It’s my turn again to Speak

: This Is Not The NPP We Fought For (Part IV)---Rejoinder I have followed and read with keen interest feature articles written by Mr.Arshley the so-called teacher/political commentator. If people from the developed countries read his feature articles, the remarks they will make would be “no wonder Ghana is at where she is”. For how can such a person describe himself as a teacher/political commentator?

I keep asking myself whether we still have pupil teachers in Ghana these days, for Mr. Arshley will only qualify to be one. He is a disgrace to the Ghana Education Service if he is a member. What good things does he have in his head to impart to our children? No wonder Dr. Jerry Boom sent his children outside the country for how can he allow the likes of Teacher Arshley to teach them.

Mr. Arshley calls himself a political commentator. We are thankful to the NPP gov't that now everybody has liberty and the constitutional freedom to do whatever he likes and confers on himself any title he likes. I suggest that the level headed political commentators that we know form an association to weed out the unenlightened self acclaimed commentators. In all humility, Mr. Arshley should tell us why he calls himself a political commentator.

In his said article, Mr. Arshley said, “ the sickness of our President is that he speaks as if he is speaking Surinam language and he lacks the ingredients of a leader”. He calls it “the sickness of the President”. It is said that those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. However, what amused me was that he didn't say whether our President writes good English. Let's take a trip down the memory lane. In the days of the PNDC, Dr. Jerry Boom wrote a note which found its way to the then Voice Newspaper. Could Voice Newspaper do us a favour by re-publishing that note once more? The note which contained just about twelve lines had more than twenty cancellations. The grammar was too bad and there were a lot of spelling mistakes. Everybody doubted whether it was truly written by Dr. Jerry who rattles like a Scottish. I would have doubted that it was from my good friend Dr. Jerry but for his signature, which I am familiar with. That was a clear indication that some people can write better than they can speak and vice versa.

If Ghanaians have patiently tolerated for nearly twenty years my good friend Dr J.J. who failed his O' Levels miserably from a school like Achimota except English that he struggled to pass, why shouldn't we be patient for President Kufuor to finish his term of eight years even if he cannot speak better as claimed by the “teacher/political commentator” and Dr. Tony Aidoo. Thank God President Kufour has not been accused that he cannot write well. Let's be patient for after the “Gentle Giant” (a nickname Dr. J.J. doesn't want to hear) had ruled for only eight years, he would surely leave the scene.

Under the guise of educational reforms, Dr. Jerry scrapped off both the O &A Levels. His reason for so doing which I think he was right to do was that he realized that as the name implied Ordinary Level exams were meant for the ordinary persons to pass. He was therefore ashamed when he couldn't pass. The best thing for him to do when the chance came was to abolish the old system and replaced it with the JSS and the SSS which have produced so many young and unemployed JSS and SSS graduates. Meanwhile, after fooling all of us, Dr. Jerry made his children wrote the “O” and “A” Level exams and are now schooling abroad. We have been told often times by Dr. J.J. that he has no money and now unemployed but since we have also been told that it is his friends who pay his children's fees we will accept it as it is and would no more question him about his financial status. We pray that he will continue to have many of such good friends who may one day buy him Land Cruisers. If you know the cost of a Land Cruiser, you will open your mouth as wide as you can and if you are not lucky, flies will use it as a playing field. He is the only person who has good friends. By the way, when he says that he has no money, does it include her wife as Jesus said “I am my father are one”? Or this is a case of each one for himself. Ei, Ghana. Hm. “Asem beba dabi. Aba mpo awie”.

Mr. Arshley was right to notice that teachers in Ghana have over the past years been treated as 'hewers of wood and drawers of water'. If I may ask, President Kufuor and Dr. Jerry, who has ruled Ghana for a longer period? So if Teacher Arshley's description better describes teachers, “na who causam, oga”. I also agree with Mr. Arshley when he said that the state in which teachers found themselves serve them right for they have helped in manipulating elections results for politicians. We have had three elections in recent times when Ghanaian with all boldness told Uncle Jerry that we were fed up with his military antics. In all the three elections we made good use of the services of our teachers. If Mr. Arshley says that teachers in manipulating election results for politicians in return for better conditions of service which never came their way registered children under age in Ashanti Region (was it only in Ashanti where children under age were registered?) to vote, then who had fooled the teachers? Who had cheated the teachers and whom did they work for? The answers are not far fetched. Look at who was in charge of affairs in the country in the years we had elections. Can one therefore say that it wasn't the NDC gov't who has made teachers what they are now?

Have Ghanaians soon forgotten that it is part of Dr. Jerry to use a person to pursue his diabolical agenda and later on dump him? Poor teachers, weep not for yours is better than what happened to Akata Pore, Adabuga, Amartey Kwei and the others. Why didn't he for the nearly twenty years that he misruled the country restore Cap 30 for teachers as well as other civil servants if he had them at heart? All workers should reflect on it and take wise decisions on December 7 2004.

When people including Mr. Arshley accuse the members of the gov't of corruption, I ask myself whether Ghanaians are serious. We knew E.T. Mensah (then a clerk at Legon who at that time had not put up any house nor acquired a plot of land anywhere), Prof. Awoonor, Kwamina Ahwoi (my lecturer at Legon whose beard was similar to that of Osaman Bin Ladin and own no house. It was like he had no money to buy a blade for shaving), Kwesi Ahwoi and Ato Ahwoi, Joshua Alarbi (who in the PNDC era was teaching what students at IPS called “Socialist Economics” and therefore boycotted his classes), Yaw Akrasi Sarpong (who in the PNDC days was a part time chemistry lecturer at Okuapeman Sec.School whilst doing his masters program at the School of Communication Studies, Legon. In those years, he always wore “afro moses sandals” with his trousers folded to the knee level. He was appointed Eastern Regional Minister.), Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, now a law student was in “charlie wote” in one of the Secondary Schools in Tamale etc. etc. when they entered politics. We knew what they had before and what they acquired when they left their various offices. Akrasi Sarpong is now “Osofo” but has kept all his ill gotten wealth. He doesn't want to hear what Zacheus said when Jesus called him. Don't forget Totobi Kwakye, Osei Owusu and the later day saints of the NDC. By the way, can someone ask Kwamena Ahwoi for me why he no more keeps the beard. “Sika no no”. “Money swine”. Is it also true that Dr. Rawlings nearly collapsed and flared up on seeing the mighty house of E.T. Mensah, the house with a remote controlled door? Did any of these and other people in the then PNDC/NDC regime returned any of their properties in accordance with the teachings of the Bible that whoever has stolen should return whatever he has stolen to the owner? Is Rawlings not condoning corruption and stealing when he looked on unconcerned for his friends he ruled with to go away with all that they had got when he knew they joined him with nothing? We should also not forget the confession of Mr. Rawlings that before he came to power through coup d'tat, he was using seat he had stolen from a wrecked Air Force helicopter but he now owns a sophisticated mansion by the Volta River at Akosombo. “Enkye na onipa aye yie”.

To quote Mr. Arshley, “on mass transportation, I see it as no achievement; Nkrumah and Liman brought not used but NEW BUSES into Ghana”. If I may ask, what did Dr. Jerry also bring and what happened to the new buses brought in by Dr. Liman after our uncle illegally and selfishly overthrew him? Why didn't he build upon Liman's transportation system? Mr. Arshley in shame must tell us what Dr. Jerry did with Dr. Liman's new buses. I don't want to be told that the buses later on became “King of Kings” buses with …and …and…including …as the owners. We those who were not members of the PNDC/NDC stealing syndicate and therefore own no cars are very grateful to the NPP gov't for the buses. If Mr. Arshley is not proud to board the bus, that is his own decision. We the good people of Ghana are very relieved with the mass transportation system introduced by the visionary President Kufuor.

On the Mormons issue, Mr. Arshley should go and ask Maame Rawlings about her relations with them. Mr. Arshley the “political commentator” shouldn't speak on matters he lacks knowledge, except that it is his plan to pretend to like the PNDC/NDC, brings about a topic for discussion and expects the public to hit hard on them. Even if that is his plan, why can't he tell them in their face but want to hide behind other people. Hypocrisy is something I hate in my life.

Now that we are trying to heal tribal wounds, listen to what “teacher” Arshley says. He said “ one man and one tribe cannot take Ghana for a ride”. Obviously, he is referring to President Kufuor ad the Ashantis. The earlier Gen. Mosquito calls the great “teacher/political commentator” to order the better it would be for the NDC. Whilst Gen Mosquito wants 30% of Ashanti votes for the NDC to come back to power in January 2005, Mr. Arshley by his pronouncements castigating Ashantis for no crime would let Ashantis vote against the NDC. Don't let him incur the displeasure of the Ashantis against the NDC in order not for the NDC to lose the needed 30% to make them win the elections.

Mr. Arshley should come again and he shouldn't forget that come December 2004, President Kufuor will continue to rule for no president in Ghana will ever rule for a term. That is my decree. You may not like it, but like the Romans “what is written is written”.