Malfunctions of a Think Tank Boss – Tourism As He Couldn’t Perceive! Part I

My worry has always emanated from the covetousness of people who argue issues depending on how beneficial their choice of words are to their pockets. A truthful eventuality that almost always speaks volumes about the collusion of our leaders here in Africa. That same eventuality that prompted a lowly President of the USA to describe our countries as #ShitHoles, implying that we are pieces of shit by default. #IHateThat…!

Swallow the bitter pill, folks, and wash it down with some pito, after all you want to remain incognito, never wanting to be judgmental of fools although you are of the sensible!

Recently, Imani Ghana was awarded with something that they described as an award. But for what? For the skewed deliberations about favourable issues that would have kept the dust settled had the noise maker at Imani not attacked, especially the tourism agenda? We all heard what the Honourable Minister for Tourism said in her press conference. The TK (too known) folks that are running around like new walkers in diapers seem to have something to say about everything. That is the reason why their folly is sometimes unpardonable. For example, they have recently called for Vice President’s hospitalisation bill quite loudly when they were mute over the excessive spending and theft of John Mahama and his NDC dead goats. That tells you that Imani is more an NDC proprietary than it is neutrally democratic.

Remember when we were children, we were thought that “if you have nothing better to say, better say nothing at all” That is my artistic way of repeating the sternness of this admonishment, which I shall never forget. So in this article, even though some lame tongues would use this same idiom to attack me, I would still speak the sense that Franklin Cudjoe lacked in his submission on the tourism agenda.

In Hon Catherine Afeku’s statement, she never stated that her Ministry was going to fund the mega projects. The Akwaaba Hotels she spoke about were projects that are potential bait for investors to flood this country with their moneys. Franklin Cudjoe’s misconception was just the teaser that exposed the true identity of this think-tank as a nothing-tank. Where is the Hon Minister going to get funds for the implementation of such a money intensive investments? To me his baseless arguments just brought to the fore a sour tang of dislike that people peddle towards office holders who are struggling in their jobs due to the fiscal harmattan that John Mahama and his NDC thieves brought upon us. Franklin has never been an objective analyst. He says what his donors want to hear, and advocates what causes agitations in order to remain prominent. Not in my eyes, uh uh, Imani Ghana was never prominent.

I have never forgotten his acrid vitriol against NPP women when he shamelessly said that they were gross and their #distins were smelly. That insult alone should have disqualified Imani Ghana from any donor support or acknowledgement ever. It seems that John Mahama’s statement that “Ghanaians have short memories” is true, after all.

I repeat, every single project that the Honourable Minsiter for Tourism outlined in her press briefing was up for grabs by interested investors on PPP basis. If Franklin Cudjoe had not had the needless urge to ridicule the Minister, he would have understood that part of her “mission” statement where she iterated, “It is also to develop and sustain public-private-partnership with the Diaspora for resource mobilisation and investment.” What is so esoteric about this at all? And to sustain this, it is imperative to travel. An NPP Minister for Tourism who does not travel to secure a positive rate of climb for her ministry cannot be but a lazy successor to lackadaisical NDC clueless appointees who were afflicted with worse cluelessness on how to hide their ugliness, wrongfully applying cosmetics to add more distortion to their distortions!

But who do we have as Minister? A vibrant young lady with all the clues on how to make her Ministry the shining star amongst others, hence the flatulent urge to disgrace her with allowable calumny!

He could have chosen to speak about the positive effects of some of her travels, for example, which had accorded Ghana the right to host the very first World Forum on Tourism in Sub-Saharan Africa. He could have chosen to speak about the delightful idea of welcoming travelers to Ghana with our traditional delectable Ghanaian Chocolate on Valentine’s Day. He could have chosen to speak about other matters that have brought a measure of respect and greatness to an industry that Hon Catherine inherited. The tourism industry was practically run down by her predecessors. He could have chosen to speak about that strange weeping rock in the Central Region that is going to be earmarked as a tourism site. He could have chosen to speak to the fact that Safaris in Ghana are now possible, and will only get better. He could have spoken to the fact that the tourist attractions in Ghana have gotten a major boost with investments that seem to be trickling in appreciably.

Franklin Cudjoe could have chosen to speak to the positive traits in her speech than pick on myopic issues that sounded ambiguous only to bring the Minister and her complete outfit into disrepute. He could have! He could have!! He could have!!! He could have chosen to become a driving force for Ghana’s forward match rather than a reverser of her fortunes!

Given my submission, Imani Ghana does not deserve any recognition at all.

By Fadi Dabbousi