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09.10.2020 Feature Article

The World Ruler - Part 6

The World Ruler - Part 6
09.10.2020 LISTEN

"Let me show you around, your Royal Highness," welcomed Seth Addo jr. his guest of honour.

"Either King Thomas or Mr Thomas for short," corrected King Thomas the man he had once personally picked to be the curator of Ghana National Hall of Shame. due to his busy working schedule, King Thomas had not always been able to see the place he once had initiated with the help of good friends from around the world, a project so dear to his heart. He came to inspect the progress made.

"I hear you, Sir," smiled Seth Addo jr. taking King Thomas and his small entourage into the middle of the building that looked like a candle in the night. "Especially this part of our most impressive building gets admired by so many of our visitors, be it, locals, from Ghana or foreign visitors that wish they would have a similar national memory in their own countries to fight corruption and make it an issue of the past. They can see the great spirit that is behind all the effort and see you, Sir, as the initiator and inspirer, as a truly visionary leader."

"You should know me better, my good friend Set Addo jr.," smiled King Thomas while looking upwards into the candle reaching high into the sky. "All I do is my job and nothing but my job. As a white man no one should praise me for anything...my skin is not black, and my mind is not black. When I initiate and stand for something, I honour people that follow me. When they hate what I do...never a problem for me. I am doing not what I do to be glorified in any history book and have the freedom to always leave my position and hand it over to someone else who this he or she is more qualified for the position I am holding. When I see the majority of my people is no longer backing me and taking to the streets...so what, I go back to Germany or any other country and enjoy the rest of my life. Unlike former Presidents of the fourth Republic, they were glued to their seats in Flagstaff House only forced out by the fact a President can be no more than 8 years in office. Otherwise, they would stay on and on and their families would inherit the throne in Flagstaff House. For me no way. I serve as long as people need and agree with my service...that is that simple!"

"I hear you Sir...and I know you speak the truth, Sir," commented Seth Addo jr while directing King Thomas and his team into the next room where they had the new exhibition on display covering the time around the twenties of the century. "Here you can see, Sir, some of our exhibits, photos, videos and documents to prove cases of corruption. Even we have some court sentences on display. We ensure that not only the prominent cases are on display for school classes and adults to see but also smaller cases of corruption that were equally hindering our progress as a nation."

King Thomas walked around the stands and glass cabinets in which the exhibits were displayed going back memory lane. "Once we started very humble...with this Hall of Shame on the internet, moved it to an old and empty building before eventually, this amazing building was able to be constructed. Truly a long but in the end successful journey, Seth Addo jr."

"Yes, Sir...it truly was a long journey to make it up to this stage," stood Seth Addo jr behind the King ready to answer him any question he might have.

Very slowly, looking with great interest and sharp mind on all photos and documents King Thomas stopped and remembered: "I so well remember this case...Seth Addo jr...and I guess we all do when we see this face of that man that had messed up Ghana so, so much and when we see the evidence presented here on display."

"You mean the sage of Ibrahim Mahama and Merchant Bank, Sir?"

"Exactly," turned King Thomas around and looked into the sad faces of his team members, "that is what I mean. He had taken a loan from Merchant bank, never paid it back, the bank collapsed, put by Bank of Ghana up for auction on the international market. A bank from South Africa was the highest bidder and best-qualified institution to buy the bank and manage it well. Instead Ibrahim Mahama and other established FORTIS Limited, having no expertise in running of a bank and even not all the needed assets required by BoG to push the bank but yet the Parliament was called to recess during summer vacation and vote on the matter giving the final consent for FORTIS Limited to purchase the Bank...even it was all against any rules and regulations of Bank of Ghana...still unbelievable...a self-service supermarket Ghana was back then. Anything was possible for anyone with money and power behind him. Rule of law was locked up in the closet. And the youth was only lamenting not taking swift actions to bring an end to corruption and a change of society. That was the saddest part of it all."

"But tables have turned, Sir, thanks to your leadership and the support you get from your team that stands united behind you...a team of corrupt like our own black leaders. Some of your Ministers even do not take any monthly allowances back home, in fact, bring money to the table and pay for expenses of their duties that the Ministry`s budget has no title for."

"There you can see the difference in mindset," smiled King Thomas while moving on and around another stand with interesting photos catching his eyes and attention. "I see a man in Tema Port with wide open hands...what is that all about?"

"That is a Customs Officer that was observed undercover by a vigilante group targeting the port of entry of our goods and caught red-handed as he took a bribe of than GHc 800 for reducing the weight of a container full of fake wax print from China that unfortunately occasionally comes into the country...of course, no more like before in the days of the fourth Republic."

"What happened to this man?"

"He was sent immediately to court for prosecution and it was investigated and proven that over the years he had taken over Ghc 40.000 for himself. Therefore the court sent him to prison for 20 years and even his wife is now in prison to serve a maximum of 5 years and on top of it they had to pay back the money stolen plus interest, so they lost the house that they had built with that money."

"A bell is ringing, and I think I remember that case for which we were heavily criticized," said King Thomas turning around to face his team. "It was the first time in the fight of corruption that we put not only the perpetrator behind bars but also his spouse he was living with. She did not steal the money as far as I can recall, but it was proven that she should have known that he husband is taking bribe making it possible for her and her kids to have a better life than they should have lived by his monthly salary. As she knew all that and did not stop him rather enjoyed a more comfortable life than expected, she also had to face justice as his helper."

"Yes, the international media houses and human rights organizations were jumping on our new laws and enforcement of the law. Many outsiders did not like it at all and the attacks on you, King Thomas, in the olden days were so great because of your very innovative and justified approach to tackle corruption," mentioned Seth Addo jr with a big smile on his face. He was happy to see his King remembering the dark side of Ghana.

"The wife of such perpetrators is our first and very practical defence line to fight corruption and make it efficient," said King Thomas moving closer to the exit seeing time had come to leave Ghana National Hall of Shame for the day. "The wife can stop the man to be of corrupt mind but as long as she does it not rather enjoys big cars, a house not of their level, trips outside the country end so on...she benefits from the money that does not belong to her husband and therefore, of course, she must get her punishment." Before leaving the premises King Thomas turned around and stated with great concern visible in his face around his eyes bringing also his voice down to impact people greatly: "Human rights organizations from the oh so wise white man`s world that seemed to have inherited the truth of the world, that still sit above us with the belief in their minds and hearts, in their sweet, sweet words, that as we have decided to follow the rules of capital punishment in serious cases such as corruption and illegal drug dealings, we are a barbaric country. They fight us still today very well when serious cases of corruption will end up in court and with the death penalty and subsequent execution. I mean, let us face reality and not blindfold ourselves. In certain countries, it is right to have abolished the death penalty, I agree. But in other countries such as ours, we must have the right to find our own ways to justice. When a country is faced with people that are so stubborn like our people in the leadership of the country running the country down and down and down strict and drastic measures need to be taken to bring an end to the misery inflicted on the people of that particular country such as ours. And let me also say this simple truth to the people sitti9ng in their nice, nice offices in an ivory tower that as they can talk anyhow with no fear to face any consequences for their thinking we Politicians stand daily in the light of our countries and have to face political consequences even here up to the fact that at any given time a coup or assassination of confused minds can take us to heaven at any second. That must never be forgotten. And, by the way, here in our law book we have the death penalty clearly written out for everyone to know. Therefore, anyone engaging in illegal activities knows the consequences he or she has to face when engaging in certain illegal activities. The consequence is simply and so the message to all, simply stay away from serious corruption and illegal narcotics and you will live a happy life in this country...or if not, face the music and consequences. No one is forced to be corrupt, no one is forced to be greedy and deal with narcotics that destroy the lives of many...they all can do a decent job and make others happy instead of making them depend on them in personal misery that easily can lead to the death of many on the streets of this world and find themselves locked up in prison for stealing money and pieces of jewellery from others just to pay for their drug addiction. As much as such human right organizations do agree with the call for fighting corruption and ensuring punishment like lock up in prison for serious offences...these people not carrying any consequences for their soft and sweet ideas and demands unlike us in the public light are of the naive belief when you send a serious corrupt leader into prison for ten or more years he will come out from prison as a changed man and confess that he had wronged a nation. That is a belief which exposes people not to know human nature or such corrupt leaders. When they come out they will not be changed but in prison constantly ask themselves what they had done wrong to get exposed and what needs to be done once out in freedom to continue their corrupt practices with a changed strategy which would make it much harder for us a nation to take them to court with evidence uncovered to get a second conviction against them. No, my good friend, what we need to do in our society...and let other societies do their own bit and have their specific rules and regulations which I do respect...but here we have to deal with such people in our very own way. And let me end by shouting out to all people in Ghana no one needs to be corrupt and no one needs to deal with legal drugs...obey the law or face the consequences of the law...simple. We eliminated the Indemnity Clause in our new constitution that once was a blueprint and sanctification for our corrupt system and the leaders playing their dirty games on our people."

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