The first duty of a man is to think for himself
Jose Marti
The day was sultry (hot and humid) in the wet season in the year 1975 and the first year Russian Literature Class was on. Many of the students were teachers who wanted to enjoy study leave with pay. We had to change our chosen subjects: Geography, History, Political Science … for Russian, Spanish, Linguistics, Home Economics … to get entitled.
The lecturer was Professor Atukwei Okai, and none of the forty-five (45) students was able to recite “Ya Goya” by Andrei Voznesensky – in Russian: “I am Goya, of the bare field, I am grief I am the gullet, I am the tongue I am Goya”. For this, all the students were ordered to stand on our desks, and raise our hands university students Then, one of us fell down,… the lecturer began to shake… the student who fell was to be chaperoned to his hall – Commonwealth Hall.
At the entrance to Volta Hall, the student asked the “helpers” to get back to the class for he was okay- he only feigned the act … The lecturer, thereafter, did not punish any student in like manner again. But Dr. Owusu and Dr. Bilson were their genteel selves, Vicky Wireko may call Atukwei “warm and affable” and so be it with him now that he is no more. Maverick Atukwei had noted: “Ghana’s problems are difficult to find solutions to like solving a logarithm problem” So, we rack our brains to find a solution to smallest, rather infinite problems and we compound the problem.
The Parliament last Friday 24/03/23, approved the President’s nominees for ministerial appointments: K.T. Hammond Minister- designate for Trade and Industry (154 Yes: 116 No); Bryan Acheampong Minister- designate for Food and Agriculture (164 Yes: 98 No); Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minster Designate for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (147 Yes: 112 No); Mohammed Amin Adam, Minster of State at the Ministry of Finance (152 Yes: 117 No); OB Amoah Minister of State at the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (149 Yes: 120 No) Stephen Amoah, Deputy Minister- designate for Trade and Industry (146 Yes: 123 No).
One would have thought the 31 NDC men and women who added their votes to the NPP’s 136 or so MPs would be “praised” for voting according to their conscience, and after doing a cost-benefit analysis of the various appointments – to the nation, to their constituencies, to themselves.
Such important ministries (Finances, Trade, Agriculture, Chieftaincy) to be left in abeyance- because “everybody” is telling the President to reduce the size of a “bloated” government. Yes, we also advocate a reduction in the size of the government, but not these key portfolios – for obvious reasons: Trade-expansion, cooperation with other countries: Agriculture – increased food production, increased export earnings; Finance- managing Ghana’s ailing economy with new minds…
Perhaps the leadership of the NDC is peeved because they had thought their “order” to the NDC MP’s not to “pass” the nominees had been disrespectfully ignored. And who thought one could treat MPs as if they were sheep.
The renegade NDC MPs have not been spared. Sam George quizzes; “How could my colleagues, some of whom marched with me to the Police Headquarters to demand justice, vote for the man who caused me such pain? Where is the sense of camaraderie? Are we not comrades in the struggle again? Would I feel safe to leave my drink or food with any of them again?… How do I explain to my constituents?… A majority of the caucus may have voted against the nominees but the dent of the few who for whatever considerations voted otherwise is… it is not a thing of pride nor prestige at this time to call yourself an NDC MP… How do we rise together again as one unit as we did the night we elected the Speaker?…
So, when it was the turn of the Speaker, the NPP MPs who voted for Alban Bagbin against their own Mike Oquaye did not show “camaraderie”? And Zenator daughter of the brutal J.J. Rawlings described by Mike Adjei as “blood – thirsty” condemns the “renegade” NDC MPs and says if her father was alive, he would take them to Antoa. Did her father ever go to Antoa? (Kofi Jumah says his Aduana Abusua owns the deity at Antoa, and he is the Abusuapanin – go consult him!) And Appiah Stadium drags politics on the ground: and this nitpicker calls the “renegade” NDC MPs “villagers” and “smelling people”, comparing them to NPP’s “sweet – scented MPs, Kyei Mensah Bonsu and Dr. Napoleon (Napo)- and nobody calls Appiah Stadium to order?
Some NDC MPs could be expected to be “disappointed” – naturally NDC MP for Builsa South, Clement Abass Apaak would say the approval of the ministers was “most devastating and disappointing” but beyond that nobody has any justifiable right to publicly condemn their decision.
And the Cape Coast South NDC MP, NDC Ricketts Hagan alludes to “bribery “as having influenced the “deviant” MPs, among other reasons! “…. a sad day for democracy.
Neither should anyone blame the NDC party for issuing a statement condemning the act: “The party on behalf of all Ghanaians, condemns this conduct in no uncertain terms as it not only betrays the expressed will of the party, but the desire of the Ghanaian people and constitutes a massive stab in the back of the good people of Ghana.
“After all, the chairman of the party, Asiedu Nketiah was conspicuously visible in Parliament on that day; so was Fifi Kwetey the General Secretary, and there was the party directive to the MPs to “reject” the persons nominated by the President to be ministers.
Ex- President J.D Mahama with a ravenous appetite to come back must also be “disappointed”, He says: “Ghanaians were sorely (NOT: solely) disappointed when several members of the minority for some parochial and personal interest voted against the principled position adopted by the party.
But, we thought Articles 93 to 124 of the 1992 Constitution on the Legislature would be observed fully by the law makers themselves: how do we interpret Article 104 (4) “Where Parliament is considering a bill to amend the Constitution, or where the voting is in relation to the election or removal of any person under this Constitution or under any other law, voting shall be in secret”
Those whose names do not appear in the list of loyal NDC MPs as presented by Fifi Kwetey are expected to count themselves among the disloyal “traitors” and greedy “saboteurs”
It will serve the NPP better if they do not throw a “kenkey party” to jubilate over the apparent weakness of the NDC leadership Complacency on the part of NPP at this crucial stage could be disastrous, given the hung Parliament we have now.
By Africanus Owusu-Ansah