Simpa Panyin, have you seen the video making rounds of a heavily drunk police officer holding an AK47 assault rifle in a trotro? Have you seen what I have been telling you? You keep recruiting party hooligans into the police service through protocols; you will soon get what you are looking for.
Last Tuesday, I drove behind an overloaded double-axle sand winning truck which had non-existing break lights, faded number plates, and an expired insurance certificate. This truck, which looked overused, rickety and overly heavy had tilted to the right, as it moved menacingly on the road.
I could not identify the vehicle number because the number plate was faded, but I followed it from the Kasoa interchange until we got to the tollbooth. I was happy that just before the tollbooth, there were four MTTD road safety police men on duty checking vehicles so I quickly stopped in front of the endangered truck, got down ostensibly to assist the police to impound the vehicle.
As soon as the truck got to the MTTD spot, the driver’s mate opened the door, the police man stretched his hands and his head into the opened door, took something that looked like GH¢10 from the mate, and the driver began to drive on. Nothing was checked on the vehicle.
I quickly approached the policeman to draw his attention to the state of the vehicle he was letting go. I let him know that the driver had no valid insurance and pointed him to the general lack of road worthiness of the vehicle. Surprisingly, he ignored me and stopped the next vehicle. He took another thing and the driver drove off; the cars kept lining up for his collection.
I stood there in disbelief. The man had no shame about his collection queue; he plied his trade in plain sight. He briskly took money from every single vehicle he stopped and had no intention to check anything on the vehicles whether they were roadworthy or not; he did not care except the sales he was making.
Anyway, it has been over two years of Simpa Panyin – over two years of fighting with myself; over two years of hope and of faded hope. The column began with a focus on the youth and gradually progressed to social justice, with a voice for change during the 2016 elections and support for the Akufo-Addo presidency bid.
My support for the Akufo-Addo presidency did not change after the 2016 elections, particularly with the implementation of the Free SHS project. Once again, I have decided to give Nana Addo my support in the next elections. I believe that the Free SHS needs strengthening, and the one who believed in it is the best person to consolidate its gains and to make it work.
Corruption perception was one of the major reasons for my support for change in the last elections. I thought there was too much money flying in the face of poverty. Too many inexperienced, non-business people were becoming overly rich overnight, and knowing Akufo-Addo and his incorruptible history and posture, I had the hope that he has the wherewithal to make corruption an unattractive industry.
A number of anti-corruption initiatives convince me to continue to support him. The quest for paperless transactions such as procurement processes and port clearing are good. It reduces the amount of human contacts needed to process transactions, and consequently reduces the losses the state would have suffered in the hands of miserable people.
Of course, you will have the beneficiaries of the old order mobilizing to frustrate anything that works to remove their illegal livelihood. They will frustrate the system and make it look unworkable and unsuitable so that you will revert to the old order for them to continue to benefit. Ignore them or sack them to ensure that we succeed in saving what belongs to the nation.
I think the NABCO idea is smart. Employing 100,000 fresh post national service unemployed graduates looks like we are effectively disbanding the Unemployed Graduate Association of Ghana (UGAG); forget about the cry over the GH¢700; those who need jobs and are hungry to gain experience will jump to the initiative and will use the experience to prepare for their future; those who don’t want it can remain in the house.
Unfortunately, I am currently confused as to how I should rate the government when it comes to corruption. We seem to be fighting the situation at one level while it is re-emerging from another. A few months ago, a gentleman called Joseph came to me. I have known Joseph for the past 10 years. He completed the University of Cape Coast eight years ago, and has since remained unemployed. He has been living on the benevolence of friends and family. Joseph joined the NPP’s campaign for change and became an assistant to one of the leading members of the party.
Last February, I met Joseph on my way to the Registrar General’s Department. His life has changed just a year into the NPP government. He says God has been good to him. Joseph has bought for himself a 2018 registered brand new spotless white Toyota Fortuna – he really smelt money.
I did not need anyone or any prove to conclude that Joseph had begun to live on stolen money, for there is no employment in this world that gives an inexperienced graduate an overnight ability to afford a $45,000 Toyota Fortuna.
My brother, people are ‘eating’ money oo; they are ‘eating’ money papa! The calibre of young people in the NDC government, who were making deals and taking home obnoxious monies have emerged in the NPP government. The ‘connection industry’ keeps expanding, with opulence endangering the environment.
It is only in Africa that people become rich when they are in power. And we are proud to say that being in opposition is equal to hell. Elsewhere, people become poorer when they are in power. In our country, political power has been seen as an avenue for riches, an avenue to grab contracts, and the winner- takes- all scheme is played out to the full.
Nana Addo, please talk to your people oo, yooo. It shocks me considering the several men and women who are becoming rich overnight
Very soon it will get to the brim and we will not be able to take it any longer, then we will face them squarely – damn the consequences.
Anyway, Simpa Panyin is taking a short break; I’m going to look for a job. I have become poorer in the last couple of years, so I need a job. I might be back shortly after I have had my situation improved.
By James Kofi Annan