“JERRY RAWLINGS’ BULLDOZER,” WHERE ART THOU?

Opposition leader Nana Akufo Addo and his party, every means possible and for political capital took advantage of every other disaster that occurred under President John Mahama. 

Assigns of the opposition leader would always blame the unfortunate situations on leadership. With particular reference to June 3rd disaster, Rev Owusu Bempah’s verdict was that a country that has an evil leader, calamities of such nature it suffers.  

Former President JJ Rawlings

It has never crossed our minds that in just 10 months such sad situations would inundate us under President Akufo Addo and his competent team having the likes of Owusu Bempah as intercessors.

By the last count just through a cursory; Kitampo water falls disaster, mysterious vehicular accidents and deaths, Tema/Trade Fair/Takoradi/ Atomic junction gas explosions. Two other; restaurant and bakery related explosions were reported in Sunyani and Mankessim.

Atomic Junction gas explosion site

That some of the explosions had taken place after the President told us it would not re-occur is really not the point but the kind of leader and claimed spiritual advisors under whom these calamities are witnessed is the issue. Jeroboam’s time?

By the way, someone asked; competence that requires a historic number of appointees [110 Ministers] and more to perform, is that one too competence?

Prez Akufo Addo

The Government justified the appointments, claiming it was for proper oversight and effective delivery.

Ministry of Energy is one key ministry that benefitted from the elephant size appointments; a Minister with 3 unprecedented deputies.

Just as others, the communication that accompanied their nominations had clearly defined portfolios and so oversight responsibility over fuel and gas filling stations fall within someone’s mandate. On the back of the disasters, is it out of place on our part to ask what the in-charge deputy Minister and his superiors have been doing all these months since the day of their appointments.

Energy Minister, Hon Boakye Agyaako

What work really have we the past months been paying the Ministers and other appointees for? Talk only, I guess. Elsewhere, Ministers and or other appointees directly responsible for supervision of the sector or industry would have taken responsibility and resigned accordingly.

This is Ghana, the most ludicrous excuse I have heard an appointee offer on the Atomic junction gas explosion was to the effect that they just took over office. For Christ sake the Akufo Addo government has been in office for ten months. In fact, it is arguably the first government in our recent history to nominate and appoint officials even before the day of handing over and therefore cannot be a good enough excuse.

Deputy Energy Minister, Hon Mohammed Amin Adam

Some have opined that an opportunity for self-aggrandizement was all the Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP wanted power for because the indiscipline, recklessness, corruption and all that they criticize the NDC for appear to be the same situation if not degenerating.  

I have in the wake of the June 3^rd Nkrumah circle disaster shared an observation in a feature which is reproduced here for readers. Is there at all any sign of change the past 10 months and ever will? 

A scene from the June 3 disaster

“Starr fm, 103.5MHz had reported that the Mile 7 site has a fuel filling station and a washing bay. It turned out that only the fueling filling station belonged to the Member of Parliament [MP].  The washing bay had been demolished leaving the fuel filling station untouched.

I never knew the Municipal Chief Executive [MCE] for Ga West, Sam Atukwei Quaye in whose jurisdiction the filling station was located gave a Sunday deadline for demolishing. He should carry it through. What we need is precedence - an example; deterrent enough for all.

What's the point having an MP [law maker] whose business and property is on a water-way yet in times of flooding, joins his colleagues and Speaker of Parliament to commiserate with disaster victims? Not hypocrisy? Not Insulting?

With the situation of meagre resources, Government in the wake of the June 3^rd disaster had had to fork out Gh50M for the disaster related issues. Capitation grant, we haven't fully paid, school feeding cash owed to some levels. It is virtually a case of one step forward, two backwards for the nation. Sad!!

Do we care about this nation at all? Or we are at the stage of pretense? "What Is In It For Me [WIIIFM] syndrome" underlying every action of ours, accounting for all we are witnessing today? Martin Luther King opined that the real progress of the world has to do with the commitment of a very few of the entire population.

In as much I agree with him, there is no doubt that we are confronted with the risk of losing even the few patriotic citizens due to self-centeredness [indiscipline] of others which stare them in the face on daily basis.

Former President, J.J. Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on the back of the disaster and out of anger said, had he a bulldozer, he would have pulled down a lot of structures at un-authorized locations in the City.

Being blunt about it, I honestly missed "Jerry Rawlings bulldozer." Aside the excesses, I personally missed revolution. It makes a lot of people think and behave properly. You hear people often telling you same.

Flt Lt JJ Rawlings in the heady days of the revolution

I had an experience during the rush hours of last Wednesday, witnessed a situation around Ridge roundabout that I would not describe as "animalistic" but felt extremely sad about. It had to take a Police dispatch rider and 2 other officers less than five minutes to restore traffic flow at the roundabout.

Hitherto, all drivers were at the same time trying to out-do one another, having the entire roundabout in a gridlock causing a flow-back all the way toward Osu cemetery, Ako Adjei interchange and national theater. This was before the heavy downpour.

None of the drivers was willing to sacrifice a minute of his or her time for the other, all of them ending up spending not less than 5 minutes in surviving the hurdle at the roundabout alone, not talking about the snail pace journey to the roundabout.

Some people get uncomfortable hearing the truth that for instance  if anyone wishes to see the critical thinking capacity of many of us, he/she should pitch a camp at a non-functioning traffic light or hand over to us car keys in traffic and see how we behave.

Back to the Wednesday disaster and the need for workable systems, I weep for the Dr Nana SKB Asante led team that spent sleepless nights to give us a constitution which heralded the 1993 democratic dispensation. I am not sure this was what the team, the constituents Assembly and many people expected in about 60 years.

Nana Dr SKB Asante

I remember former Ho Central MP, Hon George Nfodjoe [Capt Rtd] for one thing when he was the MCE for Ho. Anyone who surfaces in his office seeking his intervention, especially on matters of lawlessness and indiscipline; sighting properties in unauthorized place, noise by religious groupings, stray animals. While empathizing with the complainant, same time will dispatch a team to the location to carry out the required exercise.

I have heard same said about former IGP, Peter Nanfuri.

Former IGP, Peter Ananfuri [seated] in a hand shake with Amb. Kabral Blay Amihere

Taking cognizance of their professional training, their demonstrations feed into the quote of a US Supreme Court Judge that "Laws are for the people, good conducts are for the higher persons," and that must be a guiding principle for everybody in everything we do. Discipline! Patriotism!

A Court in Accra has granted an injunction preventing the Accra Metropolitan Assembly [AMA] from carrying out a demolishing exercise of a building on a water way. Rule of law huh? Of what importance is that injunction when people are dying and others displaced because of indiscipline?

Former Chief Justice, Georgina Wood

President Barak Obama says we need strong institutions but here, we do not need strong institutions in this particular case but strong men who will take action and damn the consequences; “Jerry Rawlings' bulldozer” to cure indiscipline and prevent the situation where we lost about 150 innocent lives.

However, I commend Hon Alfred Vanderpuje and his men for respecting an unhelpful decision of a Court. That makes him a true believer in democracy. But wait a minute, have you heard that an Accra High Court had given judgement in a high profile case whereas interested parties including the State were oblivious of the Judgement day?

Chief Justice Sofia Akufo

I am talking about the case of the State V Daniel Gyimah. Daniel Gyima, a former NIB boss and Board Chair of University of Development Studies [UDS] who connived with J.A. Kufour to deny President Jerry Rawlings a deserving award faced charges of financial loss to the State.

There is another case where over Gh620,000 was stolen from TOR's account and the High Court Judge has fined the 4 accused persons GH30,000 each and some years of imprisonment in default. Can you imagine?

 Aren't we slipping back to those days of suspicious and questionable judgements? Not indiscipline?

Are we not giving a living Amartey Kwei “weapons” and a basis to strike again? How can we prevent some of these? What is the Chief Justice doing about these Judgements as well as the Judges behind them?

Former Attorney General, Marrieta Brew Appiah-Oppong

The Attorney General's department under the able tutelage of Marrieta Brew Appiah Oppong [Esq] has appealed against both judgements. Her action will assuage the frustration and disappointment of many people regarding the perceived “virtual set free rulings."

 Democracy is expensive, considering “Jerry Rawlings' bulldozer” request and timing. Caring less whose ox will be gored, Prez John Mahama in an address after the National security meeting over the Wednesday disaster stated: "the situation of the convenience of a few at the expense of the majority is unacceptable."

H.E. John Mahama

I had that quote from the President reverberating in my head throughout the rest of the address and saw a task dutifully handed Regional Ministers and MMDCEs. On the basis of this task I ask; "Jerry Rawlings' bulldozer," where are you? Where art thou?”

President Akufo Addo

Many months after President Akufo Addo has taken over governance of our State on the back change, the situation unfortunately does not appear being salvaged; talk only; exacerbating – Atomic junction,Tema, Takoradi, Trade Fair gas explosions represent only one of myriad of issues arising out of the gross indiscipline in our society, decimating human lives and property. 

So therefore, I dare ask again “Jerry Rawlings’ bulldozer,” where art thou?