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Dans cet article Agyemang Katakyie Kwame Opoku touche du doigt un aspect potentiellement explosif de la vie politique sur le golfe du Bénin. Cet aspect concerne la césure sociologique, culturelle, religieuse, et économique qui marque les pays de cette partie de l’Afrique de l’Ouest que sont : La Côte d’Ivoire, le Ghana, le Togo, le Bénin et le Nigéria. La fameuse opposition nord/sud. En général, compte tenu de la manière dont les choses se sont passées depuis l’époque coloniale, les conditions de la conquête, les régions qui ont été au contact des Blancs, mais aussi celles que la nature a dotées de ressources agricoles, minières et maritimes, ce sont les régions forestières et du sud qui sont les plus avantagées. Ainsi pour la plupart de ces pays à l’indépendance et depuis lors, les parties de la zone sahélienne qui constituent ce qu’on appelle le nord, partagent le même faciès économique, culturel et sociologique porté à l’indigence, à une pauvreté relative que seule une politique de discrimination positive habile a pu dans certain pays sinon juguler du moins réduire. C’est le cas du Ghana où Kwame Nkrumah, l’africaniste qui raisonne en termes africains et non pas de façon étriquée ethnique a initié en faveur des Ghanéens du nord une politique qui prenait en compte leur retard économique. Entre autres choses, cette politique de discrimination positive veut qu’un Ghanéen du nord puisse aller de l’école maternelle à l’université au frais de l’Etat. Dans d’autres pays du golfe du Bénin, cette discrimination positive ne s’est pas appelée par son nom, et a souvent été suppléée par la bonne volonté et la vigilance ethnique des régions ou ethnies concernées. C’est ainsi qu’au Dahomey/Bénin, à défaut que la loi ait institué ouvertement une telle discrimination, les gens du nord ont jeté un dévolu sourcilleux sur le sommet de l’État en faisant une maladie du fait que le Président soit de leur région. Alors qu’au Ghana, jusqu’ici et sans doute en raison de la politique de discrimination positive dont jouit les nordiques, ils se contentent de la deuxième place sur les tickets présidentiels avec le rôle de vice Président. Sauf bien sûr l’occasion du décès du Président en exercice ( Nigéria, Ghana) ajoutée à la loi africaine qui veut qu’un Président en exercice qui n’a pas contrevenu aux intérêts des milieux néocoloniaux ne perde pas les élections, a pu permettre au Ghana d’avoir son premier Président nordique. Cet engouement à la carrière politique au plus haut sommet, conduit les nordiques à ne voir dans le pays concentré dans son histoire et dans ses richesses au centre-sud que comme une caverne d’Ali baba ou une vache à lait. En même temps que dans certains cas cette moindre représentation du tout national comme étant sentimentalement proche de soi conduit à une promptitude à la rébellion et à la guerre civile, entendu que la guerre, dans l’esprit du nordique ne fera que brûler les richesses qu’il convoite et dont il ressent le manque. C’est cette logique de la terre brûlée qui explique la rébellion ivoirienne. Le sentiment et le fait que détruire le sud de la Côte d’Ivoire, le rendre ingouvernable et le plonger dans le chaos ne touchent pas à l’âme du nordique et à ce qu’il a de plus cher : c’est-à-dire sa région d’identification sahélienne. Au Togo, le problème a été encore plus simple, puisque c’est une seule famille originaire du Nord qui possède et impose sa loi sur le pays depuis quasiment l’indépendance, aidée en cela par l’Occident néocolonial ( la Françafrique) qui a conscience de la solidité de son alliance objective avec les minorités du Nord islamique contre la majorité souvent christianisée du Centre Sud des pays du golfe du Bénin. ( curieux choix qui suit plus la ligne des intérêts matériels que celle de la proximité immatérielle) D’une manière générale, vu la morphologie géographique, démographique, sociologique et économique des pays du golfe du Bénin, et compte tenu de l’avancée du désert, les gens de la zone sahélienne répondent par une poussée vers le sud convoité et entrent dans une logique de guerre d’occupation larvée, qui prend les dehors de la lutte pour la démocratie ou l’alternance politique. Ils bénéficient, comme on l’a vu en Côte d’Ivoire, du soutien objectif des Blancs, et parviennent à instrumentaliser l’inconscience des acteurs lettrés du sud dont tout le monde sait que la proximité historique du Blanc et de sa culture est synonyme d’aliénation et de bêtise, chronique ; c’est-à-dire qu’il s’agit d’une tourbe pathétique qui ne se croit intelligente que lorsqu’elle pose des actes de monstrueuse bêtise qui hypothèquent son propre avenir en tant que groupe. Ce contexte d’aliénation semble d’ailleurs structuré, puisqu’à la propension à l’aliénation frénétique du lettré et à la division des sudistes en général répond la propension à l’unité, à l’entente et à l’harmonie des gens du nord. C’est l’idée qui sous-tend l’article ci-dessous où l’auteur s’étonne du fait que les Nordiques, épaulés par une partie aliénée des gens des autres régions refusent d’appliquer au pays tout entier une politique de discrimination dont ils profitent alors que les ressources qui financent cette politique proviennent des régions qui n’en profitent pas et dans lesquelles la pauvreté et la misère, surtout dans l’arrière pays, y sont aussi légion que dans le Nord… D’où le titre « Ce qui est Bon Pour les Nordiques est Bon pour les Sudistes… |
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What is Good for Northerners is Equally Good for Southerners Columnist: Agyemang, Katakyie Kwame Opoku The significance of National Flags, especially in global sporting competitions, cannot be over-emphasised. They serve not only as means of identity, but also a symbol for a country’s history and ideals. It was not for nothing that Mrs. Theodosia Salame Okoh designed the current flag for Mother Ghana. This symbolic design took place in 1957 when the country attained political independence. As many of you are aware, the flag of Ghana consists of Red, Gold, and Green horizontal strips with a five point Black Star in the centre of the Gold stripe. The colour red represents the blood of our forebears who died in the country’s struggle for independence. The gold/yellow stands for the country’s mineral wealth; whilst the green symbolises our agricultural wealth. The black star, no doubt, represents the hope of Africa. It could be deciphered from the above that every Ghanaian, had at least, a family member who sacrificed his/her life for the benefit of the present generation at the time of the political struggle. Therefore, the choice of red as one of the 3 colours of the National Flag was no doubt, in the right direction. Though Ghana boasts of mineral wealth, the location of these minerals is limited to certain regions in the country. For instance, among the 10 Regions, it is on record that major minerals such as oil, gold, diamond, manganese, and bauxite that fetch enough foreign exchange for the country are located in Western, Ashanti, and Eastern Regions. The unevenly distribution of these mineral deposits could be one of the main reasons that accounted for the choice of Unitary Form of government after independence. This is because Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah did not want any of the regions to lag behind in terms of socio-economic development. The same could be said about the country’s agricultural wealth. Since time immemorial, agriculture has been the backbone of the Ghanaian economy. From east to west, and north to south, at least one form of agricultural activity takes place. From fishing, to farming, and animal rearing, every Ghanaian is convinced that truly, our economy is agrarian. The choice of green for our flag, which incidentally matches the natural colour of the forest, could be said to be without any fault. However, a critical observation of the agricultural products that fetch significant income for the nation, in terms of their contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) are obtained from the forest belt. Here again regions such as Brong-Ahafo, Western, Ashanti, Central, and Eastern come to mind. That is not to say that other regions do not produce anything, far from that. But it is an undeniable fact that the above-mentioned regions are the major producers of cocoa, timber, and foodstuffs. Cocoa alone gives the nation $2bn every year. It is therefore the expectation of all Ghanaians that at least, the wealth of Ghana could be spread in such a way that the regions that produce a greater part of the country’s wealth have their fair share of the national cake, if not a greater share. This is because there is an adage that says; ” nea oyam ahwahwade3 no, ompopa ne nsa kwa”. “3na , de3 wabr3 nso na odie”. But, is that the case in Ghana? No! The people in the above-mentioned regions suffer for John Mahama and his Northern brothers to go to school free. They attend school free from kindergarten to the university without paying anything. After schooling, they become Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Vice Presidents, but they have the gut to tell Ghanaians that the Vice Presidential position is no more exciting to them. Some of them marry more than necessary and produce children as if they are drinking water. Instead of building their houses and setting up their businesses in the north, they build their mansions in Accra, work in the cities, and later complain about lack of meaningful development in the north. If you look at the number of Ministers in the current administration who are from the north, one wonders why people cry foul about lack of development in the area. This John Mahama, in his own wisdom, thinks that the northern part of the country lacks medical doctors so he deemed it fit to send 250 Northerners to study medicine in Cuba without thinking about the hen that lays the golden egg for Mother Ghana. A Southerner, who paid for the cost of his entire education decided to use the country’s resources to expand the free education policy to the rest of the regions and people began to rain insults on him. Some of them even said free things are of poor quality. If so, why does the NDC government boast of increasing the capitation grant from GHC3 to GHC4.50 per child per year? Why don’t we allow parents to pay for these fees? The other time I had a debate on the radio with an NDC representative in Kumasi, he said education in the north is not entirely free because they pay for everything barring feeding. So I retorted, what is wrong with the government extending that benefit to students in the south? He had no answer to that. Strangely, in spite of all this blatant unfairness, there are millions of southerners who side with the NDC to reject free SHS. Surprisingly, some of these southerners could not even continue their education beyond the junior high school level due to poverty; some of them are still aware of the struggles their parents go through when schools re-open, yet because they have been influenced with short term monetary gains, they even tease some of us on the free SHS proposal. My late father, though a cocoa farmer, could not cater for my secondary education until my sister sold her pieces of cloth to see me through. Sometimes, in the face of this emotional experience, we have no option than to draw people’s attention to this institutionalised educational discrimination but we end up being tagged us tribalists, ethnocentric, among others. But how could people sell their conscience and reject free secondary education for their own children? I can’t just understand it! “3nti de3 wapoto amano afe no, okyiri s3 odebo mu bi anaa?”. If free education was limited to the southern part of Ghana, what would be the perception of our northern brothers? At least, it would be morally fair and justifiable to extend such freebies to children of the very people who sustain Ghana’s economy by dint of their hard work. The other time the chiefs and people of Western Region reminded John Mahama of his 10% oil revenue promise, hell broke lose. So for how long will southerners sit down for them to be used as hewers of wood and drawers of water to perpetuate the existence of John Mahama and his sycophants whilst our people die in abject poverty? Remember, our forebears fought against the whites when they felt cheated along the line, so how much more John Mahama? Indeed, if we wanted somebody to cheat us, should it be John Mahama and his NDC? I don’t think so because if John Mahama and his brother, who now owns a private jet, did not have free education, probably both of them could have been on the streets as Kayayes (head potters) or farm labourers like my nephew who did not have access to secondary education. However, I take consolation of the fact that the discerning, selfless, and patriotic Northerners like Dr. Bawumia, who are beneficiaries of free education, have come out boldly to justify the need for free education for every child. At least, he has been honest with the Ghanaian people. In conclusion, I call upon Ghanaians to stand up against this injustice or forever we all perish. All Ghanaian children need free education and not only John Mahama and his family. If free education is good for Northerners, it is equally good for their southern counterparts. We can’t sit down unconcerned only for our knives to be used to dissect reptiles of all kinds. Discrimination in any form should be nipped in the bud. I’ve spoken the truth and if I should die for it now, so be it after all, all die be die! God bless Ghana! God bless Kufuor!! Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, Enfield. London. (Free SHS Ambassador) A native of Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri Official blog (www.katakyie.com) [email protected] 07577626433 “Vision, coupled with persistency, results in true success RE: "What is good for Northerners is equally good for Southerners“Rate This Feature Article of Saturday, 29 December 2012 Columnist: Ayaric, Ghanatta (Ghanaweb Feature Article, 2012-12-26) It is your right to express your personal opinion, my dear Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, and see Northerners as parasites sponging off hardworking Southerners. I am convinced that the majority of Ghanaians do not share this view, and it is good so. It is also all right if Dr. Bawumia is the only sensible Northerner in your estimation. At least, the North can boast of one person who has not taken leave of his senses, but has resisted the temptation to marry many wives and make many children who would deplete further the resources of the benevolent South. Ghanaians are proud of the achievements of their brainy citizens, and do not see them through the lens of a political party. The suggestion that Northerners should be contented with the position of vice-president does not speak much of your admiration for one of Ghana’s eminent economists. What if Dr. Bawumia had been the NPP presidential candidate and had won the presidency, would it have changed your perception of the matter? Would you have injected Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri genes into him to replace his northern roots? That being impossible, I guess you would have demanded a DNA test to challenge his northern identity. I do not think it would have been good so. It is my hope that Mr. Ibrahim Mahama will one day fly you to the North in his private jet for a visit. Northerners would be highly honored to have one of the highest representatives of their benefactors in their midst. And rest assured that the jet will not be loaded with its usual cargo on the return flight. The President’s brother is a fine gentleman. He will make sure that the jet does not carry cattle, goats, guinea-fowls and sheep before leaving Tamale airport, so that his distinguished guest can have the best of comfort. Does this console you? A research conducted by Dr. Apaak for the Forum for Governance and Justice has this to say (Press Statement, Ghanaweb 2012-12-05 / Northerners Do Not Enjoy Free Education – FGJ), “students, including Senior High School students from Northern Ghana, pay all fees except the subsidy on feeding for students in boarding institutions. There are even cases where they pay more”, as the table below shows. Name of School Part of Ghana Fee Much as Ghanaians wish to have free SHS education for their children, they are aware that free education is a hard nut to crack, especially today, which partly explains why they rejected it in the December elections. “All die be die” is not a solution to our problems, neither is it an alternative to meaningful dialogue. The few Ghanaians who are chanting war songs and beating paths to Kigali (and they should know better) in the heat of the current very polarized political atmosphere in the country should think twice. Countries like Ruanda, Liberia and Sierra Leone would turn back the hands of time if they could. They would not sacrifice millions of innocent lives, burn down their homes and bridges to discover and learn commonsense. Do we have to put our hands in fire to be convinced that fire burns, distinguished native of Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri? The answer is at your gate, and in the answer lies your fate. If you don’t believe me, go back and read your history books. May The Most High guide and protect Ghana, the only Ghana Ghanaians have got, be they in Europe, Asia, The Americas, Australia, Ghana itself, or in other parts of Africa! Ghanatta Ayaric http://windows.microsoft.com/fr-FR/messenger/video-call?form=MWGRAE&publ=WLMSGHL&crea=HTML_CIMS015006_Windows%2bLive_FR-FR_0x0_255 http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5790505z/f42.image.swf http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/04/missionaries-vs-traditionalists-it-was-a-tug-of-war-before-our-people-accepted-christianity-akran-of-badagry/ Last year, a team of famous rainmakers from Edo State led by one Osarobo Enogie was invited to England to attend the Royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton despite the snubbing of Nigerian former president, his vice and other first ladies. The rainmakers were honoured and accomodated in Windsor Castle just to ensure it did not rain within the duration of the Royal Wedding. Critics may scoff and skeptics may laugh, but rainmakers are becoming more popular by the day. It is an amazing thing that an individual can invoke the god of rain and request him to send down the rain and he obeys or invoke that the impending rain should cease. This is common in areas where celebrations and social functions are being threathened by rain. Although there is widespread skepticism among scientists toward such weather modification efforts, the practice remains common with the traditional priests, sorcerers and clerics. There are special people who have the inspiration or power to perform the art of rain making just as the methods of doing it differ from place to place and according to the needs. Saturday Vanguard spoke with Nigerians on the practice of rain-holding. Many of them believe that weather modification, as it seeks to change local weather either through the native means, prayer or spiritual means and scientific methods are possible. How it works Different rainmakers use different methods in either holding down the rain or causing it to rain. A native doctor who does not want to be identified as a rain-holder Kamuope Alabi said weather alteration is mostly done in the native ways by using leaves, shrubs and herbs. “we can use leaves, roots with some incantations to drive away the rain. If it is cloudy, once we match some leaves together and put it in a basin facing the direction where we want it to go, in few minutes, you will see the result and it will not rain.” Alabi who refused to mention the leaves and shrubs used in clearing the weather said he could rig a thunderstorm out of a desert but he does not do it for a fee as it against the interest of his gods insisting that he only does it to benefit his people. “If a close relation is having a social function in an open place and it is being threathened by the rain, I can do it or if some people beseech me to do it in their favour, I will do it. But I don’t do it to exploit people at social functions. I don’t charge a fee either. It is against the gods.” He stressed that some of those who have the power to make rain no longer use the power for the right purpose; adding that some of them use the power to intimidate people by sending down the rain when they have occasion to celebrate unless the celebrant gives them money as a form of bribe. Another raindoctor who does not want his name in prints said; “the rainmaker would enter the bush and pluck leaves, stems and even roots of plants, shrubs and grasses. The combination of these are burnt in fire and as soon as the smoke goes to the sky, the rain starts pouring.” The rainmaker who is a graduate of Geography from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the modern method uses a kind of stone called ‘crystal stone. “Modern method uses a type of stone often referred to as the crystal stone.” According to him, “the stone is washed and as soon as the stone starts glazing, the sky starts changing and soon rain starts.” He added that the method is dangerous because it often attracts heavy thunderstorm. Religiously speaking, Clerics however employ the prayer method in the holding and causing the rain to fall. A muslim cleric who does not want his name in print said: “prayers can do all things and it is on this basis that I believe it can be done.” He stated that the act should not be encouraged because rainfal is one of the mercies of God and should not be inhibited, adding that those who do it for economic gain might incur the wrath of God someday. Pastor Peter Diji of the Fountain Bible Church hinged the possibility of man causing rainfall on the will of God. “It is possible if it is the will of God. But, if it is not, there is nothing like holding rain or causing it to fall.” Pastor Moses Ojedokun of Gospel of Peace, Lagos shared the same view. He stated that nobody can do that at will, if God refuses it but agreed that it is only possible through prayer. “When a Christian prays to God maybe due to some genuine circumstances, God can answer such prayers. But, nobody at will can stop rain.” Pastor Bisi of Mountain of Transformation Ministry explained that there was an example of that in the bible where Elijah stopped and caused rain to fall while also submitting that it is according to the dictates of God. Scientifically, an environmentalist and Chief consultant of Adibe firms and Co. Tunde Olatunji said it is possible. He hinted that he was taught while in school and that the experiment can be performed by anybody. “You can inject silver iodide or similar substance into the atmosphere. The chemicals like ice nuclei, or the particles serve as surfaces for condensation to occur (where gas turns into a liquid). If the condensation creates large enough water droplets, rain will fall.” he stated. He said that ionization could be set with several emitters that can send millions of cloud-forming ions into the atmosphere. In theory, ions, or charged particles, attach to the condensation nuclei in clouds, enable them to survive longer in the atmosphere. The longer they survive, the more time water droplets have to grow on their surfaces. He added that one can monitor the cloud-forming effects by radar, satellite, adding that these are what the the meterologists used in making their predictions about weather conditions. Anthony Ehis, a meterologist corroborated the view of Olatunji but stated that the native and the local priests method of using leaves, shrubs and herbs is unacceptabe saying that their claims have not been exposed to scientific evaluation and therefore cannot be accepted as anything new. “It is very sad that rain enhancement by using herbs and other native methods have no scientific basis and have not been exposed to a scientific evaluation.” Cloud seeding Olatunji opined that scientifically, cloud seeding is one of the methods used to cause rainfall. According to him, Cloud seeding is the process of spreading either dry ice, or more commonly, silver iodide aerosols, into the upper part of clouds to try to stimulate the precipitation process and form rain. “Cloud seeding has been used to change the structure of clouds by dispersing substances into the air, potentially increasing or altering rainfall.” He maintained that “there is much controversy surrounding the efficacy of cloud seeding, and evidence that cloud seeding leads to increased precipitation on the ground is highly equivocal. One difficulty is knowing how much precipitation might have fallen had any particular cloud not been seeded.” “I think up until now the limiting factor has been our inability to engender substantive proof that the technology works, at least in the eyes of some in the meteorological community who remain skeptical,” says Olatunji, who believes that some of the construction companies engage in the act in order to increase the pace of work amidst inclement weather condition. One of the effective means of avoiding conflict in any human society is the provision of social justice for the people. Social justice is concerned with equal justice, not just in the courts, but in all aspects of society. It is a concept that demands that people have equal rights, opportunities, and fairness; everyone from the poorest person on the margins of society to the wealthiest deserves an even playing field. Indeed, most philosophers would argue that no one has created a completely just society, yet every country strives to achieve that goal. Fellow citizens, kindly permit me to react to some of the few negative comments I received from my recent published article entitled; “What is good for Northerners is equally good for Southerners”. Though the said article sought to bring to the fore the need for extension of the free Education policy in the North to all parts of the country, my detractors readily portrayed me as a tribalist or enemy to the progress of the North. I take this opportunity to assure them that their perception is far from the truth because most of my close friends are from the North. However, as a patriotic Ghanaian, I’ll always remain resolute in demanding fair play for all Ghanaians, irrespective of one’s geographical, religious, political, or tribal affiliation. It is not a secret that too much inequality exist in the current system, especially with regard to political appointments and distribution of the nation’s wealth. Let’s analyse this factual evidence before we begin to cast aspersions on innocent Ghanaians. My father grows cocoa and the cocoa beans are bought and exported by the Ghana government. Though the price given to my father for his produce is far below the World market price. Yet, the proceeds are used to give free education to John Mahama and his 18 siblings. Even though John Mahama’s father had the means to pay all his school fees because he was a Minister of State, teacher, chief etc. John Mahama’s father had many wives who gave him 19 children with John Mahama as the 7th child. John Mahama completes tertiary education and becomes an MP, deputy minister and minister of state respectively. He is appointed a Vice President and eventually, “God in His own wisdom ‘kills’ old man Atta Mills in order for a youthful John Mahama to become president”. John Mahama becomes rich overnight because of his involvement in many corrupt dealings. He uses GHC 7.6m to renovate a government bungalow for his wife, Lordina, when he knows that Lordina does not head any government ministry. He accepts bribes in the UK to renew cocoa licence for Armajaro; he deposits millions of dollars in Swiss bank; he hijacks STX Korea deal; he benefits from plane purchases from Brazil, among others. Surprisingly, this John Mahama intends to equal his late father’s record, if not break it by fathering about 15 kids with different women – Chad, Makawi, Zimbabwe, but thankfully his wife is at peace with him. He builds his houses in Accra and bemoans lack of meaningful development in the North. He blames colonial government for the development gap between the north and the south even though the free education was meant to address that. As a Caretaker president, he stands in front of his northern brothers and tells them to vote for him because it is the turn of northerners to rule Ghana. He has even forgotten that Dr. Hilla Limann, the president of the 3rd Republic, was from the North. Again, John Mahama has forgotten that the Founder of his own party, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings was the man who overthrew the Limann-led PNP government on 31st December, 1981. He calls people “baloney” and buys bulldozers to kill flies. He establishes SADA in the North, benefits from Cuban scholarships, but reneges his promise on 10% of oil revenue to the oil-producing region in Ghana. But, do we have to blame him? Absolutely no, because there is an adage that says; “astena pa ma awer3fie” to wit; good living erases all past negative memories. Meanwhile, my father whose cocoa proceeds catered for John Mahama could not buy a tin of Milo for consumption. He died a painful death because of poverty. I had to struggle before I could be what I am today. I was caned at school, especially at the Secondary level for non-payment of fees. Some of my colleagues could not go beyond the JHS level due to poverty and not because of lack of educational facilities and school uniforms. As I speak today, most of my classmates in the primary school are drunkards, unemployed, with others as peasant farmers. Some have committed suicides; others are engaged in armed robbery and prostitution. Some are still on the streets shinning shoes, selling toffees, and dog chains. They see me as a very successful man and count themselves as being unlucky in life. Interestingly, John Mahama is demanding GHC12,000 to be paid to him every month for whatever reason, nobody knows. For the past 6 months, he cannot pinpoint any major achievement by him as a president. But this GHC12,000 monthly salary is not going to be used to cater for the needs of other children who cannot access secondary education, but to help him live like an Arabian King. There is a Presidential Palace for John Mahama to live; he has access to Presidential Jet; access to all kinds of women; he does not pay any tax; he receives several allowances in addition to ex-gratia when he leaves office. Even on an occasion like Christmas when he is supposed to spend time with Ghanaians as a Christian, he chooses to go to South Africa on a private visit. Private visit in the face of the current political tension? And who pays for this trip? You and I as usual. His younger brother, who also enjoyed free education is on record as the only Ghanaian to own a private jet. John Mahama stands on a political platform in the southern part of this country and says free education is not Ghana’s priority. Then people who pay the taxes, grow our exports, work day and night, yet find it difficult to pay their wards’ school fees support John Mahama. They support John Mahama because most of them have been influenced with money. They buy the childish idea that basic education needs to be strengthened first as if that was the case when he was enjoying free education 50 years ago. When will that quality be achieved? The P/NDC has been in power for 23 years so what prevented them from improving the so-called quality? How many children are sent home by head teachers on the grounds of no classroom, science resource, or library facility? But 99% out of the time, students are sent home because they haven’t paid their school fees. Sometimes, they are severely caned unjustifiably even though they are not the ones that make those payments. Fellow Ghanaians, how much do you spend on your health every year? Do you pay any fees at the secondary level and if so, is it easy? Do you have access to good drinking water? What about sustainable energy for your petty businesses? Are you able to feed your children well? Are you employed, and can your salary take you home? Compare your living standards with that of John Mahama, Benjamin Kumbuor, Rashid Pelpuo, Alban Bagbin, John Tia, Hassan Ayariga, Mahama Ayariga etc, and ask yourself whether free education is an HIV virus, tuberculosis, or asset? Why should the children of the above-named eminent Ghanaians still enjoy free education when other children are terminating their education at the basic level due to poverty? What kind of unfair society are we building? Any parent or guardian who pays school fees at the secondary level would agree with me that feeding fee is the most expensive item on the bill. As of September 2012, it was GHC168 per term and this amounts to GHC504 per year and that translates to GHC1,512 for the entire 3 years. Remember, the feeding fee is not fixed because currently the heads of educational institutions are demanding GHC2.25 per day from parents. So the questions are: if feeding is free for Northerners, why can’t it be free for Southerners? Again, if education infrastructure needs to be improved at all levels before the government thinks about free SHS, why don’t we all call for the abolition of the so-called Northern Scholarship, after over 50 years of its existence? And if people think that currently Northerners are not enjoying free education, why can’t they join me on my campaign for free SHS for all Ghanaian children? What is good for the goose, they say, is equally good for the gander. I’m the least bothered about the insults and the name calling. Yes, some of you might be offended by the truth, but we all need to bear in mind that truth has no substitute. When you speak the truth, you speak it once but when you tell a lie, you will be called upon 1000 times to come and defend it. With all courtesies and party affiliations aside, Ghanaians need to think and think well because the resources are there. For instance, proceeds from cocoa hovers around $2bn per year. Ghana’s oil gives us $100m every month, meaning $300m every 3months. Half of this money can take care of the free SHS. It all boils down to effective planning and commitment. For instance, if the government develops a way of checking excesses of fees at the SHS level, the cost of education could seriously be brought down because some of the items have no academic bearings. Also, if the existing infrastructure at the secondary schools are expanded as happened under the NPP’s Model Schools concept, whilst some of the seized vehicles from Carl Wilson are distributed to the 511 public SHSs, the exorbitant PTA fees could be of no use. Furthermore, serious attention could be given to the agriculture sector by way of assisting farmers with affordable loans. In this way, the farm produce could be bought by the government and supplied to the schools. This could also go a long way in reducing the feeding cost. In addition, the government could set its priorities right, check corruption and the payment of fraudulent judgement debts, and I can assure you that free SHS will be the simplest educational policy that could be implemented by any government. Ghanaian children deserve it; Ghana needs it! God bless Ghana! God bless Kufuor!! Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, Enfield, London. (Free SHS Ambassador) 07577626433 Official blog (www.katakyie.com) [email protected] A native of Asante Bekwai-Asakyiri |
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