Koo Hia People's Party - Occasional Kwatriot Kwesi Yankah writes
Breaking News has taken a new turn these days. The search for our next flagbearer appears to be causing considerable fear and panic, and Koo Hia better revise his notes if he still wants to be President.
Nima Old Boy is no longer the minimum requirement; the required home address is now ‘Esikafo Amba Ntem,’ where presidential hopefuls are no longer asked ‘to show me your vision, and I will give you the presidency;’ but simply ‘show me your pocket.’
The situation better not degenerate to open declaration of bank balances to catch votes.
Founders of our dear Nation should be weeping uncontrollably, wondering what went wrong.
But this is not a completely new development. On the eve of the 4th Republic, a public spirited personality made a startling suggestion, which moved me to pick my pen. Listen to my write hand in the Mirror Weekly, 1992.
‘Kofi Brokeman:’
“The topics often debated at palm wine bars, namely military in politics, church in politics, chiefs in politics, women in politics, etc. are all being put to rest now. The latest issue now appears to be brokemen in politics.
I really wish it had been possible for the Constitution to have been a little more specific about the issue of brokemen. That way, Koo Brokeman would know ahead of time whether to check his name in the voters register or, as they say, go his somewhere.
I suppose, it should have been possible for members of the Consultative Assembly to decide that whereas brokemen are eligible to vote, they are not eligible to be president. That way, there would be division of labour, whereby the poor would specialise in voting, and the rich, in chopping the high office.
It is hard to tell how broke Air Vice Marshall Ashley Larsen (Rtd) is. The name doesn't sound like a brokeman's, but the retired officer recently made a statement that nearly drove a nail in the coffin of my favourite party: Brokeman People's Party-the party with the largest following.
He recently said in The Chronicle newspaper that brokemen should be disqualified from entering the presidential race.
The next president should be, "someone who has made it in life. We must avoid choosing a candidate who is poor or not so well off. His first objective when in power will be to get rich quick and get lost without attending to our problems.”
He did not end there. His disqualification list included Ashantis, Ewes, and the military. "These tribes have since independence been bitter rivals for power. We don't want to carry this into the Fourth Republic."
If the gentleman had been at the Consultative Assembly, he would probably have distinguished himself when the topic of disqualification was on the floor, in which case, he needn't have sat near the butchers' representative.
But he is not alone in the conspiracy. The political parties law has made sure that the presidential candidate with the largest following will never register. He would have to go a-borrowing to pay his registration fee.
If the brokeman aspirant were also in the military, he would of course be in double trouble, for the Castle he will see but will never step there. The only way he could ever come to power then would be through a dawn broadcast. The Constitution somehow foresaw this, and did not add Kofi Brokeman to the disqualification list.
From time immemorial, this matter has been on people's minds, even though they have refused to say it aloud. A society or club is looking for a treasurer, and they shall quietly look for a woman; it is she who will handle the cash with care. As soon as a man is nominated, members begin assessing his pocket. Will he 'borrow' the society's dues to pay his children's school fees, or to pay his own dues?
It is more interesting when they are looking for someone to chair a church harvest. Never the bricklayer, or a trotro driver, or palm wine tapper regular at church.....but the Managing Director of Social Security Bank, supported by his accountant.
If it comes to the worst, they will open the safe and pump workers social security contributions into a new building for the church, of choristers' robes.
The palm wine tapper, even if he is a church elder, should probably wait and chair a palm wine drinking event. No palm wine talk in church harvest.
This has gone on and on. Until recently, the notice board in front of de Accra Centre for National Culture (Arts Centre) carried a strong warning beneath the Week's Notice: ‘No Charlie Wote Allowed.’
Recently when butchers were allowed entry into the Consultative Assembly, the protest sounded like; "this is a place for thinking, no butcher business here".
So then woe unto you if your credentials include poverty. The village counsellors leave you out when they consult to take a decision; for your mind is as poor as your pocket.
As for the rich, he needn't even be in the line of royal succession. He will buy the title. He can be chief, never a thief. Never a chief thief. If necessary, the elders convene and create a stool for him, Nkosuohene.
I thought eleven years of We-No-Go-Sit Down governance has changed our attitudes. It is perhaps one significant legacy left in this Government: an effort to remove the ordinary man's negative stigma. One needn't have gone to school to be in the district assembly, consultative assembly, parliament, The Castle.
It was indeed thrilling seeing the translation efforts in the cubicles of the Consultative Assembly, the effort to translate the rich man's English into the poor man's "vernacular" so the butcher would also understand. And now that the way has been paved for the brokeman, here comes the Air Vice Marshall attempting to negate the few amenities harvested.
If he had time, he would perhaps have supported his argument with examples of past poor presidents of Ghana who abused their office, or rich appointees of Government who have donated their riches to the National Trust Fund.
What is going on currently is probably his best choice. Presidential aspirants in several parties doling out millions to power brokers to get their party's nominations. Some are renovating party headquarters, for a serious candidate is one seen to be spending on the party. Very often he has threatened that if the party does not nominate him, he will withdraw his sponsorship.
In one such party, all attempts to satisfy the rich sponsor with the post of party treasurer have failed; he wants the big apple where he can steal money and save it in Switzerland. Why because he is not a statesman, but a politician. Whereas a statesman thinks he belongs to the state, the politician thinks the state belongs to him.
As for Arshley Larsen's theory, I hope he will come around and explain it some more....the presidential embargo on some ethnic groups. As for the issue of brokemen in politics, it very easily disqualifies my good friend of the Ashanti Pioneer. And how about Mr Brokeman Amissah?
Truly truly, ohia ye ya.
