The Ghost of Busia in Akufo-Addo, Nkrumah’s Ghost in Mahama

We can recognize various species either from their looks or sounds, but human beings, given their mischievous capacities, interchangeably shuffle between various identities. They cannot be necessarily defined by anything they say or do. It’s because hypocrisy performs an optical illusion on the audience when the visually perceived images differ from the objective realities. The hypocrites are not what they seem, their actual faces hiding behind improvised smokescreens. Thus hypocrites have a split personality. Double standard is to them what binary number to computing.

Truth is either muzzled by falsehood or falsehood is masked in truth. The lives of such people are lies, schemes, and subterfuges, and encounters with them are as if moments of drug induced delusions. These despicable people adopt this way of life because it’s convenient for them. They change with the story and the story changes them. They fixate on nothing and nothing fixates on them.

If you look around, hypocrisy abounds. Faces are hiding in their masks, actions are awash in contradictions, words are going against intentions. These hypocrites have taken over the political landscape. They are shameless and immodest in their presentation of themselves. And hypocrisy does a reverse spin on them. Instead of covering up they stand naked. Where are the occupyghana soldiers, the neutrals, those actors actresses and our so called intellectuals who constantly poured hot water on the previous administration. Where are those who called for change because of the bus branding saga, the Montie3 and Dumsor? Where are the apostles who bought into Bawumia’s loans propaganda and brutally attacked the previous administration for borrowing to implement projects. Where are the intellectuals who accused the former President of appointing family members into his administration? And where are the corruption crusaders who leveled unsubstantiated corruption allegations against the previous administration when Transparency International’s report revealed otherwise.

The hypocrites saw everything wrong with Mahama’s decision to borrow for infrastructure development. The current administration within three years has borrowed close to Ghc 100 Billion but cannot point to one major project but the hypocrites see nothing wrong with that. The administration has received billions of cedis of oil revenue about four times what the previous administration received. We have to offer the right to due process even our archenemies. We have to remain fair even to those who we vehemently disagree with. Compare happenings under this administration vis-a-vis reaction of our so called intellectuals to what happened during the time of Busia and other past regimes and would understand by worry. What didn’t Busia and his fake intellectuals say about Nkrumah and his government.

He went through same fire Mahama went through his four years, the corruption allegations, loans politics, fake human right abuse allegations, condemnation of strategic projects etc etc. When Busia had the opportunity to lead the country, he and his so called Oxford brains diligently proved that they had no idea how to run the country though Osagyefo had built a very solid foundation just as Mahama did for Akufo-Addo. He accused Nkrumah of corruption and excessive borrowing. The PP government by 1971, had added $72 million to the dept it inherited in accrued interest payments and $296 million in short term commercial credits. The administration imposed Austerity measures and alienated farmers. His policies severely affected the middle class and salaried workers.

Workers faced wage freezes. Taxes were increased, the currency was devalued and import prices rose. Loans contracted by the administration landed in the pockets of his appointees. We still seeing and benefiting from projects implemented by the Nkrumah administration including the Tema Metropolis which was established to be the industrial hub of Ghana in 1962, the Tema Habour, Tema Motorway, the Silos, Kade matches factory, Akosombo Dam, The trust schools and universities, the Adome bridge, the Shoe factory, the black star line etc etc. Just like Nkrumah, Mahama built roads, schools, hospitals, bridges etc from the loans the administration contracted.

These projects will serve the current generation and the generation to come and pay back the loans by themselves. Ask the current administration what it did with the over Ghc 90 billion and they will tell you they used chunk of it to clean our financial institutions, serviced our debts and other useless programmes. The next generation is going to settle debts they will not benefit from.

The following projects implemented by the Mahama administration will pay back loans contracted for their implementation and will serve generations after generations

• The Renovated Ridge Hospital

-Dodowa Hospital and all the district hospitals

-The Ultramodern Wa Library

-The Atuabo Gas

-The Community Day Secondary Schools

-The Amatrol’s Ultramodern engineering technology learning system

-The Ho and Wa Aerodromes

-Rehabilitated Kumasi Airport

-Kumasi Shoe factory

-Komenda Sugar factory

-Renovated Ports

-Revamped STC

-The Renovated Kotoka International Airport

-Kasoa Interchange

-Nkrumah Interchange

-The added power – Electricity

-The Affordable Houses

-The Water projects across the country

-The new and rehabilitated roads

-The 600- Bed University of Ghana Teaching Hospital

-The Kumasi military hospital

• The ultra modern markets
  etc etc etc etc and the huge investment the administration made in the oil and gas sector.

Candidate Akufo-Addo and his party folks told us in 2015/16 that we don’t eat roads and hospitals, borrowing to implement projects was/is a lazy man’s approach to governance and promised Ghanaians a nepotism/corruption free government if elected. Who told them Ghanaians eat debt servicing and financial institutions cleansing. Busia did same, he introduced all kinds of economic and financial theories but ended up messing the economy. The UP tradition cannot point to one major project executed by the Busia regime. The very projects Busia and his fake Oxford brains vehemently rubbished- the Tema Harbour, the Motorway, Tema township are the pillars supporting the Ghanaian economy.

After years of condemnation, Busia reversed to Nkrumah’s policies. Lawyers, journalists, civil society organizations and the trade union constantly kept the regime on its toes. They challenged Busia’s dictatorial tenencies. We are seeing a different picture today. Criticizing the current administration is becoming a difficult job for our intellectuals and civil society organizations. Ask the administration what it has done with the over Ghc 90 billion borrowed plus the huge oil revenue and all they will tell you is Free SHS. The Mahama administration did not enjoy this financial breakthrough but was able to transform the infrastructure base of the country, built schools etc etc.

Source: Ohenenana Obonti Krow