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18.01.2012 Opinion

The Vulture Is A Bird Of Patience

By Daily Guide
VultureVulture
18.01.2012 LISTEN

One delicacy that the vulture enjoys most is carcass.  Unless the animal dies, the vulture will not touch it.  And so when an animal lies dying, the vulture will stay put on a tree nearby, waiting for the animal to die before devouring it.  It can take days or weeks but the vulture will wait patiently on the tree.  Once in a while, it will fly down and 'walk gently' around the dying animal with pride, while kicking it to see whether it is still alive.  When finally the vulture realizes that the animal is dead, it will then go ahead to devour it.

 Anytime you see a vulture hovering in the horizon, be sure that there is a carcass or a slaughter house nearby.  Nobody envies the vulture because it refuses to take what is not his. I admire the vulture for its stance. 

One bird I hate is the eagle. Unlike the vulture, the eagle is a very proud bird and refuses to eat any carcass.  The eagle takes what does not belong to it and so it is always at the receiving end as bird hunters keep aiming their catapults and guns at it.  The claws of the eagle are always tainted with blood.  When the storms gather and every bird runs to hide anywhere they can get, the eagle will fly high and try to penetrate the cloud into the sky.  I hate the eagle because it will do everything to get what it desires.  If the eagle were to be a human being or a political party, it could have been described as a ruthless practitioner of power.  Ever seen an eagle catching a snake before?  When the eagle sees a snake crawling, it will fly high into the sky and swoop down in a furious speed, grab the snake with its claws, fly high and perch on a tree and tear the snake into two with its beak before devouring it.  

Confused?  Wait a moment while I adjust my reading glasses.  I am trying to compare the flag-bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, to some politicians in this country who wanted power desperately and got it, only to realize that they were not prepared for it. If they had gotten the patience of a vulture, they would have been able to devour the carcass without being disturbed by marauding hyenas and dogs in their attempt to devour their prey. 

In their attempt to get power by hook or crook, the NDC, led by Professor Atta Mills, went all out like eagles to lie to Ghanaians, promising to build bridges where there were no rivers.  They threatened fire and brimstone and bared their teeth like the way hyenas do when they see a prey. According to these pathological liars, all cities will be cleared of filth in a matter of one hundred days, Ghanaians will pay health insurance premium only once in their life time, 40% of ministerial appointments would be given to women, the Ghana Telecom agreement would be abrogated, international airports would be built at Cape Coast and Tamale, taxes would be cut, petroleum prices would be reduced drastically, armed robbery would be a thing of the past, Ghana would no longer be attractive to cocaine barons, agriculture would be modernized, the School Feeding Programme will be extended to all private schools, the poverty line would be bridged, the size of the presidential convoy would  not exceed five cars; they shouted from the rooftop.

 To catch the eyes of those living in the Western /Central regions and the coastal areas, the NDC apparatchiks who went on a promising spree told unsuspecting Ghanaians that 10% of the oil revenue would be given to the people of the Western Region, premix fuel would be cheap, sea defence systems would be provided for the people of Ada and Shama, early completion of the Cape Coast stadium, and fishing gear would be made readily available and cheap in order to boost fish production etc.  Three years after taking over power, somebody out there should ask Atta Mills for me whether he has been able to accomplish all or even some of the promises enumerated above. This president who sees lies as virtues told us that he would hit the ground running, only to come around to tell us that he was 'slow but sure'.  And he is shamelessly seeking a second term!!!  

For the past three years, Nana Akufo-Addo has acted like the vulture.  In the face of the insults heaped on him by a failed government, the man has kept his cool, preferring to go about his duties as a flag-bearer rather than getting himself entangled in any dirty politics. He has decided to treat such insults with absolute contempt. They started their wicked and baseless smear campaign by telling whosoever cared to listen that one of the daughters of Nana was a drunk and went further to say the man himself was a womanizer.  

 When the issue of drug addiction did not wash, they chose to knock his head against Muslims by lying that he went to the North to urinate on a Mosque.  Now they have reached the end of the tether and the vulture is ready to devour the carcass.  Barely 11 months to the general elections, what are they going to say again? That is why the sages say lies have shorter legs.  There is no need for this vulture called Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to rush to devour the carcass because there are no hyenas or dogs scavenging around. The carcass is lying dead and alone at the refuse dump and the umbrella which shelters the carcass is leaking. The numerous failed promises are so glaring that they have nowhere to hide.  Instead of telling Ghanaians the number of promises they have been able to keep, the president does not hesitate to tell us that he has been able to abolish schools under trees. 

Was that one of the promises you made, Mr. President? Anyway, which government failed to build classroom blocks in the political history of this country? In the case of the NPP government, model Senior High Schools were built in almost all the regions in the country and yet they did not use them as a campaign tools.  Give us a break, Prof. Do Little!  

Mr. Kufuor promised and delivered on his promises and that is the mark of a good statesman. Want to know them?  Wait while I pull down my pants to urinate on the walls of my father's mud house which is located somewhere in the savannah land in the Northern region, where Angels abide.  He promised to remove the Criminal Libel Law from the statue books, and the first thing he did when he came to power was to instruct the then Attorney General in the person of Nana Akufo-Addo to present a bill to parliament on the issue. The wicked but threatening law was kicked out of the statue books in a matter of one year in office.  He promised to do away with the killer Cash and Carry system and it went away only to be replaced by the National Health Insurance Scheme. The man promised to provide jobs for the youth and came out with the National Youth Employment Programme.

 When fuel prices skyrocketed at the world market and Ghanaians were reeling under high cost of transport, he promised to assuage the suffering of the common man and went ahead to introduce the Metro Mass Transit.  He promised to bring free education to children in basic schools and it was done.

It was then candidate Kufuor who told supporters of the NPP at a rally in Sunyani that it was an eyesore to see children carrying chairs and tables to schools on a daily basis and that when voted to power, he would make sure schools were provided with furniture. 

He said even in Burkina Faso, where there are no forests, the country could provide furniture for school children.  When he came into power he made sure all schools were provided with free school furniture in a matter of three years. As for classroom blocks, roads, potable water and other goodies, he never promised them but he delivered them to the satisfaction of all Ghanaians. I can go on and on but sadly there is not enough space.  Any challenger?  

So you see, Nana should continue to be the vulture that he is because God has fought the battle for him. Those who think they can adopt the politics of insults to distract him have failed woefully.  Having come this far, Nana should not allow those who are vexing his spirit, to push him into saying or doing something that would mar his reputation as an astute politician of international repute. 

Victory is beckoning and it only requires a stretched hand to grab it. Nana should start rehearsing his maiden speech to the nation when he is finally sworn in as the Executive President of Ghana come December 7th 2012.  The speech should begin like this:  'Countrymen, at long last the battle has ended and Ghana, our beloved country, has uncoiled herself from the grips of greedy bastards.  We should try never again to put our destiny in the hands of people who are out there to bruise, vandalize, steal and milk the country dry.  Ladies and gentlemen……..'   (Don't laugh.  I am serious !!!).  Good morning, Daavi Ama of Dimples Junction.  Has our marriage hit the rocks?

By Eric Bawah

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