Marricke Kofi Gane writes: NPP, NDC taking Ghanaians for fools

Dear NDC and NPP sympathisers,

No, I mean those who followed these parties because they used to stand for an ideal, they hoped would make Ghana better for all of us. Yes, you are the one I am writing to.

Over the last decade at least, we have had an endless catalogue of scandals upon scandals upon scandals. These latest Airbus and Galamsey scandals are just an addition to the list. They won’t be the last this year.

The recent Galamsey scandals as well captured across our media have fingered a Minister of State (the very ministry responsible for environment), a deputy regional chairman (the region at the heart of the ‘galamsey’), a former head of an operational taskforce (albeit “cleared”), party’s General Secretary (of the ruling party), and many others. It shows party men and women controlling every arm of the preventive, detection and corrective elements of this galamsey fight. The fact that these were being done to finance party operations should suggest to you the NPP itself has economic motivations why the problem must not be solved. The fact that excavators confiscated from private criminal activities are being shared, sold and used, apparently involving a national security officer, is proof that these folks wholeheartedly embrace the criminality surrounding Galamsey – what stops them doing same in other public issues? And let’s not get it twisted – these are top ranks of a party in power, not footsoldiers.

Talk about the AirBus scandal engulfing the timeframe of NDC in power 2012-2015. Sickening? That the NDC takes taxpayers money (70% of who are poor), you buy 3 military aircraft that were not ITAR Certified for sale, they were bought under the pretext of replacing 2 older Aircraft that were still in good functional states, you pay for them at prices above market rates and defend all of this by saying nobody “actually” collected a bribe? This is a Government, who, like you and I, sees UK, France and America penalising AirBus for actual and attempted Briberies, yet the NDC believes that because their side of the bribery did not show a physical transfer and receipt of money, it is all okay? This is the same NDC Party who want us to believe they can deal with corruption when elected again?

Look at the amount of time these two have spent trying to contend, prove, defend and counter whether these glaring acts of corruption were intentioned or consummated? How much time do they have left, to spend on finding creative ways to develop Ghana? In a progressive country, most of them would have had the conscience to resign.

There are millions of NPP-NDC sympathisers on here and out there with a conscience, even those who will Bash this post. You know everything is going bad. You know it taints your beliefs and the legacies you believed your parties stood for. But the reality is that these two parties with their crop of leaders are not inclined towards National Progress anymore, but money and political aggrandizement. They are not inclined towards the National greed of making sure Ghana gets the best deals out of every opportunity out there in the world, but individual parochial greed. The corruption these last 10 years have been so brazen and in-your-face. They have taken Ghanaians for fools too long and they actually believe we are still fools enough to keep defending and endorsing their greed and mediocrity – after all they have seen us do so for 27years. It is we who suffer in the end, every time, not them. As a matter of fact, the only worth they see us for is a few hundred cedis, call credits, and a few contracts here and there during and after the election. For how long? Another 27 years while the rest of the world moves on? Every day the world moves on, every day we brew new scandals and political furore – some self-occurring and others, to cover up dirtier ones. Do you want all that for another 27 years?

No one was born, with NDC or NPP in their blood. We were all born with Ghana in our blood. NPP and NDC will come and go. If Ghana goes well, it does for us all. If NPP-NDC does well, it does so for the few we hail “Honourable!” not you. For 27+ years you have borne loyalty to a few greedy families and friends and by so doing denied loyalty to your own progress. For 27+ years you have interpreted loyalty to mean defending all things NPP-NDC and never asking yourself, who defends your hard life. For 27+ years, some youth have lived at the mercy of a few cedis and data credits while “your big men” send their children abroad and care for their health at the best facilities – and these are people you voted to serve you? You have become the servants!! And it is wrong.

You didn’t like what I said. I know. But deep within you, you know I spoke the truth from the heart. See, Ghana needs to go forward, your lives need to go forward. It is NOT a crime for all of us to progress equitably – but it won’t happen with NPP-NDC – at least not with this crop of leadership: It hasn’t happened for 27+ years. Today, look around you – there are people you know, who do not put in a quarter of the efforts you put into life, yet they live better than you, simply because they became “party runners” – have you wondered why that is fair? My sisters and brothers, see, your party loyalty is not loyalty if you are not first loyal to Your own progress and to your country’s progress. Ghana is bleeding. Your families and your own progress are bleeding. Yet your party elders are “blowing time” from stealing and breaking the laws left, right, centre and you think defending their wrongs is loyalty – how can that be Loyalty? You are endorsing their criminality. One day, it will be you who dies from the dysfunctional health system; it will be your children who graduate and are a mismatch for industry; it will be you who has an accident because of the bad infrastructure; One day, it is you who will experience the travesty of justice because the corruption you once defended, lived to work against you.

We are in a new dispensation. One that requires doing things differently – to be Bold and to put Ghana first.

Before you insult me, pause, reflect, ask your conscience – “how well has the duopoly served me, my future and my children? Ask your conscience – “Does Ghana Deserve Better?”

Respectfully,
Marricke Kofi Gane
Independent Presidential Aspirant
#TimeNoDey #Gane4Ghana
#GhanaDeservesBetter