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24.11.2014 Feature Article

Prez Mahama Is Insensitive But No Thank You Kyei Mensah Bonsu Minority

Prez Mahama Is Insensitive But No Thank You Kyei Mensah Bonsu Minority
24.11.2014 LISTEN

I normally will not waste my breath on opposition parties when their activities do not bother on our constitution or directly affect our commonweal. My view is that inasmuch as it is the government of the day that has the mandate to rule, it is their tail that must be held tightly for them to deliver. I therefore sparingly talk about opposition parties.

No doubt, life in Ghana is becoming increasingly unbearable by the day and this calls for concerted public effort and outcry meant to pressurise the government to at least if not make Ghana better as promised, bring back our normal Ghana to us. I think the pressure on the government is in the right direction – they deserve it. We cannot suffer in search and sacrifice as government apologetics eat rich in satisfaction.

Among other things, we need to sustainably keep public protests, demonstrations and agitations alive. That is the only language Gov't understands beside elections. If they will not stop the talking, control corruption, and create a modest environment for us to struggle our way up, then they should also not have any peace of mind to chop the massive wealth most of them have undeservingly accumulated.

Our elders say plenty of meat does not vitiate the taste of soup. So as we mount pressure on the government, we ought not to have any cause to worry whoever spearheads whatever cause – in so far as such actions seek to put pressure on the government, we ought to have welcomed them. But this does not mean we could be smooth-talked by supervised others who just like those in government are beneficiaries of our sufferings, into believing that as for them, they care for us.

One of such 'others' is the Minority MPs in our Parliament. I have spotted several news reports in which the Minority are saying that they are going to get themselves onto the streets and woo the people of Ghana into causing the government to reduce the 17.5% Petroleum Tax imposed on us. But who called them into this? By not questioning the sponsoring of parliamentary emissaries with our taxes to China just to choose chairs and receive per diems while we have an Embassy there, did it not occur to them that the sustainability of such unnecessary expenditures would need more taxes? Why are they now worried that 'insensitive' John Mahama is imposing more taxes on us?

The fact is that of late, God being so good, Ghanaians have found credible alternatives to articulate their frustrations to Government outside of the political parties. We all saw how government apologetics and officials were faltering and farting when Organized Labour and OccupyGhana decided to embark on protests. Extreme partisanship is gradually tailing off. The produced hardships on us as against the increasing wealth accumulation by politicians who divide and rule us have told all of us some lessons. We are gradually on our way to building the 'Ghanaian Voice' in antipathy to the hitherto 'NDC/ NPP Voices' and the Minority in Parliament are clearly aware of this.

As major beneficiaries of extreme partisan politics, it has not lost on them that their relevance and credibility, just like that of their majoritarian-headed colleagues in Government are fast depreciating and paling away – it is just a matter of time. This surreptitious move to belatedly shed crocodile tears and demonstrate against the petroleum taxes are all clearly calculated to feign interest in our plights so they can yet again hijack our voices in pursuit of their usual 'partisan interest.' I strongly feel we all must ignore them.

If Hon. Kyei Mensah Bonsu and his Minority in Parliament, in spite of our melting economy find nothing wrong with bagging dollars to China to buy common chairs while we have so many carpenters and furniture makers in this country, why then must I be fooled to feel that they are genuinely worried about John Mahama's imposition of new taxes on me? The last time I heard from the Minority Leader, he was bitterly complaining loudly that MPs in Ghana were the worst paid in Africa. So what is the beef of the Minority if Government is imposing more taxes on us to generate money to pay them?

What is insensitive and troubling to many Ghanaians is the fat undeserving salaries, allowances, freebies and the unconscionable ex-gratias that politicians are amassing in Ghana. An ordinary worker will serve the nation throughout her lifetime but her accumulated pension benefits will be nowhere near the ex-gratia an MP will receive after just 4 years in office. But the last time I checked, there was no Minority protest against this heart breaking and inequitable way of sharing our taxes. If the Minority so cares about Ghanaians as they want us to believe, they should forfeit even ¼ of all these and let us see if what will accrue from that will not be more than enough to cover the revenue 'insensitive' Prez. Mahama wants to generate from the petroleum tax imposed on us.

Their hypocrisy and double standards to me is even far more wickedly insensitive than the Petroleum Tax they are calling public support to attack. Indeed, just like some of their colleagues in government, the case is not that all the Minority MPs are predators whose selfish desires are their sole motivation. The broad point is that the configuration of their collective political interest is materially no dissimilar from that of the ruling government officials and their role in the creation of some crunchy national sufferings makes their seeking to appear more caring and more patriotic than the government untenable.

My view is not that we should disband party politics (though I will be happy if people voted on the basis of what MPs bring on board and NOT their political parties). Indeed going into election 2016, since we Ghanaians have wilfully decided to foist NDC and NPP onto ourselves as the only options we have, by all means a huge number of them will retain their seats.

What I seek to put across is that the Minority should stand aside, we do not want them to trivialise our grave sufferings by situating the war we have with President Mahama for better living standards into partisanship.

How dare you dine in Chinese chairs with my oppressor when it suits you, only for you to feign to want to rescue me and you think I should believe you?

So, can I pay the 17.5% petroleum tax? No. Do I need the Minority in this? No.

Festival Godwin Boateng
An ordinary Ghanaian.

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