and we will not rest as we trudge stealthily towards the El Dorado we desire. We have lost the battle but surely not the war. Full stop.
By Eric Bawah