Many more rivers to cross

Another gruelling, nerve-wracking election has come to an end, with the declaration of President John Dramani Mahama, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, as the winner. Official results released by the Electoral Commission (EC), which were read to the public on Sunday night, indicated that Mr Mahama received 5,574,761 votes, being 50.7 per cent of the 10,995,262 valid votes cast nationwide. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) followed closely behind with 5,248,898 votes, representing 47.74 per cent of the national votes. The other presidential candidates cumulatively received a little over one per cent of the votes. The process was generally acknowledged by many, including the various observer missions, to be free and fair and without many nasty incidents. However, there were equipment challenges and delays in delivery of electoral materials which dragged the election into a second day in some places. The challenges posed by the electoral equipment had not been ruled out totally in the estimation of affairs, but the delays were purely human and should have been avoided. Otherwise, the voting process was faster than it had been in previous years, which means with time the voting time could be reduced considerably. Just as we were about patting one another on the back for a good job done, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) raised an issue with discrepancies they claim were recorded at some polling and collation centres. If there should be any element of truth in the allegations, then it means those appointed by the NPP to protect its interests dropped their guard somewhere along the line. That could not be blamed on the EC, which had always stressed the point that elections were won or lost at the polling centres and, therefore, urged party representatives to remain vigilant at all times. The reaction of the supporters of the party who stormed the offices of the EC brought back painful and distressful memories of what happened in 2008 when NDC supporters, acting on suspicion that the EC was in for some sinister acts, massed up at the offices of the EC, ready to do battle. Such a picture being beamed to a global audience, while our democracy continued to be touted as a beacon for the rest of Africa, is disgusting and, to some of us, even disgraceful and should be avoided at all cost in future events. It is unfortunate that more than 24 hours after the declaration of the official results, Nana Akufo-Addo is yet to concede defeat and congratulate the victorious Mahama. What that means is that we are embarking on another political administration already fragmented without any national cohesion. We are starting in an atmosphere of suspicion and acrimony, a situation which is damaging to our national health. Mr Mahama can now feel confident that he has moved from a caretaker leader to an elected one who has the full confidence of the people. I believe that during the campaign, his focus was not only on the crowd of party supporters who clamoured to listen to him but also on the condition of the roads in the country and the abject conditions under which the majority of our people live. He, therefore, does not need anyone to remind him that there is a big task ahead of him. We must begin to see the problems of this country beyond Accra and a few other towns and cities and face the real truth that the majority of our people are only existing and are still far away from the basic requirements of human survival. During the electioneering, almost all the presidential candidates pledged to distance themselves from factionalism and see themselves as leaders of this dear country of ours. This is a big challenge to the President as he fastens himself into the saddle to take up the mantle of leadership. He must try to break the winner-takes-all syndrome which is at the centre of the hostility, viciousness, mischief and intolerance that have characterised our politics. The fear of losing one’s livelihood and self-esteem when a group of people are in political power is, arguably, one of the reasons people are prepared to do anything to gain or retain power. If we will see governments as institutions that are to shepherd state affairs for the benefit of all, there will be very little motivation for people to adopt all sorts of cruel and crooked means to win political power. It is the hope of many that President Mahama will live up to his words to ensure that the national wealth flow in all directions, without distinction or discrimination, so that any person who is prepared to work will get his/her due reward. We have scraped through another election with some appreciable level of success. Ours may be far better than that of others and the international community is going to heap praises on us. That is good for our national psyche. We must, however, admit that so long as our national elections continue to be conducted in an atmosphere of fear and suspicion, so long as we never conclude any election without one party or another complaining of discrepancies, and so long as our elections never bring us together as a united people who must share in the bounty of our national resources and, where it becomes necessary, we acknowledge our failures and resolve to correct them, we must gird our loins, for there are many more rivers to cross. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogpot.com

Fear, suspicion and desperation

Under normal circumstances, we would expect that periods of national elections would offer exciting moments when we look forward to electing a national leadership that will steer the affairs of state. Not only that; we would elect a leadership that would be able to harness the enormous resources God has given this country to move it from a state of under-development to a developed one. Unfortunately, elections in Ghana have become periods of fear, anxiety and apprehension. Whenever national elections approach, the whole country becomes a vast prayer camp where, with one voice, we pray for God’s abundant mercies and eternal forgiveness to see us through those elections with our bodies intact. It is strange and somehow sad that an opportunity to elect national leaders leaves everybody nervous and prepared for the worst. Strangely, those who are the key players in the exercise that has forced this country into a type of jungle where the fittest survives are the loudest calling for restraint and pledges of commitment to peace. Maybe the seeds of national discord and hostility were planted many years ago when we could not agree on a common ground for political independence. That disunity at independence continued to run through our political discourse and drew a battle line between the for and the against people. Somehow, that antagonism at independence which played a role in the declaration of a one-party state by Dr Kwame Nkrumah and his eventual overthrow faded a bit, as evidenced by the political campaigns of 1969 and 1979 when the country emerged from military dictatorships to civilian administrations. There was a return to the pre-independence and immediate post-independence days when the country was torn between powerful and rival political factions with the return to the Fourth Republic in 1992. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) both campaigned with strong tribal or ethnic undertones, a development which was not good for the psyche of the country. Our politics, for the larger part, is, therefore, not a contest of ideas and how to choose the best among the lot but a straight fight between those who can exert ethnic muscle and fan tribal hatred to win power. While there is the possibility of ethnocentricism, devastating though it is, crumbling with time or diminishing in influence as more and more people get enlightened and appreciate the beauty of unity in diversity, there is a more dangerous canker which poses a greater danger to the survival of our democracy and the stability of our country. This is the commercialisation of politics. Politics is gradually losing the objective of being an opportunity to serve and has rather become a means to instant wealth. If politicians are becoming desperate to win or retain power, it is not because their efforts to contribute to the development of this country are being thwarted but because, in the case of majority of them, their ambition to make it big without any sweat is being frustrated. It is obvious that many of those who have already established themselves in their chosen careers are not anxious to pursue political ambitions, even though they would prefer to have people they perceive to be more sympathetic to their cause in political authority. The only way to solve that problem is to make it more and more difficult for politicians in power and their collaborators in business to walk away with what they loot from state coffers. Once it becomes more unattractive to steal from state coffers, many people will not have the incentive to plunge head-long into politics. As a first step, anti-corruption laws and institutions should be strengthened and granted greater autonomy, with very little or no interference from the Executive, which spearheads the corruption deals in public service. Institutions such as the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO), the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Attorney-General’s Department, as presently constituted and operating directly or indirectly under the authority of the Executive, do not offer any hope in the fight against corruption. Until we make it difficult for men and women to turn millionaires overnight because of their political activities, we may chant peace but we should not expect a smooth terrain in our political discourse. We may not get the men and women with the call and the desire to serve this country, except the marauders who want to rape and plunder. Again, until we get an economy that can sustain credible employment for our young men and women, the hordes of our youth will fall prey to political vampires who would exploit their vulnerability. We are a few days away from Election 2012. We have said enough prayers to drown the ears of God. We have signed peace accords and made public declarations in favour of peace. Let’s wake up on Friday morning and cast our ballots peacefully and wait for the outcome. That is an obligation we owe to ourselves, not to any politician or political party. Let fear, panic and desperation evaporate into the skies and in their place, calm and order should reign. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

What the IEA debates didn't tell us

The presidential debates initiated by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) have been welcomed by many. They at least push us towards the more entrenched democracies where candidates appear before well-informed audiences to respond to serious national issues. We can do better by going beyond the debates and holding periodic encounters where whoever wins the election to form the government could be put before a similar audience to respond to his/her campaign promises and not necessarily wait until the end of his/her term. Whether the debates will influence the voting pattern or whether the candidates will live up to their words are different matters but the venture is worth taking and we hope next time, all the presidential candidates will be offered equal opportunity to make their voices heard on the same platform. This year’s two debates held in Tamale and Accra might have addressed some serious issues but ignored what some may think are trivial and need not bother presidential candidates. Some of us think on a daily basis, some issues have become such a part of us that they should be ignored. But these issues must equally be given serious attention as the other good things promised by the candidates. The first that readily comes to mind is the traffic situation in Accra, our national capital. Accra is a relatively small city compared to some of the world capitals and mega-cities. However, the traffic situation in Accra surpasses that of most of the bigger and more densely populated cities in other parts of the world. The situation has become so terrible that one could hardly predict his/her movement from one part of the city to another with any form of accuracy. Throughout t the day, all roads leading to the city centre are choked with heavy traffic which exert enormous pressure on commuters. Workers and students who want to beat the traffic are compelled to wake up very early to set off. This means one has to wake up very early and return home very late. Such a routine is not good for anybody’s health. Those who cannot make the regular dawn journey are trapped for long hours in traffic and get to the office already exhausted. This seriously undermines the productivity we are all yearning for. The traffic situation is serious and it acts as a huge disincentive to those who will want to do business in the country, taking into account our relatively stable political environment and the resources at our disposal. The relief brought to commuters with the opening of the George Bush Expressway is a clear indication that Accra is greatly handicapped in modern road network befitting a modern capital city. Most of the intersections and roundabouts have become bottlenecks in traffic distribution in the capital. Several of the roundabouts in the capital city, including the Kwame Nkrumah Circle, the Obetsebi-Lamptey Circle, the Danquah Circle, have outlived their usefulness and must give way to modern designs and constructions that will take care of the numerous vehicles plying the city roads. In addition to that, we need a more efficient traffic light system than what is existing now. The Accra-Tema Motorway which was the nation’s pride is now worn out and only a symbol of a past glory. After 50 years or so, the motorway has paid its dues and must be decommissioned to give way to something new. Another thing the debates failed to tell us is what our presidents are going to do to stem road accidents which have become part of our daily lives. Some of us believe that the sermons are not doing the trick and we need to address the fundamental issues right from the office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to road checks mounted by the officers and men of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service. If in the past we did not factor road safety as a major national issue, things have changed drastically and we need to give the matter a special attention if we are to restore sanity onto our roads. Perhaps it is time to redefine the mandate of the MTTU as a special wing of the Ghana Police Service with service head whose authority is national and not what pertains now when the MTTU boss has a big title but very little authority. Another national canker is the indiscipline that has permeated the building industry in the country. Two weeks ago, we were witnesses to a tragic event, when a five-storey building collapsed killing 14 innocent people and injuring many others. For those who survived, many will live with the psychological scar for the rest of their lives. Part of the traffic problem mentioned earlier could be attributed to the haphazard way many buildings have been constructed in the city with some taking land that was originally earmarked for roads. We cannot talk about good health without paying attention to the filth that is swallowing the capital city. Accra’s sanitation problems have become a major issue that must be addressed with all seriousness and we would want to hear the voices of our presidential candidates on such major issues. Others may not see it as a big problem but begging in the city especially at traffic intersections has become a menace. It can be scary when someone emerges from your blind side begging for alms. Sometimes it is not easy to tell who is a beggar and who is an armed robber. Both operate at traffic intersections. While focusing on the big issues of unemployment, education, energy and others let us not lose sight of the fact that these little things play significant roles in our daily lives and need to be tackled with equal zeal. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

The price for institutional indiscipline, corruption

The whole nation went into frenzy when the unexpected happened. The tragedy of Wednesday, November 14, 2012 triggered a flurry of rescue activities unprecedented in the country. The first individuals who got to scene soon after the collapse of the five-storey building housing the Melcom Shopping Mall at Achimota, a suburb of Accra, the national capital, applied whatever implements they could lay their hands on, including bare hands, before organised institutions like the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), the National Ambulance Service, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), the Ghana Armed Forces, Zoomlion and many others joined forces in the rescue mission. While rescue efforts were underway, unexpectedly, there was a relentless verbal assault on parties considered to have played various roles to bring about the calamity. They include the owner of the building who was later identified as Nana Nkansah Boadi Ayeboafo, the management of the Melcom Group for not doing due diligence before occupying the building and of course the city authorities for not executing their mandate satisfactorily with regard to the construction of structures whether for domestic, commercial or industrial purposes in the city. Interestingly, one person who was very visible and vocal in the scheme of things was Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, the Metropolitan Chief Executive, the man who has full jurisdiction over Achimota where the incident happened and who, under normal circumstances should bear full responsibility for the tragedy. It was not strange that after such a monstrous calamity, which at the last count had cost 14 lives and many others injured, there should be a public inquest on the altar of public opinion, to look for scapegoats and possibly pass the buck. The most contentious issue was as to whether there was an approved building permit, and if there was one, whether the building inspectors matched the designed against the site plan and whether the contractor who executed the project, did a professional job. Members of the public were yet to know the truth. While the AMA boss, Dr Vanderpuije, who was quick to download the problem onto the shoulders of others, claimed that there was no permit, Nana Ayeboafo claims he had a permit and other documents that he could produce to prove his case. Dr Vanderpuije was the first to wash his hands off the disaster by telling Ghanaians that the construction of the building started long before he assumed office. He did not fail to point accusing fingers at others and was also instrumental in the arrest of the owner of building, Nana Ayeboafo, and two building inspectors – Karl Henry Clerke and Christian Ababio. Typical of us, there were torrents of advice from all corners as to what should have been done to prevent the Achimota catastrophe and what should be done to avoid similar tragedies in future. What we failed to acknowledge is that even going by existing building regulations, we still have enough legislation to ensure sanity and protect life and property if we apply the rules to the letter. What we lack is the will and determination to apply the rules and regulations we have set for ourselves. We have become a country notorious for making laws that we are not prepared to enforce because of institutional negligence or indiscipline and corruption. One area where we have been severely exposed as a nation is in the construction or better still, the building sector. In comparative terms, Accra our national capital is nothing to write home about because of the haphazard nature of its planning. Accra is about the only national capital where structures of all kinds could spring up anywhere, anytime without recourse to any layouts. Accra has become flood-prone because nobody cares about watercourses and you can drive on roads that end up in the garage of someone’s house. The Town and Country Planning Department and its counterpart departments in the various assemblies have shirked their responsibilities to the state to an extent that those who want to do the right thing become victims of a corrupt system. Because of unnecessary bureaucracy and red-tapeism, corrupt officials have exploited the system, making it extremely difficult for those who genuinely want to acquire building permits to do so without any hindrance. If what pertains in the construction sector could be described as lawlessness, the transportation sector is a huge jungle. This is perhaps about the only place where once you have two legs and two arms you can easily pass as a driver. We all know why our roads have become killing fields but lack the moral strength to enforce the motor traffic regulations to save the situation. Any time there is a major accident which claims innocent lives, we are bombarded with pious sermons on efforts to ensure road safety only to relax and wait for another tragedy. The Melcom tragedy and similar ones are a constant reminder that when we allow national institutions to decay in indiscipline and corruption, we only prepare the ground for such national tragedies, most of which are avoidable. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

The beauty of American democracy

One of the fiercest battles for the Oval Office in the White House in modern American history ended dramatically last Tuesday night when Obama added the Ohio electoral votes to his tally to earn his passage for a second term as President of the United States of America. Until then, it was too close to call. When all was over, the Americans exhibited a character which set them apart from the rest of us and which has made that nation the cynosure of the rest of the world. First was the speech delivered by Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate who gave incumbent Obama the scare of his life, to his supporters in Boston, Massachusetts, after he had called the President to concede defeat and to congratulate him on his re-election. Obviously, Romney came so close and was clearly disappointed that his message was rejected by the majority of American voters. However, he never sounded bitter, acrimonious nor antagonistic. He never looked for scapegoats for his defeat or saw the manipulations of unseen hands to thwart his ambition to occupy the most powerful office in the world. In a brief speech, Romney accepted the verdict of the American people and said he had no option than to respect the wish of the majority of Americans and lend his support to President Obama so that together they could work to attain the vision for America. That is well said and done. On the other side, President addressed thousands in Chicago without sounding pompous. At his oratorical best, he delivered one of his most powerful and emotional speeches to thank his supporters, especially those who did the field work to ensure his victory in the tight race. At no time did Obama try to rake old wounds by making reference to the campaign period, which is now history. He did not make any disparaging remarks about the man who was his opponent in the race to the White House. The battle was over and everything he said was about America and the way forward. He said once the elections were over, his administration would work with the Republicans to address the concerns of Americans. Any lessons there? President Obama noted that America had achieved its greatness not because of its status as the world’s wealthiest and most powerful nation, nor for its culture and institutions of learning. America is great because of the greatness and unity of its people who come from diverse backgrounds. This is why others from other nations are clamouring to come and have a taste of the great America. Throughout the campaign period, the American flag was more visible than party flags or other paraphernalia as we see here. The message is simple. The people were pursuing an agenda to elect an American President and not a party president. Electoral contests are not duels between two combatants who are putting their physical strengths to test. They are contests of ideas and the electorate are the judges. Victory for one person means his ideas have triumphed and have been accepted by the majority of the people. This should not be seen as a personal victory to be flaunted and used to taunt others. Political campaigns in the US cannot be said to be smooth always. They could be rough at times, but the bottom line is they are dominated by issues. Once the elections are over, the elected person becomes the President of the US and not a party representative at the seat of government, in our case the Osu Castle who does as he/she pleases to either favour party members or isolate the rest of us. Both Obama and Romney emphasised the point that as individuals, they have their interests and diverse opinions, but what matters is their collective decision and effort to push their nation forward. Obama was elected not because his father came from Kenya in Africa, was born in Hawaii and has Chicago in the State of Illinois as his hometown. His support base cut across the colour spectrum and transcends racial barriers – Whites, Hispanics Latinos and Blacks. He was elected because the majority of Americans bought into his vision of bringing change to America. He won the hearts of the majority of the Americans again because they still share in his vision and believe that he deserves another four years to deliver. If we want this nation to move forward and come close to greatness, we should stop playing the tribal and ethnic cards. We must begin to assess candidates on their merits and what we think they are capable of. We must begin to purge our politics of fanaticism and blind loyalty. America is great because over the years, the people have been able to harness the strength of their diversity and multiple talents into a great cohesive union. We are a few weeks away from our presidential and parliamentary polls and we could do with a few lessons from the American experience. We must begin to dwell on the issues that continue to pin us down to the ground despite all the human and material resources God has generously given us. Our presidential candidates must convince the electorate that they are eager to occupy the Castle not because they want to fleece the country and satisfy their selfish interests but that of the nation. Our politicians must realise that they have no powers of their own and that what makes them powerful is the collective power of the people transferred to them to manage in trust. Let us also resolve that our electoral process will be an opportunity to offer alternatives towards the same ultimate goal. Let us also come to terms with the fact that when we lose, it may not be because the people do not like us or hate us but because other alternatives have prevailed. To those who may emerge victorious, let them not consider it a personal victory but a victory for superior ideas and an opportunity to transform these into practice that would bring drastic and qualitative change in the lives of the people. We must agree that when the contest is over, we are back together as one with one President who must embrace all of us as one big family. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

A season of promises

THE game is getting more and more exciting as all the parties and their candidates criss-cross the length and breadth of the country, drawing attention to themselves with their promises. The season is ripe for such promises that are being dished out with gusto from all the parties and their candidates to those who are willing to hear and believe. There are many others who will listen but reject or treat with contempt some of the outrageous promises, based on past experiences. Promises, sometimes compiled into manifestoes, are like the grease that lubricates the campaign machinery of the parties and their candidates. At least, they are necessary to test the candidates’ appreciation of our national problems and how they are going to solve them. It is a phenomenon associated with the democratic culture and Ghanaian politicians are not alone when it comes to campaign promises. What is lacking, which has created a big gap between the promises and the reality once parties win power, is our inability to take parties/candidates on for their campaign promises. Elsewhere, politicians are careful about what they say on campaign platforms lest they lose their credibility and integrity. Here, politicians just drop the promises like ripe mangoes in windstorm without regard to the sensibility of the electorate, knowing very well they are as soon forgotten as they were delivered. There could be many reasons why our politicians often escape with their empty promises. I could readily cite a media that is not aggressive enough to hold politicians accountable for their promises. The media which credit itself as the fourth estate of the realm very often abandon their traditional roles and become appendages of politicians in government or in opposition. Our journalists become so much attached that they lose the moral courage and strength to speak authoritatively and objectively on issues of national interest. Second, there is so much fanaticism in our politics that we fail to see the good in others and the evil in ourselves. Party supporters take entrenched positions and defending their parties even if it is clear that the national interest is suffering. Even when it comes to fighting corruption, party fanatics are not able to differentiate between individual misbehaviour and party interest, and so as long as government functionaries can count on party support, they can easily escape sanction for undermining the national interest. In other words, governments are able to escape with failed promises because majority of Ghanaians are not prepared to assess our leaders by the quality of their performance or the calibre of people who constitute the leadership of parties. The promises being made today towards Election 2012 are not different from the ones we have heard since we returned to constitutional rule in 1993. We have had enough of promises to turn this country into a paradise. If promises were anything to go by, there should have been two additional international airports in Kumasi and Tamale. Again on transportation, there should have been a railway line connecting Accra, the national capital, to Tamale in the Northern Region and beyond, while expressways with asphalt cut across the length and breadth of the country, linking all our major towns and cities. Based on previous promises, fishing communities on the coastal belt should be brimming with fishing activity at modern landing sites with refrigeration facilities. Still on agriculture, the Afram and Accra plains should by now become food baskets of the nation, with irrigation canals feeding farms with water from the River Volta, which flows wastefully into the sea. While we continue to pronounce the private sector as the engine of growth, the sector has not benefitted from the needed government support to truly deliver as the engine of growth. The sector continues to battle the same problems – lack of capital and unfair competition from cheap imports from outside, especially China and other Asian countries. All our governments at various times made promises that were never delivered, either because they were made without any commitment or they were made without calculating the costs and other social implications. We cannot continue to survive on empty promises. Our political parties and presidential candidates must begin to take the business of campaigns serious and tell us what they can do and do well and not what we want to hear from them. The electorate must also be discerning and begin to assess candidates on merit and not by party affiliation. We should be able to disengage ourselves from our candidates if it is obvious that their interest does not coincide with the general good of Ghanaians. It is only when politicians realise that they cannot take the support of their traditional strongholds for granted that they will buck up and deliver when given the mandate. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

Who caused the STC mess?

The nation’s biggest and best-selling newspaper, the Daily Graphic, was screaming with the banner headline: ‘STC FOR SALE’. Those who were old enough could remember with nostalgia, the State Transport Corporation (STC) in its full glory. They could not but open their mouths in shock and disgust at such a story about a national institution that had left sweet memories in the minds of many households. What went wrong? Is an obvious question they would be asking. Those were the days the nation’s number one transporter – the brainchild of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah – was the dominant carrier of human beings and cargo in the country, visibly commanding the country’s roads. The STC was not only a symbol of national pride but the main guarantor of road safety. No wonder every Ghanaian wanted to enjoy the services of STC. Students particularly going to and returning from school, would go for nothing except the STC bus which provided safety and comfort. In those days, even young children were ‘posted’ on STC buses or trucks and they would be delivered safely to their relatives. STC trucks also delivered mails on behalf of the then Post and Telecommunications Department throughout the country with regular precision while its tankers made sure fuel and other lubricants reached the remotest corner of the country. Then the rot set in. The STC, like all other state enterprises, started experiencing a downward slide in its operations thanks to undue political interference, cronyism and corrupt practices. The time came when the stage was set for the STC to go the way of other state enterprises nurtured and groomed and made vibrant under the First Republic – divestiture – or in most cases, as a giveaway to whoever is nearest and dearest to the ruling clique. A Serious Fraud Office (SFO), now Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), report stumbled upon by yours truly cleared showed how some organisations and individuals conspired in various ways to strip this country naked and milk it dry of precious national resources. It began in 1996, when the STC was put on divestiture by the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC). Bids were received from three companies, namely; Vanef Consortium Limited (VCL), Yellow Cab Limited and Densu Ventures Limited. The bid price was US$12.4 million and a cedi component of c4,984 billion. VCL won the bid but could not pay within the stipulated time so it lapsed. The divestiture was re-advertised in 1998 and October, 1998, three bids were received from VCL, WMBO (Workers Management Buy Out) and Kalahari Investments. The bid was won again by VCL. The bid price was US$14.52 million and VCL was to pay as follows: US$2.4m to be paid upon execution of the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA); another US$10m payment within eight weeks of finalising due diligence on assets to be taken over to DIC. A third instalment of US$2.12 was to be paid six months after the second payment. The SPA was signed on December 1999, thus by January 2000, the payment of US$12.4m was to be effected, leaving a balance of US$2.12m to be effected by June 17, 2000. VCL managed to get a loan from the Social Security Bank (SSB), which was guaranteed by Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) totaling US$14m and c4.98bn based upon a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with SSNIT on December 14, 1998, that SSNIT would purchase STC through its debt swap arrangement with Government for VCL which spelt out the responsibilities of SSNIT. As would be expected, VCL defaulted in the loan repayments even though it operated the full fleet of the transport company and SSNIT had to settle SSB which became SG-SSB. In any case the personalities behind VCL have raked in millions of cedis and dollars in personal gains at the expense of the taxpayer. What became known as Vanef-STC was actually acquired with moneys from SSNIT with nothing coming from VCL. The capital and expertise were expected to be injected into the company to make it more viable and profitable before did not come. If anything at all, it made people to reap where they never sowed. Meanwhile organisations and individuals mentioned by the SFO report, that benefitted illegally in the transactions which imposed extra burden on the Ghanaian taxpayer went scot free, until the company changed hands again with SSNIT owning 80 per cent shares and the government 20 per cent in Intercity-STC. In 2005, in what could be described as conflict of interest, the then board chairman of Intercity-STC, Mr Stephen Sekyere Abankwa, who was also the Managing Director of Prudential Bank, engineered a loan of US3,783,935 from his bank for the purchase of 45 FAW buses. The acquisition of the buses was fraught with irregularities as they were not tested and certified to be suitable for our roads and climatic conditions. According to most of the workers of Intercity-STC, none of the buses could last two years, thus creating payment problems. This is the loan that the beleaguered Intercity-STC had defaulted in paying, compelling Mr Abankwa to seek a court order to go in for his pound of flesh from the company he one-time was the board chairman. As in the case of Vanef-STC, SSNIT, the nation’s number one workers’ pension manager, will have to use workers contributions to pay a debt created by some few unscrupulous people who have made fortunes on the blood and sweat of Ghanaian workers. The divestiture concept under its current execution has not helped the nation and the workers of those organisations and firms. It has become a big joke, since it would have been better giving out these companies free of charge than using state money to purchase a company and handing it over to a few individuals to rape it and create more debts for the state. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

Tribute to a living V-Mate

We live in a world where as soon as a person dies, that person becomes a saint. The tributes that pour forth in the event of death make it look as if while that person was alive, he had never stepped on an ant, spat or blown his nose in public; everything about the dead person was exemplary and needed to be emulated by all. In fact, so copious and flowery are the praises that there is no doubt in the minds of anybody that if there is truly any place as heaven, then that person is marching straight to a first-class apartment in that celestial realm. Sincerely speaking, there were and still are, men and women who have made and continue to make their lives worth emulating. That is why there is nothing wrong with tributes per se. If for nothing at all, they serve as inspiration to those still alive to either continue in their good ways or mend their lives where they obviously believe they have fallen short of expectation. For the dead, I wonder whether those sweet tributes serve any useful purpose for them. That is why some of us would prefer that those who do well in life are told about it before their demise. In that wise, those persons and those close to or associated with them would savour their good works. It will also urge them to do more and inspire others to follow suit. Moreover, in our part of the world, where certain virtues have become scarce commodities and at best exist as mere words, it is only fair and in order that those who have exhibited certain sterling qualities become examples for the rest of us. It is on account of this that I join many others to congratulate Mr Justice Saeed Kwaku Gyan. Justice Gyan has found himself in a profession that has its peculiar challenges. As a High Court Judge, his job definitely puts a lot of physical strain on him. He is also confronted with the challenge of interpreting the law to the letter and satisfaction of those who appear before him. I do not think Justice Gyan ever declared himself incorruptible, the way others do. I do not think he ever made claim to honesty, impartiality or fairness. It is his deeds and not words that are speaking for him. At the recent annual conference of the Ghana Bar Association (GBA), held in Takoradi in the Western Region, Justice Gyan came up for special mention. He was singled out for mention by the august body of legal brains for his exemplary performance. The inscription on the plaque presented to him read; “For his uprightness and will to resist corruption in the discharge of his duties as a Justice of the High Court”. It said, “The National Executive Committee of the GBA toured the regions and visited Sekondi-Takoradi in its Western Regional tour. Nowhere in the regions visited was a judge so singled out for praise by the Bar and Bench”. It went on; “Your first station as a judge was Sekondi-Takoradi where you remained for four years. We visited the region in your absence, but the lawyers could not stop mentioning you for instilling in them discipline and diligent work. “They confirmed you upheld your path of office and dispensed justice without fear or favour. You worked very hard, without thinking of being in competition with anybody. No wonder you gained the admiration of your peers who wondered whether they could leave office with the same commendation and accolade. “Human as you are, you were bound to have made some mistakes. But none bordered on corruption whatsoever. The testimony was that not even ‘thank you’ gift after a decision would be entertained by you. Indeed, in you, we have an anti-corruption personality. “It is for reason, therefore, that the Bar is bestowing on you this singular honour for being who you are, an honest, hardworking and incorruptible judge”. This is the verdict of the members of the Bar and Bench who are the peers of Justice Gyan. These are people who have worked with Justice Gyan over the years either defending clients in his court or observing his performance as fellow professionals on the Bench. So they stand in a very good stead to make judgement and come to a reliable verdict. As stated earlier, in a world where certain virtues or qualities are mere words and in a profession that has come under heavy public criticism for lapses perceived to border on corruption, it is only fair and proper that Justice Gyan’s high attributes are not left unheralded till his body is lowered into his grave before the trumpets begin to blow his spectacular qualities. This is the time to make his wife, children, relatives and friends proud of his achievements and to celebrate them while he is still in active service and could serve as an inspiration to others. There are many other Justice Gyans all over the place doing their best to make this country a better place for all. There are health professionals including doctors and nurses that are doing their best against all odds to save lives, even at the peril of their lives. There are teachers that are ready to serve in any part of the country and without any extra incentives or textbooks are trying hard to transform raw brains into top-class professionals for the future. There are cashiers and accountants who, with all the company money before them are prepared to suffer deprivation just to protect what belongs to all. The list is long and endless and all such people need to be identified and acknowledged. Society must begin to cherish value and merit and not the corrupt brigands who are loudest. To V-Mate Justice Gyan, I say congrats. Remember that once you have been mentioned publicly for honour , the temptations would be become more, but remain resolute and steadfast and be yourself. Remember, ‘Truth Stands’, which is the motto of Commonwealth Hall of the University of Ghana, of which you are a proud and revered member. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk

Beating unnecessary war drums

Last week, the police invited the media to brief them about their preparations towards Election 2012. On display for public view were some accoutrements of their business. These included armoured vehicles, water cannons and other riot control gear. These, the police have promised to deploy to counter those who would want to cause mischief during the elections. We cherish our peace as a nation at all times and not only during elections. It will, therefore, be the wish of every citizen that the police, being the guardians of internal order, were provided with all the resources, both human and material, to undertake that enterprise to the satisfaction of all. However, preparing for national elections is not the same as preparing for war and if the idea is to put the fear of the Lord into mischievous characters, then we may be sending the wrong signals and creating psychological wounds in their skulls which may take long to heal. What we need to do as a nation is to create all the necessary conditions for a free and fair election to avoid stirring emotions that could trigger discontent and probably violent behaviour. If we fail and that happens, no amount of armour will scare an aggrieved population and the consequences would be beyond the control of a few police vans spraying tear gas among a mob. Perhaps we need to take a few lessons from history. In 1974, what became known as the Ethiopian Revolution started as street protests by workers for better wages and economic reforms. Government reaction, as usual, was to use the police to quell the daily demonstrations which never stopped. Things took a different turn, the police also embarked on strike on the same grounds -- economic hardships – and refused to go to the streets to suppress the civilian demonstrations. The military, which was already at the battle front in Eritrea, joined the protests and not long, the empire of Emperor Haille Selassie came to an end. The Islamic Revolution of Iran started in 1978 as street protests against the Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who vainly tried to use brute force at the disposal of the military to quell it. By January, 1979, the Shah himself had to flee into exile and the opposition, led by Ayatollah Khomeini, took over and prepared the ground for the Islamic Revolution. There was a photograph of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 which captured global attention and continue to be a symbol of people’s resistance up till today. That was a picture of a lone man standing before a column of military tanks prepared to be crushed. The man was not crushed but the protests which started in April of that year was brought to an end on June 4, 1989, with the declaration of martial law by the Chinese authorities after the death of hundreds of protesting civilians. All the above examples showed that once you set certain events in motion, the fear element is gone and people would be prepared to make the supreme sacrifice if that would be the only way they could register their point. The best bet, therefore, is to make sure that things do not get that far. We have been organising elections since 1992, but each time it seems to be the first, full of fear, suspicion and apprehension. Why should electing our lawmakers and a president for the republic generate so much heat so much so that the police, that are supposed to be peace officers, have to put on display battle hardware to frighten the population? There are those who will suffer personal losses when they lose the election and there are those who will make personal gains when they win the elections. These categories of people are behind the tension in our election. If we can isolate such people and selfish intentions, there will be no need to prepare for war when elections are due. The best way to ensure a peaceful election is to display maturity and civility in all the electoral processes. All those who have key roles to play in the process – from the Electoral Commission to the political parties and their candidates – must act with fairness and firmness and do what is expected of them according to law; and on voting day the police armoured vehicles and water cannons will remain redundant. It is a big shame that in Africa, elections are associated with fear and apprehension, sometimes ending in violence like what happened in Kenya in 2007 and Cote d’Ivoire in 2011 and part of this year. If the national good is the objective, then those war drums must remain silent so that we can reflect soberly and decide who among the candidates comes closest to what we want in a leader and choose accordingly. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

Looking beyond the stars

There is a wise counsel that you cut your coat according to the size of your cloth. The lesson is very simple. When nursing any ambition you should not lose sight of your capabilities both in terms of resources and capacity. That should not give room for mediocrity. In other words we should not shy away from setting ambitious targets whether as individuals or as a nation. In 1961, the late President John F. Kennedy addressed the US Congress and charged that before that decade came to an end, the US should be able to land man on the Moon and return him safely back to the Earth. The US had previously been beaten to it by the Soviet Union, its Cold War rivals, when the giant communist state on April 12, 1961 launched the first human being in the person of Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin into outer space. That achievement fuelled the urge in the US to do more than the then Soviet Union. President Kennedy was not unaware of the daunting nature of the task he set for the US scientists. He knew putting man on the Moon was not going be like taking off at New York International Airport, which was later named after him, and landing at Dulles International Airport in Washington DC. President Kennedy’s challenge, therefore, was for a purpose – to re-establish the might of the US in space exploration and to affirm its position as a superpower not only in international politics but also in science and technology – and he knew it was achievable. President Kennedy did not live to see the end of that decade, having been killed by an assassin’s bullet on November 22, 1963, in Dallas in the state of Texas. He did not know that on July 20, 1969, the first human being – Neil Armstrong – a US astronaut, set foot on the Moon. All the countries that have made it, and continue to make it set for themselves ambitious targets which were pursued with religious fervour. It is not enough to aim for the hills and streams when you can target the stars and the mighty oceans. Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was not a man of low ambitions. Even at a time when some people thought the country was not ripe to break the chains of colonial rule, Dr Nkrumah felt there was no need to remain a day longer under British colonial rule. After independence, President Nkrumah set off an ambitious programme to transform Ghana and to make it a symbol of independence and development not only on the continent, but internationally. The President’s agenda encompassed all fronts – agriculture, education, science and technology, commerce and industry. There were people in this country in those days who felt President Nkrumah was moving at too fast a pace and criticised most of the projects as grandiose and unnecessary. Some were critical when the idea of constructing a hydro-electric dam on the Volta at Akosombo was mooted. They claimed the diesel generating plant serving Accra at the time was still under-utilised and, therefore, there was no need for a huge project such as a hydro-electric dam. Anyway, Akosombo Dam was built, but today, not even the additions of the Kpong Dam and the thermal plants could provide for Ghana’s domestic and industrial needs. It means the man was seeing deep into the future. At a time nuclear energy was not on the table of many countries, President Nkrumah set up the Atomic Energy Research Station at Kwabenya near Accra to exploit the research benefits of nuclear energy and possibly for power generation. More than 40 years after President Nkrumah’s demise, we are still promising ourselves the development of nuclear energy for power generation. Incidentally those who took the lead in this regard are revising their notes and closing down some of their nuclear stations. The giant silos that were never completed all over the country have made nonsense any claim that we are committed to food security when we have not made provision for storage, processing and preservation of our agriculture produce which were the ambition of President Nkrumah as far back as in the 1960s. Today, thanks to our oil and gas find and the expansions witnessed in the economy, the country’s two ports in Tema and Takoradi are coming under severe pressure, whereas years earlier, the idea of an additional port at Tema was criticised. A section of the population even questioned the educational policy of President Nkrumah which made basic education virtually free because to those people, it was like robbing them to pay others who did not deserve it. President Nkrumah’s big dreams and mission were truncated when his administration was overthrown on February 24, 1966. Some said we were better off with that military coup. History is still unfolding. Unfortunately we have not, as a nation, been able to set for ourselves any ambitious targets. Our development plan is without any bold and calculated targets. We have become a nation of sceptics. When Professor John Evans Atta Mills, while campaigning for the presidency, pledged to build two new universities in the Brong Ahafo and Volta regions, the chorus from the other end was that we do not have the financial resources for such projects. Some argued in favour of expanding the facilities in the existing universities instead of starting fresh projects. What we should note is that universities are not only centres of learning; they are avenues of opportunities. This is because they have the potential of creating new townships and offering all the services that are required for a township. The locations of these universities are bound to experience positive transformation when they are developed fully. One of the contentious issues engaging politicians on the campaign trail is the promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to provide free education up to the second cycle level. His opponents including the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and some civil society organisations are very emphatic that this is a mirage. Some are saying we should forget such an idea for at least another 20 years. The proponents are defending their position by saying that the country has enough resources which can absorb free education up to the senior high school (SHS) level if we are committed to the idea. One voice which was quite loud and clear on this side of the argument was that of Prof. George Benneh, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon. His argument was that the nation has the resources, what may be lacking is the commitment and determination. This is campaign time so we should expect that the discussions on the subject will lack any objectivity. Many Ghanaians have lost interest in promises made on political campaign platforms. Even those documented in party manifestoes are hardly fulfilled and, therefore, have very little to do with voter decision. Getting close to election in December, we should expect promises and counter-promises without any objective analyses, politicians knowing Ghanaians would not bother to do so. So whether free SHS from the mathematics point of view is possible or not, we should as a nation begin to think big not only about education but about everything. We must begin to set our sights deep into the skies instead of looking a few metres ahead of us. Countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and China that have become examples of economic success did not see themselves crawling but galloping. Our problem is not essentially about lack of resources but our priorities and how we utilise our resources. We can build this nation with positive thinking and the ‘CAN DO’ spirit instead of giving up easily and running to others for support at the least opportunity. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

What it takes to brand a nation

Mention the name Jamaica and immediately the image of a legendary musician begins to form in your mind. Robert Nesta Marley died more than three decades ago (May 11, 1981), but his image continues to hang huge on the Reggae landscape, never fading. Reggae is a music form played all over the Caribbean, where it takes its roots; and Africa, where most of the blacks inhabiting the Caribbean originally hailed from. Other musicians of the American and European stock drifted along the reggae craze and released their version of what has established the black identity on the international musical scene. The role played by Bob Marley in popularising reggae music effectively makes him the Godfather of Reggae Music and this image has reflected on Jamaica which is seen as the home of reggae. Beyond reggae music, Jamaica has also carved a niche for itself as the home of the world’s fastest athletes. Jamaica has always been home to some of the world’s best sprinters. As far back as 1976, a Jamaican, Don Quarrie, won the Olympic Gold in the 200 metres at the Montreal Olympic Games. The discovery of Usain Bolt in Beijing 2008, and the repeat performance at London 2012, have effectively pushed the United States of America [USA], (their closest rivals in the sprints and who have dominated this track event for decades) into the background. Now it should be obvious to those who care that Jamaica has branded itself, not by chance but through deliberate policy. It knows where its strength lies and has exploited it to the fullest advantage. The name Jamaica will definitely conjure in the mind such terrific sprinters as Usain Bolt, Johan Blake, Asafa Powell, Shelly-Ann Fraser, and Veronica Campbell-Brown. Jamaica, a small island of 2.7 million souls, can boast being the strongest athletics nation (at least by per capita) and this did not come by chance. The authorities know very well that they have the raw materials and instituted measures to unearth more talents on a regular basis. National competitions are organised for children as little as six years and these cut across all levels of the educational ladder. Scholarships are offered to the best to enrol in schools with specialist coaches, where they are groomed to stardom. It is no wonder that Jamaica has the best quartet in the relays because the talents are overwhelming, and getting a place on Team Jamaica is a huge challenge for the athletes and coaches. Brazil is one of the emerging world powers, ranking eighth on the global economic ladder. However, Brazil is best known for its prowess in football. Other countries are excited for just playing Brazil, whether in a friendly or competitive soccer. Brazil did not sit idle for things to happen. It has several soccer academies that groom the young talents who are in regular line of succession taking over from their seniors. Last year or so, there was a long list of personalities in the newspapers being invited to congregate to deliberate on the best way to rebrand Ghana. ‘Meeting to discuss branding the Republic?’ was an obvious question. Don’t we have enough already to package ourselves? Do we need a whole bureaucracy and its cost to the kitty to deliberate on branding? Politically, we have already scored marks for being the first black nation on the continent to wrest liberty from the colonists. Our position as the torchbearers of Africa’s independence struggle could have marketed this country to every part of the globe. For many years, we were the world’s largest producer of cocoa beans out of which chocolate and other cocoa products are produced. What have we done to make the mere mention of chocolate tingle with the image of Ghana? Nothing. We are still proud producing and shipping raw cocoa beans to the outside world while chocolate remains a delicacy on our breakfast table. Mother Earth has been generous to us. Buried in her bowls in almost every part of the country are tonnes and tonnes of gold, which have attracted diggers from every part of the world, including China. What have we done with our gold? Nothing. We do not even have a refinery after mining gold and diamond for decades to enhance the value of our precious minerals. The Chinese, having studied us and seen how careless and corrupt we can be, have invaded our forests with impunity digging for gold everywhere while our youth who attempt to do similar things on lesser scale are hounded and chained like wild animals. There are many ways to brand Ghana without putting fortunes into people’s pockets. We have the foundation which we can build on. Like Jamaica, we have raw athletics talents that could be unearthed, groomed and polished for the international arena where they could bring fortune and glory to themselves and the nation. There is no better way of branding a nation than advertising its performance on the world market. Where are those inter-school/college athletics competitions which unearth talents? Where are those inter-regional competitions which brought healthy rivalry among the regions and at the same time afforded the opportunity for young talents to advertise themselves? Where are the Armed Forces Games which were another source of unearthing national talents? Like Brazil, Ghana abounds in football talents. What we have failed to do over the years is to treat football as a business that can bring good returns. In that lackadaisical manner, there is no way we can do what the Brazilians are doing and printing their image on the football map of the world. Branding a country cannot be attained through endless meetings, workshops and seminars. It takes a conscious effort to project a positive image of oneself, capitalising on your strengths and dimming your weaknesses. Our tourism potentialities have hardly been tapped because of poor infrastructure such as bad roads and poor hospitality facilities. If we continue to live in filth, no amount of rhetoric will endear us to others. Our performance at the 2006 and 2010 World Cup tournaments in Germany and South Africa respectively illustrate the point that the world will acknowledge you if you position yourself through performance or achievements on the world stage. It tells you that branding has not got anything to do with bureaucracy, which is nothing but a drain on national resources. Even our democracy is a form of branding which we must encourage and improve upon. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blospot.com

Playing games with corruption

The man’s voice was choked with emotion as he narrated his ordeal of how helpless the whole institution was to pursue further action while persons who should have faced possible prosecution walked free. Mr Theophilus Cudjoe, a former acting Executive Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), could not hide his frustration when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament to give account of what he knew about payment of judgement debts to some organisations and companies including Construction Pioneers (CP). According to Mr Cudjoe, SFO investigations had shown that some public officers had questions to answer on how huge sums of the taxpayer’s money were paid to CP and recommended their arrest and prosecution. Unfortunately that was how far the SFO could go. The Act establishing the SFO, Act 466 of 1993, placed the responsibility for prosecution under the authority of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice. That meant that all the powers given to the SFO were under one breath snatched away, effectively rendering that important national anti-corruption institution a toothless bulldog. The former SFO boss said nothing could be more painful than seeing someone who should be facing charges of causing financial loss to the state walking free and testifying on behalf of the same foreign company in London. Apart from the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice having ministerial responsibility over the SFO, the governing board owed allegiance solely to the Executive and, thereby putting to severe test all proclamations of fighting corruption, should a member of the government be cited for corruption. According to Act 466 (Serious Fraud Office Act, 1993), the Governing Board consists of (a) The Chairman; (b) The Attorney-General or a Chief State Attorney as the AG’s representative; (c) The Minister responsible for the Interior or the minister’s representative; (d) The Inspector-General of Police or a Commissioner of Police as the IGP’s representative; (e) The Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board; (f) One other person and (g) the Executive Director. All these officers derived their appointments directly or indirectly from the President, thus, effectively diluting any semblance of independence or autonomy in the SFO’s operations. Under the circumstances, many government officials were likely to escape prosecution for any acts of corruption or wilfully causing financial loss to the state so long as they remained part of the political apparatus. That was how the SFO, throughout its existence, failed to stamp its authority on the fight against corruption with the exception of a few instances when those caught in its net were mainly political opponents of the government in power. Remember the Quality Grain trials? The SFO was succeeded by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), which derived its authority from Act 804 of 2010. The Governing Board of EOCO is not much different from that of the defunct SFO. Apart from representation from the Ghana Bar Association and the Institute of Chartered Accountants, all the other board members owe allegiance primarily to the President. Members of the governing board include the Executive Director, who is appointed by the President; a representative of the IGP; a representative of the Narcotics Control Board; a representative of the Attorney-General’s Office; a representative of the Ghana Revenue Authority; a representative nominated by the Ghana Bar Association; a Chartered Accountant nominated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants and one member nominated by the minister responsible for National Security. What has not changed is that the EOCO, like its predecessor, the SFO, is effectively under the armpit of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, who determines whether to prosecute or not to prosecute public officials cited for economic and organised crimes against the state. What that means is that the government in power could decide to be protective of its members while throwing the searchlight on others. Today, politics has become lucrative compelling people to adopt all types of desperate measures to win political power, because while corruption and illegal acquisition of wealth is glaring, all political office holders and their collaborators in business and public service appear to be saints far out of the reach of anti-corruption laws and the agencies that are supposed to enforce them. Peter Cardinal Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President, Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, made reference to this money-grabbing phenomenon that has taken control of our politics when he delivered his speech as the Guest Speaker at the 17th GJA Awards Night at the weekend. The Eminent Cardinal drew attention to the ‘winner-takes-all’ syndrome and politics as a source livelihood, or stomach politics as it is commonly described, which have permeated our society to the extent that our country is not only stagnating but actually retrogressing on the path of social integration and eonomic development. From the lamentations of Mr Cudjoe, it could be seen that our anti-corruption institutions as presently constituted by law are woefully inadequate and severely incapacitated to serve the purpose. If we are serious about fighting corruption, which has been identified as public enemy number one thwarting our developing efforts, we need to build institutions with greater independence and autonomy to execute their mandate effectively. We are proud of our democracy and continue to give credit for our success in holding elections to elect our leaders after every four years. What we fail to acknowledge is that we have come this far because of one institution – the Electoral Commission – which has been insulated against manipulation. We would be on the way to national redemption and separating the nationalists and patriots from the pretenders if we take certain steps to make it more and more difficult for people to take the nation for a ride. First, we must separate the State Prosecutor from the Ministry of Justice and the make the former independent and autonomous whose appointment would be on the lines of the Electoral Commissioner. Second, is to make the number one state anti-corruption institution wholly and truly independent and autonomous similar to the Electoral Commission. If we cannot do this, then let us forget the lip service and all the pretences of fighting corruption. *fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

Chasing gold with broken jaw

We were too shocked and the state of mourning prevented us from paying attention to other things. Before we could overcome the two-weeks of national mourning and recover from the pains of the death of our president, the Olympic Games, London 2012, was over. Olympic Games does not come by chance. It takes place once every four years and, therefore, cannot take any country or group of persons by surprise. While host nations are given at least eight years to prepare infrastructure other facilities for the games, participating countries and athletes have not less than four years – that’s from the previous to the next games – to prepare. Therefore, if poor performance at the games was due mainly to ill planning and preparation not because we were overwhelmed by superior qualities by opposing athletes, then the matter should not be taken lightly. Four years ago, we were at the Beijing Olympic Games without Ghana’s name registering on the medals table. As a serious nation, we should have then resolved that 2012 at London, would have been far better than Beijing. Our performance or rather non-performance at the London Games clearly indicates that our interest as a nation does not go beyond ordinary participation. If that were not so, we had four years to prepare the athletes in the various disciplines we traditionally have our strength to ensure that our national anthem booms at least once during the medal-awarding ceremony. That was not to be. We live in a country where people bear huge titles which translate into hefty pressure on the national kitty in the form of salaries and allowances and other inducements. However, when it comes to responsibility, there is a huge vacuum. We have a thousand and one excuses for our failures, shifting blame from one person or institution to another until finally everything comes to rest in the bosom of the proverbial no funds syndrome. Can we imagine that we went to London knowing very well that the athlete who was our flag bearer at the opening ceremony had suffered a broken jaw in June, and was, therefore, most unlikely to participate in the games? Incidentally he was one of the nine athletes Ghana as a nation could raise to the London Olympic Games. Ghana had not been lacking in talents in the sporting arena. Boxing, athletics and, to some limited extent, football had won for the country laurels at international tournaments. At one stage, Ghana was regarded as one of the strongest boxing nations in the Commonwealth and had some of the best sprinters who rubbed shoulders with countries like Jamaica, Nigeria, Great Britain and Canada. In 1992, we became the first country from Africa to win Olympic Bronze in football at the Barcelona Games. We became so excited with our achievement that we did not realise it when Nigeria and Cameroun went ahead to win Olympic Gold in soccer in 1996 and 2000 respectively. Instead of improving upon these achievements, we have allowed years of mismanagement and our nonchalant attitude towards sports development to reduce us to mere passengers on the international arena. We abound in the talents that could be transformed into top sprinters to rival Usain Bolt and all those guys from Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, Great Britain, Canada and Brazil whose top athletes have their roots on the African continent. We have boxing talents nation-wide who could do far better than their great predecessors did in the 1960s and early 1970s before the slump set in. It will take a few gyms here and there to transform these youngsters and introduce them into the world of fame and fortune. We have strong men moving about town describing themselves as macho men. These are people who have deployed their energies in terrorising people at political rallies and acting as land guards. Some of these people could be transformed into medal-winning weightlifters at the Olympics if we put in place the right facilities to train them and redirect their potential energies. Already we are seeing with pride, the social and economic transformation some of our successful footballers are bringing into the country. It tells a story that sports in general has the potential of not only bringing fame to a country but changing the fortunes of its youth. We need to take sports development more seriously than we are doing now. The lacklustre manner our national teams are prepared for international engagements are not the best. Joblessness can be easily tackled to a very successful extent if the sporting talents of the youth could be given a more serious attention. Any serious investment in this regard will not in the long run become a wasteful venture. The decay of the Azuma Nelson Sports Complex at Kaneshie in Accra is a living testimony to the irresponsible manner we have treated sports development in this country. That facility was not only going to serve as a nursing ground for youthful talents but could also boost internal tourism as many would want to see the complex named after one of Africa’s greatest boxers. Alas, the place is not worth the name of the great Azuma Nelson. For the London Olympic Games, it will be remembered that we used the greater part of our time not preparing but feuding among ourselves as to who qualifies to be a member of the Ghana Olympic Committee and who should be the legitimate chairman. We have gone and come back without a medal. So far as the Olympic spirit is concerned, we have satisfied the main requirement of being a cheerful participants, but for a nation that cherishes its national pride, we have failed ourselves. Rio de Janiero is four years away, beckoning to the youth of the world to come and exhibit their sporting talents. Let us not be mere participants. Let us also stand up and sing our national anthem at a medal-presentation ceremony and watch our national flag being hoisted before the world. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

The morning after

After the initial shock and disbelief, the reality dawned on the nation that the unexpected had happened. The nation rose with spontaneity to mourn the death of President John Evans Atta Mills and celebrated his worthy and illustrious life in a fitting manner. From Tuesday, July 24, 2012, when the sad event at the 37 Military Hospital was broken to an astonished nation in a terse statement issued by Mr John Henry Newman, the Chief of Staff at the Castle, to Friday, August 10, 2012, when the late President was given a state funeral, Ghana, perhaps apart from the London Olympic Games, was the focus of the global media. The late President received so much attention, not just because he was the head of state of a country called Ghana, but also as a result of his personality and the manner in which he managed the presidency when he was alive. While some of the copious tributes paid in his memory were done as a matter of duty, many, many others were a true reflection of how the man was seen, known and perceived of by others, whether as schoolmates, a teacher, workmate, fellow politician and the President of the Republic. The eulogies from far and near were unanimous on certain attributes that could not be said to be conjured by some fickle minds that want to play tricks with the people of Ghana. The words: honesty, humility, selflessness and love for others were like constant strings woven into fluid testimonies in President Mills’ favour. These are exceptional qualities that are very rare and could be exploited by close associates on the blind side. In the days, weeks and months to come, we should not be surprised to hear perhaps stories about how our dear departed President became a victim of his trust, confidence and abiding faith in others. Ghana emerged with strong credentials for the smooth and orderly transition, when the President’s death was announced. In other jurisdictions on the continent, under similar conditions things were not likely to go that way. An example just next door will illustrate the point. When President Gnassingbe Eyadema died in February, 2005, the Speaker of the National Assembly who, according to Togo’s 1992 Constitution, was to take over until fresh elections were held, was frustrated when his aircraft was refused landing at the Lome International Airport As part of the grand conspiracy, the Togolese Chief of Army pronounced Eyadema’s son, Faure Gnassingbe as President. This was fiercely resisted from within and without. Following pressure from the international community and resistance by many Togolese, Faure Gnassingbe was forced to step down and the First Deputy Speaker of the Togolese Assembly, Bonfoh Abass was installed President until fresh elections were held in April, 2005, which Gnassingbe won with 60 per cent of the votes. Keeping to the provisions of our constitution to swear in the Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, soon after it was confirmed that President Mills had passed away, added to our democratic credentials, which are becoming the standard to measure Africa’s transition from authoritarian regimes to democracies. We did more when the President nominated his preferred candidate for the vacant position of Vice President in the person of Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, who was unanimously approved by Parliament and sworn in accordingly. We have already proved twice that our political landscape is very formidable and cannot be taken for granted. The first was in 2000, when the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) led by its candidate, Professor John Evans Atta Mills lost to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), led by John Agyekum Kufuor. The second was in 2008, when the NPP, led by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, with glamour and glitter backed by all the advantages of incumbency, lost to the NDC, led by the now departed President, Prof. Mills. This is how we have come so far and any remote fear that Ghana will slide into a one-party state should be completely obliterated from our minds. The big question is: “Are we benefiting from our democracy?”. The answer may not be an easy yes or no. We can argue that we have tested all the institutions of state power with some considerable success. We have a legislature that is doing its best under trying conditions. We have a judiciary that has so far proved its independence and readiness to interpret the law and the provisions to the best of its ability. We have an executive that is constantly being kept on its toes, knowing very well that any slip will translate into loss of confidence and a possible defeat at the polls. We have a media that is free and very vociferous, sometimes to the discomfort of many people, especially politicians. There are many who hold the opinion that notwithstanding these laudable achievements, the nation is losing out on one of the greatest benefits of democracy. That is national development. The polarisation has become so sharp and the intolerance of divergent views so acute that both those in government and those in the minority very often lose focus and dwell on matters that have very little relevance on our national interest. We have spent the larger part of our precious hours throwing words at each other, while serious challenges, like development commensurate with the country’s abundant resources, remain back cases. The late President Mills had all the qualities any country will require of its President, perhaps too much of it. But did we help him to put his ideas on the ground? Well, some may argue that he did not open up to those on the other side. Some may also claim that with all his good talks, he was not able to stop the foul-mouthing from his camp. We have all been guilty one way or the other and there is no room for passing the buck now. We have proved that as a nation, we are ready to mourn the loss of a precious gem together. Let us also resolve to confront our social, economic and development challenges with oneness of purpose. All the political leaders, religious leaders and traditional rulers who spoke profusely about late President Mills’s virtues of honesty, humility, modesty, patriotism, dedication and selflessness pledged to make these a national culture in our political discourse. This is a challenge we should all accept with stoic resolve. There is no gain, when we say that we have been holding successful elections after every four years and that we have the freedom to speak our minds as provided for in the 1992 Constitution, without showing concrete developments on the ground. With the praises our governments have been heaping on themselves, this country is nowhere near the level we want it to be. We have no excuse because nature has been very generous to us in terms of natural resources. Our democracy must be seen to be working not only in terms of adhering to the provisions of the constitution. Our democracy must be transforming our practical lives at the individual and national levels. We made a pledge to keep the flame of commitment, dedication and fellow-feeling lit by the late President Mills burning. Let us not wake up the following morning and forget the pledge of the previous day. May we live up to our words and may our politics grow into a national crusade to defeat poverty, hunger, disease, hopelessness, ignorance and inferiority complex that has consumed the black race over the centuries. May we celebrate the principles Mills stood for and make our politics more decorous and tolerant. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

Politics of acrimony

When Ghanaians went to the polls in a referendum on April 29, 1992 to endorse the 1992 Constitution, they did so as an affirmation of their confidence in multi-party democracy. Earlier attempts at constitutional ruled suffered premature ends when men in uniform and their civilian collaborators conspired to overthrow these governments in the name of serving the national interest. I shudder to talk about the First Republic because at the time of the February 24, 1966 coup, the country was a one-party state and the President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah was a Life President. Whether there was any constitutional means of effecting a change is, therefore, subject to debate. The case was quite different in 1972 and 1981 when the constitutional governments of Dr K. A. Busia and Dr Hilla Limann were overthrown through military coups in that order. It was obvious that the long spells of military and military/civilian dictatorship did not serve the interest of the country. The result of the 1992 referendum was, therefore, an endorsement of multi-party rule and a decision by the people to embrace democracy, which opens the doors to freedom of expression, exchange of divergent ideas and most important of all, the power to choose from qualified candidates who offer themselves for election as leaders of our country. The road of the latest democratic journey continued, after the referendum, with the lifting of the ban on political activities which were outlawed after the December 31, 1981 coup on May 18, 1992. The first presidential and parliamentary elections in November and December of that year were not without drama and confusion. The book, The Stolen Verdict, was a compilation of by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), events and incidents which it claimed culminated in its defeat. After that, the country continued with its resolve to pursue democracy even though every election came under a heavy cloud of suspicion. One would have expected that the more we advance in this journey and learn from our mistakes, the less the burden of democratic practice. Even though electoral reforms are bringing improvement in the electoral process, our political atmosphere is getting more and more polluted by the day. Again, apart from individual freedoms and liberties which the constitution guarantees every citizen, we are missing some of the beautiful things of democracy. Many of us thought multi-party democracy was an opportunity to shift through the lot and come to a national consensus on things that are good for all of us and pursue them with national vigour and commitment for full attainment. Our economy is still in a primitive state relying mainly on the export of raw materials. We still export the bulk of our cocoa in the raw beans state. That is not only a reduction in revenue; it means we are missing out in the many uses of cocoa beans. It also means our industry cannot expand beyond the cultivation of the crop which opens very limited employment opportunities to our citizens. We are still exporting manganese in the ore form which fetches very little revenue on the market and offers very little employment to highly trained and skilled professionals. Ghana is richly endowed with bauxite which is the main ingredient in any integrated aluminium industry. We already have a smelter and large quantities of salt and oil and gas for energy. Unfortunately, we are not able to exploit this tremendous opportunity to become a rich industrialised nation. We are rather exporting bauxite ore, while VALCO cannot produce at full capacity because it relies on imported raw materials. As a nation, we cannot boast of a first-class network of roads linking our towns and cities to open up the country for business and industry. The roads in our national capital, Accra are under stress and movement within the city for business has become a nightmare. Our railway system left for us by the colonial masters is in shambles; a system that could have fetched us millions in foreign exchange by exploiting the misfortune of our landlocked neighbours up north. These and other problems we thought would rather have engaged our attention as we take advantage of the blessings of democracy to pursue them with oneness of purpose. Instead, we are drifting from our real problems and are polarised on partisan lines. Dr Tony Aidoo was right when he questioned whether Ghanaians were not disappointed that they had chosen democracy as the path to development. Today, our ears are deafened in a cacophony of appeals for a peaceful election. Why should an election of Members of Parliament and a president to lead this country to progress become a battle cry such that everybody should be on his/her knees begging for peace? Who are we begging? Are they the same Ghanaians who are supposed to be the beneficiaries of democracy? We cannot pretend but realise that we have turned our politics from a mission to serve into an opportunity to loot. That ambition has become so pronounced that we have lost our focus as a nation and are ready to tear each other apart. Ghana is very well-endowed beyond explanation and all we need are good leadership, good guidance and direction and a united and discerning population to move on. Our blind ambition to take all the credit for everything good while blaming all others is not good for our national psyche. We must be able to realise that those who did the preparation of the ground, those who did the planting and those who did the harvesting all combined collectively to ensure a national objective or goal. Our greatness lies in our acceptance of our weaknesses and appreciating the efforts of others in nation-building. Our politics should not be that of enemies or foes. It should be that of a different set of people pursuing a national development agenda in a particular way which will produce the same results. If our politicians want the best for us; if their quest for office is to use their talents and skills to develop this country, then they should spare us the acrimony, the vilifications and intolerance. Let it not be said that because of the activities of a few selfish and disgruntled politicians, Ghanaians have regretted opting for democracy. The international community is doing everything to support us in our democratic efforts. Let us not fail ourselves. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

A roof over our heads

I believe there are strong reasons why the government at one time took a decision to reallocate government bungalows in certain parts of Accra and other cities and towns for redevelopment. From where I stand, I can hazard a guess of one or two reasons. Those bungalows were constructed during the colonial era and white masters wanted to distance themselves as far as possible from the black servants. So these properties were sited on large acreages of land with what was described as ‘boys quarters’ quite a distance from the main bungalow. The state could afford such luxury because the beneficiaries were few and land was not under pressure. Today, those who qualify to be housed by the state, technically speaking, are legion but resources limited. Looking critically at things today, it does not make sense to house a single family at state expense on a parcel of land that could conveniently house more than 10 families. It also became clear that the maintenance of these colonial mansions have become a heavy burden on the national budget. Apart from the politician occupants who manage to get things done their own way, most of these bungalows have been virtually abandoned without any facelift. The Accra Redevelopment Project might have been conceived on sound reasoning but opened itself to abuse when it came to implementation. In the first place, if the issue was about making economic use of available land, the same plot which had a single bungalow could have been redeveloped to accommdate more families. If the issue is about the state downloading the burden of housing some category of workers, the position must be made clear so that public servants will be clear in their minds that their accommodation is not the business of the state. If the idea is to give the central part of Accra, the capital city where most of these bungalows are situated, there must be guidelines on how those houses in prime areas are to be re-allocated. The guidelines should spell out those companies or individuals who qualify to acquire these houses. The least to qualify are senior public servants, political office holders and their agents who have direct control of the allocation process. In the absence of publicly debated modalities, it is not surprising that the exercise has run into difficulties sometimes with embarrassing consequences. Take the case of the High Court judge who woke up one morning to see intruders demanding he vacates the official bungalow allocated to him a few weeks earlier because the property had been sold to them as far back as 2007. Strangely, this was not known to the authorities at the Judicial Service who went ahead to do the allocation. Even if there should be a change of policy so far as accommodating senior civil servants are concerned, one group of people who should be spared are judges. By the peculiar nature of their work, judges deserve maximu protection from the state. To subject judges to accommodation problems means making an already difficult and stressful work extraordinarily difficult. There are many individuals and corporate institutions that would be more than willing to accommodate a judge but that would be at a great cost to the dispensation of justice. It is not for nothing that even the social life of judges are restricted to ensure that they do not become too familiar with certain people so as to influence their decisions. Rather than evicting judges and other judicial staff from their bungalows, it would be more prudent to pull down those colonial buildings on vast expanses of land and build more apartments to accommodate more judges who are being employed in the expanding judicial system. Judges, like medical doctors, by necessity must be as close to their duty points as possible. This is not a luxury but a reality that must not be subjected to any debate. It is not too late to go back and make amends where it is clearly established that there has been an official mistake. Our judges must have roofs over their heads. They must live in secure environment insulated from criminal gangs that could exploit their vulnerability for criminal gains. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

The motorway craters

THE vehicle ahead kept zigzagging in a manner which kept me wondering what might have influenced the driver to indulge in those dangerous antics so early in the morning. Then it came my turn and I realised rather too late that the driver was not joking but only responding to the nature of the road which was putting his driving skills to severe test. Many motorists are familiar with the potholes that dot most of our roads. In the dry season, they stare at you in open defiance, while in the rainy season they become ponds or mini lakes. The Accra-Tema Motorway, one of the legacies of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the Founder of the nation, is of a peculiar design and built. It is perhaps the only road in the country built of concrete and iron rods. Any crack on it, therefore, goes beyond an ordinary pothole and could be best described as a crater. The jugged edges of the craters are obvious, sometimes with exposed rods, and any careless manoeuvring which lands a vehicle in any of the craters could spell doom. Many vehicles have suffered accidents either trying to avoid those craters or landing in them at high speed. The Motorway, which in the past was the pride the nation and about the safest road in the country, has become one of the most dangerous, recording accidents on a daily basis. Efforts to seal these craters bear very little fruit, as the materials used are not compatible with the hard concrete. Using bitumen to seal those craters does not offer the necessary result. The Motorway is like a worn-out floor carpet which does not make driving a pleasant experience. Apart from that, there are no inner and outer markings to guide motorists, especially in the night, so it is not strange that every now and then serious accidents occur, with loss of human lives. The Motorway aside, it is time we seriously considered giving some of the roads in the national capital a facelift. The road from La which runs through the capital to the Kwame Nkrumah Circle is not something some of us feel proud about. The same could be said of the road from the Castle Junction through the Beach Road, along which could be found the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel, the Labadi Beach Hotel, the First Infantry Brigade Headquarters, the Military Academy and Training School (MATS), the Armed Forces Command and Staff College and the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping and Training Centre. Work on the stretch between Teshie and MATS is too slow for comfort. These are very important national institutions that must not be left enveloped in dust or splashed in mud. The report we had last week about the portion of the road between Nsawam and Suhum on the Accra-Kumasi highway was not a pleasant one. The road linking Accra, the national capital, to Kumasi, our second largest city, should be given every priority it deserves. As it is, we may have to take the advice of a Burkinabe truck driver who got caught in the heavy traffic jam on the above stretch last Friday which obstructed movement for hours. Suleiman Iddrisu, 38, who spent hours in the jam, remarked, “If we are serious as a country at boosting economic activities and business, the government needs to give priority to the early execution of this important road.” fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com

Mining assuming dangerous proportions

Mining for minerals has been going on in Ghana for decades. In fact, the record shows that the then Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC) started operating its Obuasi Mine, which is believed to have some of the world’s largest gold deposits, in 1897. The Obuasi Mine is also among the 10 largest in the world. In 2004, the AGC merged with AngloGold to become AngloGold Ashanti, the world’s second largest gold producer. Other minerals that have been mined extensively in the country are diamond, bauxite and manganese. Under normal circumstances, judging from the volume of minerals taken out of this country since colonial times, Ghana should have been brimming with mineral wealth just like South Africa. But, alas, this is not the case and the search for wealth from the bowels of the earth continues. If in the past only a few well-established mining companies operated in the country under appropriately defined rules and regulations, today the sector has become a free range where mining activities are going on in a lawless and careless manner. There are many factors that have contributed to this state of affairs. First, mining has not brought any visible improvement to the lives of the local people nor the physical development of the communities. Rather, mineral wealth has largely remained the monopoly of the shareholders in Europe, the United States and a few chiefs and local politicians who feast on the crumbs that fall from the table of the millionaires cocooned in the comfort of the major cities of the world. Obuasi, for example, has nothing to show for its accolade as one of the richest gold mines in the world. Meanwhile, Obuasi has made millionaires out of many Europeans, while the local people only enjoy the luxury of being identified with the precious metal while not benefiting from its wealth. Having waited impatiently in vain for decades for the gold wealth to spread and cover them, the local people, mostly the unemployed youth, have decided to go to the depths themselves to take what they could get, damn the risk and legal consequences. In the past, galamsey, as illegal mining is known among the populace, was restricted to a few concessions in the Obuasi area and was carried out discreetly, not with the flagrant impunity we see today. Unfortunately, galamsey is now the norm, not the illegal and clandestine vocation it was years ago. It may still remain illegal, but the spread, the numbers involved and the sophisticated equipment deployed in the business have clothed it with a garb of normality. Those colonialists who were quick to name our coastline the Gold Coast will be astonished to hear that the whole land mass of Ghana is pregnant with gold, from the beaches to the Savanna grassland of the north. First, our governments thought they could flash the galamsey operators from business. When that failed, they introduced a scheme to register and license the small-scale miners, so that their operations could be regulated and supervised, which was a good idea. Strangely, the small-scale miners have refused to operate within the rules and are now operating everywhere, anyhow. Mining generally has its environmental challenges, whether operating legally or otherwise. The obvious ones are forest degradation, water and noise pollution and the destruction of farmlands and crops. At least, while the major mining companies put in efforts to minimise the side effects of their operations, the illegal operators have no such plans and the result is the environmental degradation being experienced all over the country. The local people are beginning to take the law into their own hands to protect their heritage and the country will head for a major civil strife if care is not taken to deal decisively with the menace. A few examples will suffice. About a month ago, the people of Akyem Saaman in the Eastern Region rose up against the operations of the Kibi Goldfield Limited/Solar Mining Group. The residents blamed the mining firm for polluting their source of drinking water — the River Birim, the River Akusu and the River Anoma. They also complained of the removal of the vegetation cover along the banks of the said rivers, resulting in siltation and sedimentation during rainfall, and also the destruction of their cocoa farms through mining activities. Not even a visit by Mr Victor Smith, the Eastern Regional Minister, to calm nerves could satisfy the residents. What it means is that there is potential threat to peace, and this has dangerous consequences. Things were more violent at Gbane in the Talensi-Nabdam District in the Upper West Region where there was a violent confrontation between the youth of the community and workers of Shaanxi Mining Company Limited, a subsidiary of the China Gold Resources Group Company Limited. Four of the Chinese were said to be seriously injured in that confrontation, while mining equipment belonging to the firm was vandalised. The case of the people was that 527 of their compatriots who are farmers had been displaced, while 3,000 economic trees, mostly shea nut trees, had been destroyed. Illegal mining operations are no longer just a threat to the environment but also a breeding ground for hooligans who are prepared to confront lawful authority or even fight among themselves over territory. A case in point was the clash at Tutuka, an Obuasi suburb, among rival galamsey operators which left many of them seriously wounded. A new phenomenon which has muddied the already polluted waters is the arrival of Chinese experts in illegal mining. They do not operate with shovels, pickaxes and pans but deploy bulldozers and other heavy machinery. It appears they operate at the fringes of the law and it seems the police have been compromised and, therefore, cannot do anything. They are not only on the spree, leaving destruction in their path, but also invading the concessions of the mining companies. The latest reports have it that some of these illegal Chinese miners have invaded the concessions of AngloGold Ashanti at Kwanwireso, near Obuasi. Some of them are said to be heavily armed and could cause havoc to anyone trying to destabilise them. fokofi@yahoo.co.uk kofiakordor.blogspot.com