body-container-line-1
20.04.2015 Opinion

Great Comic Show From The Jesters!

By Daily Guide
Great Comic Show From The Jesters!
20.04.2015 LISTEN

I have on many occasions likened the actions of the Zu-za to that of a joker. Despite always supporting my claim with evidence, many Zu-za sympathisers have consistently rejected my claims. One of such persons is my cousin, Nuhu.

Nuhu is a Zu-za fanatic by all standards. He finds nothing wrong with anything that his party or government does. Indeed, he supports all actions of the Zu-za government, good or bad, with so much zeal that one tends to wonder if he is rational in his thinking. I was therefore shocked to the bone when he called me to complain bitterly about the drama that unfolded at Parliament's Appointment Committee (PAC) last Tuesday.

I was just recovering from a bout with malaria and was having an afternoon nap when he called. I ignored the caller when my phone first rang. But the persistence of the caller compelled me to pick the call. Nuhu fumed with rage as he complained bitterly about the poor performance of the deputy ministerial nominees. His concluding remarks kept ringing in my ears long after we finished the chat: 'Ogboro, I've eaten humble pie. This Mahama government is full of mediocre ministers and jokers.'

Though I was not surprised at the drama that unfolded at PAC, I perfectly understood my cousin's reaction. The failure of a deputy defence ministerial nominee to mention a single rank in the country's armed forces is shocking, to say the least. Is it not puzzling that the nominee did not even bother to do little research on the ministry that he is going to head?

Shocking as his performance was, one cannot help but understand him. The nominee himself knows more than we do that competence is not the reason for his nomination. He therefore did not think it important to bother to do any research. After all, he has a political godmother in the person of the First Lady herself.

Another deputy ministerial nominee exhibited his comic skills when he gleefully stated on his Curriculum Vitae (CV) that his work experience was serving as a dining hall prefect in senior secondary school. How that could help him in his prospective position as a deputy minister defies common sense. But hey, in a government that people without any work experience are appointed as ministers and deputy ministers, having been a dining hall prefect could easily pass.

Abusuapanin, do not be surprised if the House of Honourables endorses the nomination of the Dining Hall Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister I-Know-No-Rank. Why? The answer is not far-fetched. Many such nominees have gone through vetting at the House of Honourables and passed, only to publicly soil their ministerial clothing with faecal matter.

Need I remind you of Sister Vicky of vikileaks fame? From the first day she was sworn-in as deputy minister, the writing was on the wall for all to see. It was more than obvious that the state was simply splashing cowries on an incompetent deputy minister. But when we complained, we were told ours were useless lamentations. Did the vikileaks not vindicate us?

Sad to say, but the bitter truth is that most of our deputy ministers produce next to nothing for this country. They are virtually a drain on the country's scarce resources. What they do best is hop from one radio station to another to spew out pure propaganda and Kwaku Ananse stories. Is it any wonder that the Yutong bus is at the verge of falling into a bottomless pit?

There is this Member of Parliament (MP) whose analytical abilities are very suspect. How he managed to get a degree in Political Science from the University of Ghana and an EMGL from GIMPA remains a mystery, considering the fact that he hardly constructs two or three sentences together without making an unpardonable mistake. The MP in question is currently a deputy minister.

Are your ears itching to hear more? He is an MP from the Western Region and has been responding to the 'honourable' title since 1995. He was the MP who had the misfortune of receiving the 'honourable' slap from Hon Abdul Rauf Tanko in 1996. Can you guess whom I refer to?

I therefore ask, would you blame me if I likened the comedy being played out in the name of governance to the actions of a jester? In case you've forgotten, a 'jester' is a professional who entertains using varied skills. These may include one or more of skills such as music, storytelling, juggling, acrobatics, joke telling and other similar skills.

We now live in an era and place where court jesters are rarely seen. But just mention the word 'jester' and the only image that appears in my medulla is that of our President and his Dining Hall Minister. Indeed, the comedy on display couldn't have come at a better time, considering the economic difficulties we are going through.

See you next week for another konkonsa, Deo volente!

By Agya Kwaku Ogboro

body-container-line