‘Yesterday, I Sent Krobo Edusei’ (2)

People don't light a lamp and then hide it under a bowl. They put it on a lamp stand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. (Mathew 5:15)

In time of war when the enemy becomes aggressive and attacks wildly, the commander of the defending army orders his troops to fight back because the best way to defend is to attack. Even football coaches will tell you so.

The NPP communicators have been silent for so long a time, allowing the NDC propagandists to continue to take the battle to their doorsteps. I am tired of complaining about the docility of the NPP communication team. This time around, I want to appoint myself as the Commander-In-Chief.

I therefore, charge NPP communicators to wake up from their long slumber and fight back because the battle will be hotter and there is no time to lose.

The President and his team have done a wonderful job and the horns must be tooted. But for the excellent performance of the Nana Addo-led administration, Ghanaians would not have given the government another four-year term with yet another impressive voter difference of more than five hundred thousand votes.

Remember in 2008, Professor Mills won by a mere forty-eight thousand votes. Despite the world economic recession and the Covid-19 as well as the ongoing Ukraine/Russia war, the economy continues to improve. Salaries of workers are paid on time while other commitments are met.

The NDC is trying to poison the minds of Ghanaians to the extent that, they continue to portray the state of the economy as the worst that has ever happened in Ghana. Meanwhile, when the NDC was in power, teachers were paid three months salary after working for three years.

They have all too soon refused to remember the difficulties the nation went through in 1983 as well as the four–year of Dumsor which collapsed businesses and nearly brought the nation on her knees. Oh, memory, where hath thy flown to?

They no more talk about the stabilisation of the Cedi and neither do they complain about the stable prices of petroleum products. The gold for oil magic wand is doing some wonders yet they have taken their eyes from the achievement.

They do not complain about the Double Track system and Mr. Mahama shamelessly told Ghanaians that students of the Free SHS performed well because of 'apo' (cheating in exams). When he made that infantile and irresponsible statement, it never occurred to him that he was insulting our hardworking teachers.

And NPP communicators kept silent on this serious issue, so he continues to strut the land with impunity. He teasingly calls the President Jack Toronto but doesn't know that he, Mahama is Charlie Chaplain, the master joker.

Take the issue of Double Track for example. Many schools do not take part in the system because accommodation, classroom blocks, dining halls and other facilities have been provided by the MMDAs.

Constituency Communication Directors of areas where such facilities have been provided have kept silent as if they have been hypnotised. The Agenda 111 Hospital Projects are sprouting up in various districts while the NDC propagandists continue to say they have seen nothing.

I do not blame them because if you do not blow your own horn, do not expect your political enemy to blow it for you. I thank God a new Minister of Information has been appointed. The lady should not act like the former Minister whose style of informing the populace on projects is through news conferences held in Accra with 'Big English'. She must showcase projects on the many TV stations that we have in this country.

The immediate past Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Amoako Atta, was a total failure as far as showcasing projects is concerned. All that he used to tell us was “Year of Roads.” Where are the roads? The truth is that this government has built unprecedented road networks across the length and breadth of the country but sadly they are not shown for the people to see.

I had cause to write in this column that I believe in the saying: “Seeing is believing.” The new minister should hit the road, running. He should literally capture the TV stations and showcase the roads constructed. These days, almost every household has one TV set or more.

The people want to see. Where I live, we have majority of the people who have never been to Accra since he or she was born. After all, if the person has nothing to do in Accra what do you expect him to go to Accra for?

Therefore, if you talk of Pokuase Interchange, he or she sees it as a dream. But when the project is shown on TV the person will know what the government has done with the taxes or loans contracted. Abi I lie?

What to me is more heart-raking is the way NPP communicators have kept silent over Dr. Bawumia's novel Digitisation drive. The whole world is going digital and the economic whiz-kid has thought it wise to make sure Ghana joins the bandwagon.

Many Ghanaians are benefiting from digitisation like buying their power credits with their smart phones and bank transactions among others but they do not know that it is part of the digitization drive.

Party communicators use 'big' English to explain the advantages of the digitisation scheme forgetting that the illiteracy rate in the country is pretty high. Digitization has gone a long way to check corruption particularly at the ports, and monies which should have gone down the drain are saved for the development of the nation.

Ghost names in our payrolls have vanished because of digitisation. The NDC is very much aware of that but unfortunately, they have tried to misinform the populace about the advantages of the project. When they are exposed, they are quick to say they started it.

Anytime I hear John Mahama propagating the already existing 24-hour economy, I giggle. Is that all what the man can tell us in order to convince us to vote for him? Many companies are already engaged in 24-hour services and digitisation has come to add more sugar into the stuff.

What 24-hour economy again? I don't blame the man as he goes around swaggering with his 24-hour economy mantra because the NPP communicators have given him a leeway to jump and kick around like a Kunfu fighter.

In 1969, the late former Prime Minister of Ghana, Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia and his Progress Party government introduced the Ghana Identity Card successfully. In fact, some old men and women still have their cards in their boxes.

The Mills/Mahama administration tried to issue the Ghana Card but failed miserably. Under Dr. Bawumia, almost every Ghanaian is in possession of his or her Ghana Card. The difference between the 'can do man' and the 'do little man' is very clear here.

Mr. Mahama should put up or shut up over there because Ghanaians can read between the lines. Full Stop!!!

BY Eric Bawah