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01.06.2012 Feature Article

Checkmating the “Terrifying Great Ashanti Project” is right on course.

Checkmating the Terrifying Great Ashanti Project is right on course.
01.06.2012 LISTEN

This is me. I cannot be any other person. I speak my mind on things that bother me. Nothing, except the word of God and my conscience can gag me in my daily interaction with other people. I do not pretend to be an angel. If something is bad I will say so. If it is good, I will do likewise. Others believe in white washing issues to give them different connotation. That is their style and I do not begrudge them anything. But I am pragmatic in everything I do. Again, I have made a pact with my God and Creator that anything I do, I will do it with the best of intentions. I will not intentionally malign anybody, be the one my friend or perceived enemy.

I sincerely believe that we, as partners in the development of the country, should discuss all issues that affect our peaceful co-existence as One Great people with one common destiny. We cannot push issues that affect us to the background. We cannot postpone them to another day. We have to discuss them now! If we don't do so now, our children, grand and great grand children will be compelled to discuss them at a later time. By then, it might be too late.

One of such issues has to do with President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills's hyper phobia of the Great Ashanti Project. Yes, Mills have had this inner fear of Ashantis long before he became President. We have not forgotten his Morbid Fear of the Great Ashanti Project which he voiced out in his interaction with the American Ambassador to Ghana.

Yes, Mills has had this inner fear even long before he became President. So, checkmating the terrifying Ashanti Project became his number one obsession as soon as he was sworn into office. In short, all his appointments, his utterances and those of his appointees are geared towards cutting Ashantis to size with the aim of bringing them into a position of less importance.

Make no mistake. I am not fabricating stories. I speak of what I know. There is a saying that: “se wofeefee owufo aniwa a wohu osaman. Translated literally, it means if you look into the eyes of a dead person, you will see a ghost. Yes, President Mills hates Ashantis; No more, no less!

Soon after being sworn in as President he began to assembly around him a core NDC staff having morbid fear of Ashantis with the aim of demystifying the aura around them and makes them irrelevant in national affairs.

The appointment of a tribal bigot/warlord, Professor Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor as Chairman of the Council of State goes a long way to buttress the fact that Mills has a hidden agenda against Ashantis. Kofi Awoonor, the tribal bigot has stated emphatically in his infamous book, “The Ghanaian Revolution” that he is Ewe First and Ghanaian Second. On Page 57 of his infamous book, this tribal warlord wrote: “Ewes in the Armed Forces achieved the reputation of being notorious coup makers' and plotters against successive governments because Ewes see themselves in opposition to all governments in Ghana which inevitably became Akan (Ashanti) dominated.

“The contest for power is reduced in simple terms to a fierce contest between the Akan (Ashantis) and the Ewes”. Tribal warlord and Chairman of Council of State sees “Ewes as effective check on Ashanti effort at hegemony”. He goes on to state that the purpose of the 31st December Revolution “is to take away the political and economic hegemony perpetrated by Akans, particularly Ashantis.

Tribal warlord, Professor Kofi Nyidevu Awoonor is not done yet. He goes on to state that Dr Nkrumah's CPP Government fell because of the presence of corrupt Ashanti elements in the Party. Oh Prof. How could you descend so low to hit below the belt and appoint this tribal warlord as the person to preside over deliberations of the highly sensitive position of Chairman of the Council of State.

But the answer is not far-fetched. Mills had assumed the presidency with a pre-destined agenda of humiliating and cutting down Ashantis to size. And so, the President sees nothing wrong by appointing this tribal warlord not only as a member but also as Chairman of the Council of State.

One of his first official acts as Chairman of this august body was to annul the appointment of an Ashanti to a very important position in the Public Service. Yes, checkmating the “terrifying Great Ashanti Project” was right on course.

Coming to utterances, is it any surprise to you that Emmanuel Dela Coffie, a notorious serial commentator and turncoat is now part of President Mills specially selected team to denigrate Ashantis.

Hear him in his write up of 19th May, 2010, titled “The Hypocrisy of Asantehene stinks”! “He (The Asantehene) aligned himself with corrupt politicians in the past and therefore he has no moral authority to question the sincerity of politicians. There are so many chieftaincy problems all over his jurisdiction. Some problems are as a result of his indulgence. What has he done about it?

As Chairman of the Committee of eminent chiefs tasked by the Kufuor administration to resolve the Dagbon crises, what has he done to assuage all doubts and fears to help the government resolve that crises. Otumfuo. The good old days are gone. The dog days of summer are here.

What did Otumfuo say when 17 greedy politicians of a political tradition he favours in an extraordinary show of extravagance lived up for the top job of this country?

You see the ranting of this ant called Dela Cofie who is his desperate need of seeking his identity, albeit through the backdoor has resorted to name calling and black mail. Chieftaincy disputes are rampant everywhere and Otumfuo kingdom is no exception.

You see, Otumfuo and the Committee of Eminent Chief were charting a successful path. But the President, because of his strong hatred for Ashantis did not see why the latter should take credit for resolving the crises. In his attempts to humiliate the Asantehene he sent the case to the courts. It was after he had lost the case that he brought back the case to the Asantehene and the Eminent Chiefs. Of course, the Asantehene saw through the ruse and never accepted the offer.

Now this political neophyte, this ingrate, this “uncircumcised dog”with his maggot infested brain and braying for the blood of the head of Ashantis whom he and Mills detest so much asked Otumfuo what he did when “17 greedy politicians in an extraordinary show of extravagance line up for the top job of the country”. Now, the infantile and restless mind of Dela Cofie which just found solace after he had sold his conscience to the Mills camp should tell us what he did when the President spent the taxpayers money to give 8 hours of prime live telecast on day the bully, Koku Anyidoho 'marched' Ministers and other appointees to accompany the juju ring wearing President to submit his nomination forms at the party head quarters.

When Prison officers went on strike, Sedinam Atieno Tamakloe, a top member of the Nefarious Destructive Cancer retorted on air “no wonder the strike was started by prison officers in Kumasi”. She didn't know it was initiated by prison staff in the Western Region. Once more, checkmating the “Terrifying Great Ashanti Project” was right on course”!

Let us also not forget the utterances of the ignorant and power hungry tyrant, Kobby Acheampong . Listen to him. “Sir John was behaving like a typical koooase kuraseni. He stayed in Kumasi too long. He is in Accra now. He should broaden his horizon. Clearly the way he talks is very typical of someone who is sometimes very ignorant. The Kumasi thing is too much in him”

What does this ignorant concert man mean by the “Kumasi thing”? Is the expression not describing Ashantis, particularly those from Kumasi in derogatory terms? You see, if the President did not want to be regarded as anti Ashanti, he should have sacked this “Kwadwo basia” a long time ago. But not even a verbal reprimand was given to him. Why? Because this “Kwadwo basia” action and utterances easily fit into President Mills agenda of demystifying the terrifying Great Ashanti Project.

Again, Our Juju Ring wearing President went to the ridiculous extent by saying during his Annual State of the Nation's Address to Parliament on 16th February, 2012. “Atta Mills has no intention of bringing violence in Ashanti Region, nor does he know of anybody seeking to do that”. Hey, President Mills can you swear before God, the one who created you that you had no hand in the violence that occurred in the Ashanti Region during the Biometric Registration Exercise?

Of all the 10 Regions in the country, why did the President make reference to only the Ashanti Region? Was it because he himself realized that his actions and utterances would give him up as someone who detests Ashantis? He sounded the alarm bell and it happened. Our juju ring wearing president and his aides will have a lot of explanations to do about the presence of the thug called Dzibodi who it was alleged went about destroying life and property including the biometric registration equipment. If the President is God fearing and a man of high moral standing, he should order the immediate arrest and prosecution of the said Dzibodi.

Then came the mother of all hatreds against Ashantis. It was the capitation of the pilot NHIS in Ashanti Region. Its implementation had to do with payment per person per month of GHC1.45 for government facilities and GhC1.75 for private facilities. Of the suggested amount, GhC1.11 is for services rendered and GhC0.65 for medicine for enrolled clients in the Region. This is grossly inadequate and will impact negatively on the people in the Region.

If the President had no hatred for Ashantis, why did the pilot capitation take place in only the Ashanti Region? The ideal thing would be starting the programme in selected towns/municipalities in various Districts throughout the country. Pushing this disgusting policy down the throats of Ashantis without any public enlightenment campaign was the 'unkindest cut of all”

But Mr. President, what have Ashantis done against you to deserve such a treatment which is worse than what the Jews received at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. Ashantis, like the Yorubas do not segregate. Acheampong was an Ashanti, but the bulk of opposition against his regime came from Ashantis themselves.

Come out of it, Mr. President. You have by your actions and reckless utterances from your Appointees portrayed yourself up as someone who greatly fears Ashantis and is doing everything possible to eliminate that morbid fear. And so checkmating this terrifying Great Ashanti Project has been given high impetus in your highly unpopular reign. Repent, for your kingdom is coming to an end. Ashantis are nice people. Do not hate them. This is the voice of God.

Daniel Danquah Damptey ([email protected]) 0243715297.

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