I couldn’t believe my ‘konkonsaic’ ears when I first heard the story. Just as Nicodemus was shocked by Yesu Kristo’s ‘born again’ explanation, so was I befuddled by the story that a minister of state had stashed millions of American green leaves and other currencies in the comfort of her bedroom.
I eventually stopped living in denial and faced the reality staring at me.
Yes, a minister in the Nana Dee government had stashed huge cowries in the house, out of which 1 million American green leaves, 300 European red leaves and millions of leaves from Kwame Okro’s homeland had been stolen by the housemaids.
It vividly brings to mind the infamous Obed Asamoah cowries allegedly stolen by policemen Constables Fidelis Kwame Yebbi and Anthony Kwesi Avalifo. How the story of the stolen 100 million old cowries gave Zu-za bad press. Without a doubt, it contributed to Zu-za’s defeat in the 2000 elections.
History seems to be repeating itself with the story of Madam “Money-Stashed-In-The-Bedroom”. It is certainly a huge political blunder by the Minister.
Formerly, such news would have given me sleepless nights for days, if not weeks. I would be worried that those riding the Elephant had naively and willingly provided ammunition to its opponents, self-styled experts and pseudo-neutrals to shoot the huge animal in the belly. I would have been thinking of how best I could write in this column to counter any propaganda or hyperbolic stories from the Zuza camp.
But not anymore. I am surprised I no longer have that love and attachment to the Great Elephant. Perhaps, it is because I’ve come to the bitter realization that those of us without godfathers or godmothers in the Osono fraternity are second class members.
It is the reason I now practice the saying, “Those who greedily eat the meat and drink the soup alone, should wake up in the dead of night to attend to nature’s call alone.” So let Madam “Money-Stashed-In-The-Bedroom” fight her own battles.
It’s good to hear that she has resigned from her position in order to save the Nana Dee government from being ridiculed. But, I strongly believe that it is another missed opportunity by President Nana Dee to crack the whip to show his abhorrence for corruption.
You see, there will be comparison on corruption fight between President Ogwanfunu and President Nana Dee, whether we like it or not. As a sympathiser of the Great Elephant, I am sad to say President Nana Dee’s predecessor has done a far better job in that regard. At least, we all saw how swiftly Victoria Hammah was given a hard kick on her voluptuous buttocks for only dreaming to use politics to make 1 million American green leaves.
Do not get me wrong, Abusuapanin. I agree with the argument that until it is established that the cowries kept in the bedroom were stolen from state coffers, we cannot conclusively say Madam Minister has engaged in a corrupt act.
But the intriguing question is why stash such huge cowries in the bedroom, if they are not ill-gotten. The public cannot be blamed for thinking the stashed cash was gotten from ministerial “kpakpakpa” moves because it defies common sense to keep cowries in the bedroom when there are banks all over.
In their haste to equalise, I heard some Osono guys say President Ogwanfunu dished-out a whooping 14.8m cowries to Zu-za delegates nationwide with no evidence of a paper trail of the said cowries withdrawn from a bank. So they assume the said cowries were also being kept under his bed.
Well, my simple answer to that absurd analogy is that a thief is the one that has been caught. President Ogwanfunu’s cowries were not found in any bedroom, so we can only make conjectures. The one caught “in flagrante delicto” (right in the act) is Madam “Money-Stashed-In-The-Bedroom”.
Did I hear some Osono folks asking President Ogwanfunu’s moral locus for roping-in the sitting-President? Of course, he has moral locus to do so. After all, did those from the Osono fraternity, yours truly inclusive, not label him “corrupt and incompetent” without any evidence?
Madam “Money-Stashed-In-The-Bedroom” may never be legally found guilty. But the harm her indiscretion has caused the Great Elephant is irreparable. It will continue to haunt the party for many years.
Some may decide to defend her indiscretion. As for me, I did not partake in the meat-eating and soup-drinking jamboree, so let no one wake me in the dead of night when they get a running stomach.
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!