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22.11.2014 Opinion

Dr Duffuor Has Questions To Answer  

By Kwesi Biney
Dr Duffuor Has Questions To Answer
22.11.2014 LISTEN

Sometimes it is very difficult for a writer like me to pick on a respected person in the society, particularly when such a person is a friend, and bring him or her under microscopic scrutiny. Difficult as it is, our job requires that objectivity grants no favour to individuals; only the general interest of society must reign supreme. Last Tuesday, November 18, 2014, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the immediate past Minister of Finance, was reported to have 'stated that it is time for all to help build the national economy which has underperformed since independence, considering its resource endowment'.

He cited a number of reasons of both external and internal nature which have contributed to the underperformance of the nation's economy. Despite the great observations he made, his call looks as if a section of the Ghanaian populace has at certain points in time not helped to build the economy and that those who were in charge of the management of the economy at the time thought that they could go ahead and build the economy without the contributions of others.

Dr Duffuor has had the benefit of being the Governor of the Central Bank for a while and has become the Finance Minister as well. During the tenure of his office as the Finance Minister from 2009-2012, the country recorded the longest single-digit inflation figure in modern times, the propaganda associated with this achievement is very well known to all of us. The economy had the biggest growth ever in its history over 40 years. He took the credit for it as well.

Somewhere along the line, scandals of judgement debts paid to individuals and corporate bodies began to emerge, as it became clear that those who received the monies did not deserve them. The cases of Alfred Agbesi Woyome, CP Company Limited, Isofoton, Waterville and many such illegal payments of huge sums of monies to recipients who had done no work for the country began to surface.

Subsequent revelations by the Sole Commissioner on judgement debt payments have also brought to the fore criminal payments made by him as the Finance Minister. Dr Duffuor, in the midst of these controversies, has kept so quiet over his role in these pungent doling out of public funds to cronies of the Create, Loot and Share Enterprise. He has refused to tell Ghanaians why he made those fraudulent payments.

The worst legacy Dr Duffuor bequeathed to this nation was the huge GH¢8 billion deficit at the end of 2012. It is significant to state that this expenditure, which has no corresponding entries by way of physical infrastructure in this country, was doled out by Dr Duffuor in the last quarter of 2012, which happened to be an election year.

Dr Duffuor has not said anything to Ghanaians about this very reckless dissipation of public funds for partisan political gains. It is this irresponsible expenditure by Dr Duffuor during the period stated above which has thrown this country into the crisis we still find ourselves in. No concrete projects in this country benefitted from the GH¢8 billion he pumped into the economy. Projects or social interventions such as the Atuabo Gas project, the Suhum portion of the Accra-Kumasi highway, the Health Insurance Scheme, the School Feeding Programme, to mention but a few, never benefitted from this colossal amount. As a matter of fact, not even our struggling energy sector or our MMDAs, which were indebted and are still indebted, benefitted from the above amount.

Dr Duffuor, having contributed in a period of just four years to the most abysmal and choking economic conditions in the history of this country, has no moral right, indeed not even an imaginary one, to advise Ghanaians on the economy of this country. He has questions to answer in respect of the state of this economy, and until he does that publicly, he should keep his ideas to himself. He has inflicted the most painful economic conditions on this country; we need the truth from him and not any advice.

OH, THE BNI THIS TIME?
I had thought that the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) has over the years changed its modus operandi to a modern respectable one. Nobody in this country has a problem with the existence of the BNI. Every nation the world over has both an internal and external security agency to protect the state. Our worry is sometimes the manner in which the BNI operates. Sometimes it operates as an arm of a ruling political party rather than an agency of the state.

Somebody is arrested in faraway London for allegedly exporting narcotic drugs; she is alleged to be in possession of three passports—an Austrian passport and two Ghanaian passports, one of which is a Diplomatic passport—a media house publishes the story—it may not be true—and what the BNI does is to arrest the CEO of the media house? Why? Haven't they read the 4 th  Republican Constitution and the reliefs available to any person or corporate body that feels unfairly treated by any publication? Invitation by the BNI is certainly not one of them.

In any case, who is more of a threat to the country; the security operatives at Kotoka, including BNI staff who failed to apprehend the lady who has brought shame to all of us, or a media house that publishes what someone perceives as false? Ao BNI! Waterville owes us, Isofoton has raped us, Subah Infosytems is alleged to have duped us, SADA operatives are walking freely and rlg has taken millions of our monies without delivering the services it is supposed to deliver. Yet the poor journalist is the easiest prey. Eei, as for National Service Scheme (NSS) you did well ooo. Improve your image and stop this intimidatory tactics of cowing down media practitioners because nobody CAN INTIMIDATE us.

It is amazing that some state institutions would on their own court unnecessary public outrage towards themselves. The BNI needs a Public Relations outfit.

WHO IS YOUR MP?
Multi-party democracy requires that the citizenry elect representatives into Parliament to act on their behalf.  It is assumed that the choice of the electorate in this exercise is the best among the lot and that the person, once elected by the majority, will represent the broader interest of the people. Parliament as an institution is losing public confidence as the anchor around which we can all rally to float in the event that the nation is sinking. Recent events and the state of the nation give very little indication that we can count on the House of Representatives of the people for our collective survival.

The worst of the situation are some comments attributed to some individual Members of Parliament on issues that are very crucial to the wellbeing of Ghanaians. Earlier this year, a discussion on the floor of the House on the menace of armed robbery and the state of insecurity of the people ensued. Various speakers made one point or the other about how best to deal with the situation. An Honourable Member for Ablekuma North asked Ghanaians who are attacked by armed robbers to open a certain verse in Isaiah and read it and that they would be safe. I asked myself that if Bible verses would protect us from armed robbers, why create the Police Service, the Armed Forces and other security agencies?

Who, when attacked by armed robbers, would have the presence of mind to locate a Bible, let alone open a verse to read while the robber waits to say amen?

Another Honourable Member of the House is also calling for the stoning of adulterous women. When the nation has such men of stone-age mentality claiming to be making laws for the ICT era, nothing obviously would go well for the people. If the MP loves his wife so much but does not trust her, he should check his performance and not seek national endorsement for his inhuman and criminal plans. He should look for Kwame Sefa Kaye for  gidi power  to improve his performance.

The MP should say it loud if he has never attended any of the seminars and the workshops available to MPs without an  ipad.  If it is about adultery, men are the worst culprits. If you have nothing serious to say, mum should be the word, Mr MP. Two tots of mahogany bitters to enhance my performance so she will be by me.

Kwesi Biney/Daily Guide
[email protected]

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