John Mahama
I have, in fact, stressed severally that some of us regrettably witnessed the squeamishly ugly events which took place over a period of three decades (1970-1990s), and therefore cannot be misinformed by the unrepentant coup enthusiasts.
Some of us, as a matter of principle, cannot help but to relentlessly shrill, grouch, censure and highlight the revoltingly risible and inherent tendencies of the devotees of the June 4 1979 and December 31, 1981 coup d’états.
It is worth pointing out that innocent citizens lost their inherent dignity and human rights in the days of the hopeless coup d’états.
When the coup enthusiasts (the founders of NDC) burst onto the scene, they went haywire and barbarically tortured and murdered people with minimal offences.
I hate to admit though, but the fact remains that there is nothing wrong for a group of people to come together and identify themselves as the coup enthusiasts, or the ideologues of transparency, probity and accountability.
However, it is hypocritical and somewhat deceitful if a group of people who claim to be the exponents of such ethos turn around and commit the same crimes they inexorably preach against.
In their attempts to get rid of alleged sleazes and corruption, many Ghanaians were unjustifiably murdered or tortured mercilessly for apparent infinitesimal offences.
Some market women were regrettably stripped naked in the public and whipped for hauling their products or selling on high prices. While their male counterparts were wickedly shaved with broken bottles and whipped for offences that would not even warrant a police caution in a civilized society.
As if that was not enough, three eminent High Court Judges and a prominent army officer were barbarically murdered by some mindless stooges of PNDC on June 30, 1982 for carrying out their constitutionally mandated duties.
The human rights violations were so rampant to the extent that many citizens seized the slightest opportunity and left the country.
What incensed some of us so much is that despite their much touted mantra of transparency, probity and accountability, we have been witnessing so much scheming guiles, sleazes and corruptions in the successive NDC administrations. Who are they trying to deceive?
Astonishingly, though, the successive NDC governments’ officials have been committing the same crimes (bribery and corruption) their party founders killed many innocent people for.
As I reiterated elsewhere, there is absolutely nothing wrong for any individual to tag himself/herself as a proponent of transparency, probity and accountability. But it is somewhat hypocritical when a group of people who claim to be the exponents of such ethos would then turn around and dip their hands into the national purse as if tomorrow will never come.
After all, aren’t the NDC apparatchiks claiming to be preachers of transparency, probity and accountability?
So why are they refusing to practice what they have been relentlessly preaching to us all these years?
Are they wolves in sheep’s clothing?
Indeed, it is an illustrative case of false prophets, who are relentlessly nagging their followers that ‘it is written in the Holy Book that thou shall not steal.’ While they turn around and dip their hands into the church offering bowl as if the judgment day will never come.
If those politicians aren’t heartless and insensitive to the plight of the impoverished Ghanaians, how come they conspired and paid dubious judgment debts to a tune of GH¢800 million?
If they are morally upright, how come they created loot and shared the monies belonging to GYEEDA and SADA, which were meant to transform the lives of the needy in society?
Where is their honesty and integrity when they squandered funds meant to transform the lives of the penniless in society through cloudy deals such as the Brazil World Cup, the infamous bus branding, SUBA, among others?
Clearly, their much trumpeting ethos of probity, transparency and accountability is a charade; it is rather an illustrative case of preaching virtue and practicing vice.
Given the circumstances, some of us will continue to squall, speak and write about the seemingly double standards by the NDC apparatchiks, which the party faithful perceive as a benign or an inconsequential issue.
Whatever the case, I, for one, won’t abandon my duty as a bona fide Ghanaian, far from it. I will rather stick to my guns, be true to the faith, and, keep upholding and defending the good name of our beloved Ghana.
k.badu2011@gmail.com
From K. Badu, UK.