Cultural Legalities of the 2011 State of the Nation Address

It was rather unfortunate that the President did not acknowledge the presence of former President Kuffuor and Chief Justice Woods at the Chamber of Parliament when he delivered his State of the Nation Address a couple of days ago. However what is most regrettable and unacceptable is the behavior of the minority and the ensuing protracted discussion of the President’s omission in the media. This year seems to be an exciting year for Ghana as the government has promised “an action year”. A major housing project has just begun, two new universities are in the pipeline and our oil sector seems to be taking off. So I was looking forward to what the good people of Ghana are going to say with regard to President’s State of the Nation Address. I was particularly interested the discussion that will follow as to whether the government has set the right tone for the country.

However, the President’s failure to observe protocol has consumed the whole nation while the issues in the State of the Nation address have been relegated to the background. How is observing protocol or failure thereof going to put food on the tables of the millions of hungry Ghanaians? Too much political capital is spent on unnecessary discussions that have very little positive effect on the state of affairs of the nation. Yes, we take great pride in our culture and it is always respectful to acknowledge the presence of our elders, but for goodness sake we spent too much energy on these CULTURAL LEGALITIES. I wish such energies and strong passions would also be channeled to address the real problems that this nation faces. In any case the President realized his mistake right after the speech and quickly apologized. This should have ended the matter so that we could move onto the real issues. Yet 3 days after the President’s address the matter is still lingering in the public domain. 

It is interesting that all the attention seems to be focused on the conduct of the President. As far as I am concerned, the spotlight should have been on the unruly behavior of the minority MPs in the Chamber. They heckled and shouted on the president whiles he was still on his feet preparing to deliver the address to Parliament. These MPs should remember that the Presidency is an institution that represents all Ghanaians. Irrespective of whoever assumes the Presidency, we must treat the highest office of the land with the necessary respect it deserves. In any case what happened to giving a person the benefit of doubt? The President could have made a genuine mistake and yet the MPs quickly pronounce judgment on him and start behaving like school kids. It is a shame to think that these are the Representatives of the People. As far as Presidents of Ghana go, this President has distinguished himself as a gentleman and he will do everything possible to avoid a confrontation. The MPs could have at least exercised decorum in the Chamber and then registered their protest after the address. We would have applauded them for their sense of maturity. 

I believe that mistakes in such high charged situations are very common. Seasoned public speakers and TV personalities make similar simple mistakes all the time. Imagine having the onerous burden of delivering a speech to the entire world- literally (thanks to the internet) - with 24 million Ghanaians with different expectations all waiting to hear you address their 24 million different problems. Master, it is not easy at all and mistakes under these circumstances are not surprising. This debate should end. The President has done the right thing. He has apologized publicly and he has also called the affected persons privately to express his regret.  

The Anas Video and Corruption at Tema Port in Ghana

Anas, an investigative journalist in Ghana has produced a video which shows massive corruption at Tema Harbor. Among others the video allegedly claim that the corrupt practices has couased the government over $200 million dollars in revenue. In addition, Port officials are engaging in illicit sex with business women in exchange for reduced taxes. In fact this is nothing new, everybody is Ghana knows about the corruption at the Port in Tema. What Anas has done is to provide the incontrovertible evidence that is needed to force politicians and the powers that be to begin to address the issue of institutional corruption at the Tema Harbor and other institutions in the country. 

It is refreshing that the issue of institutional corruption has once again taken the center stage in the public domain. It is only when we discuss these issues and realize how they affect all of us that politicians will compelled into action. However, I am baffled by how some people are trying to justify the rot at the Tema Port. Mr Cudjoe of IMANI, a civil society organization was quoted in the news as saying that “atrocious taxes” are to blame for the rot at the Port. I am particularly troubled by this utterance because it seems to be at variance with the position of Director Cudjoe and IMANI.  I do not see how we can achieve financial self sufficiency and reduce our reliance on foreign aid if we do not take measures to raise revenue locally. 

The efficiency or otherwise of government tax policy is a different issue all together and we can debate the efficacy of these government policies. However, it is very irresponsible to use a legitimate government policy as an excuse to justify corruption and illegality at any institution.  Like most people, I also believe that we need a fundamental review of our import taxes as well as an overhaul of the draconian administrative practices at the Port. But we have to separate this debate from crimes at the Port. Let us condemn the criminal and saboteurs at the port for their illegal actions. 

In any case, the Judiciary and Police Service have consistently ranked high on the list of corrupt institutions in Ghana and yet these two institutions have no ‘atrocious taxes’. The last time I checked, most people are not particularly pleased with paying taxes of any kind no matter how low the tax rate. Should we then argue that taxes causes corruption.

2011 Goodwill Message

This message was part of my Goodwill Message delivered on Obimanso Radio in Atlanta, Georgia on January 1, 2011.

Greetings my fellow Ghanaians, it is a pleasure as well as an honor to have the opportunity to offer this goodwill message on Obimanso Radio. First, As we witness the beginning of a new year, we must all thank God for the peace we have in Ghana and also for keeping us and our families alive and healthy. We pray for all our friends and loved ones who are unwell.  Most importantly, we pray for our unfortunate friends who are in conflict zones. Let us remember our brothers and sisters in Cote d’Ivoire who at this time are going through a transition that will determine their very national survival. Borrowing from the ideas of Dr. Nkrumah, our peace and economic prosperity in Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked to the peace and prosperity of our neighbors and the continent.

2011 promises to be an exciting year for our beloved Nation on many fronts. Our oil production will be in full swing and it will put us in line to receive a full year’s revenue from the oil production. We hope that the public officials who are in charge of managing our oil production and its revenue will see their jobs as a privilege and an act of service for the benefit of the people. Ultimately these public officials will have to know that we the people have put all our trust in them that they will put our interest first in every decision they take.  

2011 will also be exciting for our political development as we prepare to for the general election in 2012. This is yet another opportunity to tell the whole world that we are a mature nation and we can manage our own political system. On the road to the general election, it is certain we will encounter problems and disagreement. Let us express our disagreements and challenges in a civilized way putting the interest of the nation first.  We should always count it us a blessing that we have a system that allows us to freely sell divergent ideas and criticize others on their ideas. Through it all, we should remember that we are one people, we all have dreams and aspirations and we are all fighting for a common destiny. We should therefore be circumspect in the way we deal with our political opponents. 

Obimanso Radio and all the other media houses should recognize the important duty they have to help protect our political institutions and our body politic and you all should discharge this duty to the best of your abilities. Obimanso and other Media houses must not forget that although they have the rights to disseminate information, such rights also come with great responsibilities.

Finally, although we still have a long way to go as a nation, let us take time to count our blessings and pat ourselves on the back for the progress we have made as a nation so far. As we begin the year we should remember that as citizens we have a responsibility individually and collectively for the wellbeing of our country. There is nobody called government, let us therefore contribute to the economic, social, political and cultural development of our beloved nation. It may be just simple acts of kindness like being polite on radio, paying our taxes voluntarily, buying two exercise books for your local deprived school or volunteering at an orphanage for a couple of hours.

Happy New year my brothers and sisters. May you all live to see 2012. Thank you

Holiday Hampers

It seems like influence peddling in Ghana is now being commercialized, especially during the holiday season, with the commercialization of Hampers.  No doubt Christmas is a time of giving. However in my humble opinion ‘giving’ should be strictly restricted to the private sector and within families. Although highly improper, giving gifts to public officials in Ghana has excited since the beginning of our system of public administration. We know very well that such acts have the potential of compromising our public officials and reform program after program have sought to fight the canker but nothing seems to be working. On the contrary the practice keeps on increasing. In fact the practice has been commercialized with the proliferation of companies that specializes in providing gift baskets (Hampers). I am reliably informed that one such company has worn a contract to provide 2000 Hampers for a Construction company that intends to offer the Hampers as gifts to various people including public officials. These Hampers are obviously meant to influence the public officials who will receive them. The content alone should make that obvious. The Hampers are filled with expensive items, most of which are imported. In fact some of the entrepreneurs who make Holiday Hampers travel all the way to China, Europe and the Americas to buy the goods that will make the Hamper.

No matter what you think public officials should not be receiving gift of any kind from the general public. Public officials must be impersonal in the discharge of their duties and they must at all times strive to ensure utmost fairness. It is the only way we can ensure a fair and smooth running public bureaucracy.  Public officials work with the Public Trust. We as a people have ceded a little of our rights (power) and entrusted that in the hands of public officials. We trust that they will use the power we have given them (to award contracts, be police men, judges, government officials) exclusively for the benefit of the people (society). Public agencies need this trust to ensure a smooth operation of our public sector. Any erosion of the public trust spells doom for the public agencies and society as a whole. The reason most people employ land guards, refuse to pay their taxes and pay bribe for every conceivable service is because they do not trust that the public officials in whose hands we have placed our trust will do the right thing when given the opportunity. Such erosion of public trust affect the strength of our institutions, breeds inefficiency and eventually weakens the very basis of our society. Any act that gives the perception of influence peddling in the public service should be discouraged. Consider this scenario, would you be happy if you saw your opponent in a law suit giving the judge a Hamper? Of course any assurances from the judge that the Hamper will not influence his judgment will be totally unacceptable to you. In the same vain you will likely find it unacceptable if a competitor offered the public official who is in charge of awarding contract a Hamper. It is for this reason that Hampers and all types of gifts should have no place in the public sector.

As far as I am concerned, it was a welcome sign that the president refused to take Hampers from anyone last Christmas. I hope he is going to do the same this year. The president understands that the people who give Hampers never give it for free. Either they want some favors from you right now or they will come back later to ask for a favor. Ask any honest public official and he will tell you that the Hampers and gifts stop flowing as soon as they are no longer in a position of influence. However, it is not enough that the president has refused to accept Hampers. If he understands the negative effect that Hampers have on our public institutions then as the father of the nation, the one who set the agenda, he should master the political courage to move for a legislation that will specifically ban Hampers and gifts from the public sector.