{"id":19432,"date":"2014-05-19T08:50:51","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T08:50:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4cd.e16.myftpupload.com\/?p=19432"},"modified":"2014-05-19T08:50:51","modified_gmt":"2014-05-19T08:50:51","slug":"critical-news-one-casket-too-many","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2014\/05\/critical-news-one-casket-too-many\/","title":{"rendered":"Critical News: One casket too many"},"content":{"rendered":"
I lost my sense of humor after I spent three challenging days with Paul Victor Obeng, someone I did not take to in the PNDC days but subsequently after his departure from that Junta, I met often and appreciated better the challenges of managing a party which made up its ideology as it went along; more in-fighting than out-managing the affairs of state.\u00a0 Fondly, as PV, he explained more to me about the inside dynamics of governance than I dare write.<\/p>\n
This past week we joked about your memoirs and when it would be ready, we watched Bukom Banku win a fight well into the night while I censured you for staying up too late, to, once again be in the youth space.\u00a0 When you pitched words throughout the commentary to one Azonto song or the other, we all laughed with and at you.<\/p>\n
But we parted Akosombo as you went off to meet with the Ministry of Finance team to urge them to speed up work on the Public Private Partnership law, now a necessary pillar of the Senchi turnaround strategy.<\/p>\n
PV what can I say to make it easy on those you have left behind.\u00a0 Following Kofi Ansah and Asenso Okyere, I don\u2019t think I can find a casket your size in Ghana.\u00a0 May you rest in peace.\u00a0 Damirifa due due.\u00a0 Damirifa due.<\/p>\n
The week was dominated by stories from the National Economic Forum held at the Royal Senchi Resort near Akosombo, where we were \u201csenchified\u201d with the letters \u201cRSR\u201d.\u00a0 For my compatriot Franklin Codjoe and myself, we found a meeting of minds so experienced; we simply soaked the knowledge and contributed our quota as required.<\/p>\n
There has been variety in commentary since then, some focused only on what it cost to, in their minds \u201cregurgitate\u201d what we all know are the problems in Ghana.\u00a0 And they are right.\u00a0 Before we (140 participants) assembled at the Resort, we were in no doubt that we were going to talk old palm wine in old calabashes.\u00a0 The only new ingredient was the resort.<\/p>\n
Traditionally, these events are held at the Volta Hotel in Akosombo, but the change was refreshing.\u00a0 The Royal Senchi is a fine resort, comparable to most I have stayed at anywhere in the world and it was a refreshing change to be attended to by a very well trained, staffed and excellently managed Ghanaian team.\u00a0 I found nothing to complain about throughout the stay.<\/p>\n
The event ended a day earlier than planned and that put a strain on procedures.\u00a0 President Mahama was late for the opening and late again for the closing.\u00a0 He held us up three hours to start, two and half hours to end.<\/p>\n
I have not been to many State functions, but I heard it is a habitual thing, that we still marvel if a program starts on time.\u00a0 If some things were not said at Senchi, this was one of them.\u00a0 The nonchalant Ghanaian, and he is the lead.<\/p>\n
And that is one of the problems and what Senchi was all about.\u00a0 We all know the problems are there, we skirt around them by labeling them \u201cchallenges\u201d and assume that because we have written up what we believe is the solution, the problem is solved.\u00a0 Key to the issue is the discontinuum in our equatorial zone.\u00a0 Our country that sits in the center of the world, has no concern for how time revolves around us.<\/p>\n
We came away with a bulletin of twenty-two points now handed over to the politicians, willing them on to make the recommended fixes, that are not new, but which if attended to diligently and as a matter of urgent priority should address the impossible circumstances.<\/p>\n
Make no mistake about it we are in a terrible bind.\u00a0 We do not have enough revenue to meet our expenses and we cannot borrow our way out of this mess because the cost of borrowing on the international markets is too expensive for us, a reflection of the poor economic management and sheer lack of trustworthiness of Government.<\/p>\n
The donor community, the markets and the people of Ghana judge Government based on results reflected in the power supply, water delivery, garbage on road sides and basic social amenities, which we take for granted because we are a lower middle income economy and so it must be.<\/p>\n
We are concavo-convex in economic outlook, treating budget messages to Ghanaians as dwarf potions achievable through the condescending strategies we announce and then look through the other side when we fail to achieve the deliverables because we simply did not get to do things on time.<\/p>\n