Opulence And Fraudulence Are Our Bane!  

Until recently, I had been working with a colleague who always appeared to be in financial difficulties. He was my immediate boss for almost a decade and earned quite a substantial sum. He earned more than I did, yet he appeared to feel the pinch of the harsh economic realities in Asomdwekrom more than I did. I've always wondered why, but the reason became known to me only recently—he lived far beyond his means.

His vulgar and opulent lifestyle became known to all when it was detected that he had embezzled close to 30,000 cowries within a spate of 11 months. His main excuse was that he needed extra cowries to pay for his mortgage and car loan, which took almost 80% of his salary; not to talk of his insatiable desire for women, which also came with financial cost.

But the thrust of the matter is why he engaged in such opulence when he did not have the means to support his profligacy. Fortunately for him, no charges were made against him, courtesy of the magnanimity of his employer. But the sad aspect of it is that he lost his job, and the car was confiscated to defray some of the cowries he had looted. Only heaven knows how he and his family are surviving!

I liken my beleaguered ex-colleague's action to that of Asomdwekrom. Asomdwekrom, by all intents and purposes, is not a country that should be regarded as poor. For such a small country with so much resources and sources of wealth, poverty is the last word to be associated with Asomdwekrom.

Unfortunately, the reality is that we are nothing but a struggling nation. This is so because most of the leaders this country has had since independence have the penchant for opulence. Some of them even gleefully smile at unadulterated corrupt and fraudulent acts.

We cry for cowries daily and even have cup in hand begging for freebies from others. Yet our Presidents, their appointees and other public officials live like Arabian kings. We borrow to build roads, hospitals, schools and other amenities. We even borrow to buy sanitary pads, yet we flagrantly splash cowries on government and public officials who produce next to nothing for this country.

The irony of the whole situation is that those who give us loans and freebies live moderate lives. While in Europe some years back, I had the privilege of seeing ministers of state riding on public transport with no police escort. But here, our ministers have become like smaller gods and are virtually worshipped.

We were all witnesses to the exposure made at the Ghana at 50 Commission hearing. We all saw how the bespectacled bald-headed fraudster colluded with public officials to defraud this country of over 51 million cowries. We were all here in Asomdwekrom when tens of millions of cowries were splashed on phantom trees and 'akomfem' which are yet to return from Burkina Faso. We were witnesses to the fraudulent deals that went on during the purchase of some Embraer jets. The shocking story of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) officials, who callously and criminally rented an office space for $63,000 per month for two years, made headlines in our presence in this country. We are also witnesses to Madam Lauretta Lamptey's rent palaver. The list is simply endless.

Frankly, were I to be an official of any of those countries who lend or give freebies to this country, I would vigorously campaign for the practice to stop. You may call me unpatriotic, but I strongly believe they would be more than justified if they stopped giving us freebies and loans. After all, is it not an open secret that a chunk of those cowries almost always find their way into private pockets?

As a teacher, I always hear my pupils recite the National Pledge. But when I compare the words of the National Pledge to the happenings in the country, I wonder if the leadership of the country understands the meaning of those words.

The beginning of the Pledge reads; 'I promise on my honour to be faithful and loyal to Ghana my Motherland.' I just cannot help but wonder if someone faithful and loyal to his or her nation would rent an office space for $63,000 per month for two years. Same goes for the purchase of the Embraer jets, the sad SADA 'akomfem' saga and all the fraudulent schemes perpetrated in order to loot this country.

Perhaps, it would be a good idea to change some of the words of the National Pledge. The beginning could read thus: 'I promise on my honour to be UNFAITHFUL and DISLOYAL to Ghana my Motherland. I pledge myself to RAPE Ghana, with all my strength and with all my heart. '

Whether you agree with me or not, there is enough evidence to show that my revised version of the National Pledge is the one being used by many of our compatriots. Just look around, if you doubt me.

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!

 From Agya Kwaku Ogboro