Ordinarily, birthdays are supposed to be important
milestones and auspicious occasions in the lives of individuals, groups,
associations and nations for that matter. If your very existence on this planet
matters to you, then surely, the date you were born ought to be the most
important date in your life. It is not for nothing that people world over,
spend so much (time and resources) in climaxing their birthdays. Ghana, our
motherland cannot be left out of this natural order.
Born sometime on the 6th of March 1957, Ghana, just
like every other nation, annually, celebrates this day with euphoria and in
grand style. It has always been an occasion for sober reflection in respect of
our development trajectory over the years; dating back from independence. More importantly,
we use such occasions to pay glowing tribute to our forebears who were at the
forefront of the independence struggle and sacrificed so much for God and
country. We become the cynosure of the World during such milestone events;
which we use to showcase our success stories and enviable prospects. This,
Ghana has consistently done for as many as 58 times without any issues. It is
therefore inexplicable that we could get everything wrong with the 59th
edition. So what exactly went wrong and what has my curious pen been able to
uncover?
1) It all started when we were all greeted with a
rather obnoxious spectacle of a rickety and tetanus infesting truck conveying
journalists embarking on their legitimate business for you and I. It still
beats my imagination that government could met out such outlandish and
denigrating treatments to the nation's media personnel and for that matter the
fourth estate/arm of the State. Absolutely reprehensible and sad for our
democracy.
2) The official brochure for the anniversary was
not only pregnant with unpardonable typographical fluffs but also historical
and factual inexactitudes. Paramount among the countless blunders is the
mistaking of the visiting Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta as the President of
Ghana. This is the apogee of incompetence which has characterized our national
affairs and has now brought us, this international award winning embarrassment.
Ghana is now the object of ridicule on all international platforms. Everybody
is laughing at us and suggests that we are a nation or errors and worries. A
nation that could be so negligent, foolhardy and incompetent as to forget the
name of its President. This Mahama government is capable of doing anything
including the importation of terrorists and now, Presidents of other nations?
Oh my Motherland!
3) The Information Service Department (ISD) has
since independence, been responsible for the printing of these independence
anniversary brochures and there has never been any issues because they have a
template for it, which they use annually. However, one man, I call, the
defector President of Ghana, who describes himself as the head of the flagstaff
house Communications Bureau, issued a "presidential fiat" that the
contract should rather be awarded to a private printing firm by name, Event PR,
where he has a controlling interest, as a major shareholder, so that his outfit
would exercise an oversight responsibility.
Well, the outcome of this vanity and arrogant
display of power is the international embarrassment that we are all seeing
today. This same Stan Dogbe, is the man who has gained notoriety in
consistently bringing shame to the Presidency. He now has the effrontery to
insinuate on his facebook wall that Ghanaians are only jealous of him. What
impudence! Absolute power corrupts absolutely indeed!
The name, Stan Dogbe has shamefully become the
common denominator in almost every embarrassingly scandalous enterprise and
mishap involving the presidency. He was at the centre of the infamous
presidential hampers; where he took millions of the taxpayers' money from the
then Information Ministry to buy Christmas hampers for some selected
journalists which never materialized. He was the same guy who physically
attacked a journalist from GBC and proceeded to smash his camera for no
justifiable reasons. His name again came up during the unfortunate macabre
murder of Hon. JB Danquah even though this, he vehemently denied. He was also
fingered in the president's missing pages when he was delivering a speech at an
ECOWAS forum. The President suffered the worst embarrassment in his life and no
one envied him at the time.
Stan Dogbe was the same man who recklessly hired a
ramshackle vehicle for the presidential press corp which got involved in an
accident that claimed the life of a hardworking journalist with the Ghanaian
Times Newspaper sometime last year. How more nauseating can he be? He speaks
like tomorrow doesn't exist and damns everybody. So why can't President Mahama
gather the necessary courage and testicular fortitude to fire this man (Stan
Dogbe), who has brought so much shame to the Presidency? Is he really
untouchable? The most annoying thing is that he accuses all his critics of
being unnecessarily noisy and jealous of him. Tweeea! In fact, I prefer to
remain a "poor" national service personnel whilst holding on to my
dignity than become a notorious Presidential Staffer, who only incurs the
hatred and antipathy of the masses. Tweeaaa. Well, they can continue to take
Ghanaians for granted but surely, the day of reckoning shall come and INSHA
ALLAH, we shall prove to them that real power only resides in the ordinary
people. God is watching all of us.
End of Part 1. Please watch out for Part 2 which
promises to be more interesting.
Thank you.
A concerned Ghanaian in the struggle
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
Youth Activist/Social Commentator
Former NUGS Secretary
GHANA'S 59TH INDEPENDENCE ANNIVERSARY TURNS
NATIONAL DAY OF SHAME AND EMBARRASSMENT (PART 2)
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN'S FOLDER
The first part of my series on the aforementioned
subject succinctly catalogued some of the bizarre happenings at Ghana's 59th
independence anniversary and its immediate aftermath in what has come to be
known in Ghanaian parlance as the BROCHUREGATE scandal, which has brought an
international embarrassment to the corporate image of Ghana. The piece also
made a strong case for the immediate sacking of a gentleman by name, Stan
Dogbe, who describes himself as the Head of the Flagstaff House Communications
Bureau citing several acts of his consistent omissions and commissions which
have brought monumental shame and embarrassment to the Presidency of the
Republic and by extension, the embodiment of the State.
I am saddened to observe that the numerous calls by
all well meaning Ghanaians for the Heads of all those who have overtly or
covertly played diverse roles leading to this unpardonable gaffe have all
fallen on deaf ears possibly because President Mahama's "deadgoat
syndrome" has taken precedence over the wishes of the people. Do not be
deceived by the unconvincing action purportedly taken by the Chief of Staff to
relieve Mr. Francis Kwarteng, the embattled director of the ISD of his post. It
is absolutely cosmetic and manifest populism which should be treated with all
the disdain that it deserves. It is a "smart move" gone bud, intended
to cover up for the so called big fishes in government including Stan Dogbe,
who is now being offered with another juicy appointment (Head of Protocol) at
the Presidency.
Even this "smart move", government
couldn't do with the necessary candour but rather so ineptly and apologetically
executed. For instance, government forgets that they have ever issued a
statement when Dotse Marlon was reassigned; informing Ghanaians that the
Communications Ministry had taken charge of the Flagstaff House Communications
Bureau. However, in a hurriedly issued statement to save their waining image,
government is for the second time, telling us that the Communications Ministry
would from henceforth, take charge of the Flagstaff House Communications
Bureau. This latest statement issued by the Communications Ministry is making
reference to another statement purportedly issued by the Chief of Staff, which
has still not been made public against their own established conventions.
The situation is even more preposterously worse
when you consider the handling of Francis Kwarteng of the ISD. Here, there are
more questions begging for answers. For instance, the Civil Service Act says
that before one can be appointed to head an agency like the ISD, he/she must
hold at least, a Masters Qualification in Communication Studies or any relevant
area. Again, he/she should have at least 15 years working experience in the
sector, 8 of which, in senior management position. However, Mr. Francis
Kwarteng is a lawyer, has no qualification in Communication Studies; let alone
to have worked in the sector for 15 years as required by the law. Yet President
Mahama, in blatant disregard of this Act, appointed this Francis Kwarteng, who
prior to his appointment, was working at the flagstaff house, to head the ISD,
albeit, in an acting position.
Now, after messing up with the ISD in the
brochuregate scandal, he has been relieved of his post and possibly recalled
back to his former place, the flagstaff house. Meanwhile, he should have been
languishing in jail by now after he openly admitted that he forged documents
involving the nation's Coat of Arms. But do not be surprised because in Ghana,
it appears we have two sets of laws. One for the politicians in the ruling
class and the other, for you and I (the ordinary citizens). Remember, the
infamous Stan Dogbe, who should have been sacked from the proverbial days of
Adam, has also been given a fresh appointment at the flagstaff house by
President Mahama.
In conclusion, kindly permit me to respectfully
challenge the President to chose between his relationship with his
"darling boys/appointees" which is breeding cronyism and the national
image of this country. He must necessarily choose between an atmosphere/culture
of impunity and one of deterrent for God and country. Well, unfortunately you
and I can only have our say, but in the final analysis, the President would
have his way except if we decide to advise ourselves after all, real power and
sovereignty, reside in the ordinary citizens.
Thank you.
A concerned Ghanaian in the struggle
IDDI MUHAYU-DEEN
Youth Activist/Social Commentator
Former NUGS Secretary
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