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23.03.2011 Feature Article

Vanity in the midst of problems

MCE Lord Oppong and his Man of God, President John Evans Atta MillsMCE Lord Oppong and his Man of God, President John Evans Atta Mills
23.03.2011 LISTEN

His name is Lord. Obviously, the name has quite a bit to do with the Almighty himself. That perhaps is why his pronouncement is of some significance. In the Akan parlance, if a frog comes from under the river to pronounce that the crocodile has got a headache, our elders say, those of us on dry land have no reason to doubt it.

Lord Stephen Oppong, Municipal Chief Executive of Berekum, in the Brong Ahafo Region, called the Ghana News Agency to his office and pronounced that President John Evans Atta Mills is a Man of God.

In an era when a so-called Man of God is serving a 15 year jail term for having had sex with his biological daughter, it might not have been the most sacrilegious statement ever made in this land of our birth.

Through the Ghana News Agency, Lord, the MCE, told Ghanaians that Prof. Atta Mills' ascendency to the throne was supernaturally ordained. 'He is someone who is favoured by God to carry out divine mandate,' he pontificated.

It is quite an interesting proposition. Fellow Ghanaians might recall that not too long ago, the Head of State himself told the world that God is the President of Ghana.

It is very difficult for some of us ordinary mortals to put these two divine proclamations in their context. But the understanding of children of this earth could be that the President might be the direct representative of the Almighty himself, which might be stretching the power of 'Joshua Water' a bit far.

Naturally, Lord Oppong's statement was roundly condemned on the internet. One writer simply said, putting everything on God is not helping us. 'We have to do it ourselves.'

Another contributor was more damning of the Municipal Chief Executive. 'I am a Christian but I am uncomfortable with this nonsense of people attributing everything to God and making crazy claims. God wants us to be responsible, so the President has to perform and stop this nonsense of being a Man of God.'

One even suggested that President Atta Mills should vacate the Castle and hand the keys over to a prominent Archbishop, on the premise that at least,  the  owner and head pastor of a church, along that famous road in the national capital, could better communicate with God.

The electoral history of Ghana says it took then Candidate Atta Mills three attempts, for the electorate to recognize his worth as leader of society. Even then, James Agyenim Boateng had to summon foot soldiers on an Accra Radio station, to carry cutlasses and other offensive weapons to besiege the premises of the Electoral Commission, before the President of the Republic could reach the Castle.

When the chips were down, the President romped to the Castle on 40,000 majority after the cutlass invasion and a Tain vote that did not feature his opponent.

If these were the activities of God Almighty, then the concept of God is being stretched too far. One interesting news from the December 2008 elections was the unusual high number of Ghanaians who were disenfranchised.

By the last count, as many as 500,000 ballots were declared spoilt. If one cares to know, the spoilt papers were more than the total votes of a region like the Upper East or Upper West.

I would like to believe that a President ordained by God would have worried about the huge number of Ghanaian votes that lost their way, and would have advised the Electoral Commission to investigate how come so many ballots had to be declared spoilt, before he could be third time lucky. That is not all.

Immediately the Ekumfi-born Law Professor was declared winner, hell broke loose at Aglobloshie Market. Some crazy yam sellers went at each others throats. Three sellers were said to have been dispatched to the next world, victims of man's inhumanity to fellow man.

The perpetrators of the crime were identified as sympathizers of the National Democratic Congress, the political party said to have been founded by then junta head, Jerry John Rawlings, obviously employing resources of state.

Two years and three months after romping to the Castle, the so-called Man of God has not bothered his head about why people should kill in the name of his leadership. Our concept of God is becoming a bit strange.

I am not a lawyer, but I think there is no harm in borrowing one of the most overused phrases in a courtroom situation. I put it to Lord Stephen Oppong that his concept of Atta Mills as Man of God, has more to do with safeguarding his job at a time some of his colleagues have suffered humiliating dismissals.

The Akans would tell you, if you are told that a friend's beard is on fire, you are well advised to reach for water to safeguard your own.

The circumstances under which the former Metropolitan Chief Executive of Sekondi-Takoradi, Kobina Pra-Annan was given the boot and the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) let loose on him could not be a pleasant experience.

To save his job, Lord Oppong is obviously playing it safe. 'Master,' they say 'spoil no work.' It could be described as the height of sycophancy.

Sycophancy appears to have been the craft of political office holders, since this nation broke free of the colonial yoke in the early hours of March 6, 1957.

On the overthrow of the Nkrumah regime in 1966, Mr. Kwaku Boateng, then Minister of Education, said of Ministers serving in the Nkrumah regime: 'We were all gaping sycophants.'

The tragedy of this country  under Atta Mills, the so-called Man of God, is that at a time cholera is devastating this society, a number of countrymen still trapped in Libya, and in the words of Finance Minister Kwabena Duffour, road and other contracts are behind payment for over one year, officials of state are indulging in vanity.

On the front page of The Chronicle today, there is the picture of a big billboard erected at vantage points in the country, extolling the virtues in a Presidency that many would tell you has failed to deliver to the expectation of many countrymen and women.

The board has a big effigy of President Atta Mills, with the inscription: 'Let's Unite in Action…for a better Ghana'. Obviously, the insignia has more to do with an idea of hero-worship, than an exhortation to Ghanaians to work harder.

It is obviously a brilliant idea of a party big shot, who stands to gain from contracting the job and enjoying the favour of the President, who would feel honoured by such deeds.

At a time Ashanti schools are being bombarded by Big Brother watching over the shoulder, the erection of new billboards of the President, at a time the economy has taken a nose-dive and cholera is devastating the land, the Man of God could be said to be indulging in triviality.

Yesterday, President Atta Mills commissioned a road project that is said to connect Amasaman to Ablekuma, in what used to be referred to as Ga rural. One interesting signal about the project is that it is coming at a time theMinister of Finance and Economic Planning has told Ghanaians that the state of the economy could not sustain any new project.

Dr. Kwabena Duffuor explained that road and other projects were one year in arrears, in terms of payments.  It is an interesting education material for all Ghanaians.

In 2009, Vice-President John Dramani Mahama commissioned a bridge in Accra. Since then, the construction project on it has stalled.

It is quite a while now since President Atta Mills cut the sod for the 30,000 housing units, under the stinking STX Korea Deal. We have had no news on the progress of the project yet.

'Vanity dies hard, in some obstinate cases, it outlives the man,' my apologies to Robert Louis Strevenson, a Scottish poet, essayist and a novelists of the 19th century.

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