In American politics who is without blemish?

These are interesting times both in the United States and in Ghana. This is because both countries have just organized successful and both—winners of the presidential elections—have the arduous task of making political appointments. Suddenly, there are tons of congratulatory messages from all manner of people and organizations which tend to send the subtle message of “remember me in thy kingdom”.

In the United States, President-elect Obama appeared to have no problem coming up with nominations for certain offices. These nominees were largely hailed by the hundreds of political analysts who, for a moment, sounded like the country was occupied by angelic hosts singing alleluia to the King of kings.

Just as in the days of Ezekiel there suddenly appears a whole valley not of dry bones or should I say skeletons being uncovered from the political closets of some of these appointees.

Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff – described by the Washington Post as being “extremely comfortable with profanity”, an attribute which reportedly made Nancy Pelosi remark that the economic stimulus plan could be paid for if we "put a quarter in a jar every time Rahm uses a swear word."

Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State – accused of possible conflict of interest in dealing with some foreign nations because of her husband’s charitable organization and questions about who are funding his work

Bill Richardson, Secretary of Commerce – threw in the towel following investigations involving a pay-for-play deal in his state of New Mexico.

Attorney General, Eric Holder – a former deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration; he will have to answer for his involvement in the ‘last minute Kufuor-like’ pardon granted by President Clinton to a financier of the Democratic Party, Mark Rich who had been charged with federal tax evasion. There are also concerns about his involvement in a case involving an Elian Gonzalez and his work with a law firm.

Deputy Defense Secretary, William Lynn – contrary to expectations Obama nominated a lobbyist for one of the biggest defense contracting companies to serve as deputy to Robert Gates. Lynn is senior vice president of the company, Raytheon, which is said to have billions of dollars in contracts of the defense department and will be involved in the budget and acquisitions and the day-to-day administration of the defense department.

CIA Director, Leon Panetta – his skeleton is that he lacks the experience necessary for a specialized position as the head of an intelligence agency

Timothy Geithner, Treasury Secretary- for someone who will be responsible for overseeing the IRS he has to contend with answering how he failed to pay about $42,700 in back taxes and penalties and only paying more than half of the amount after he learnt that he was being considered for the position. He is also accused of keeping his former housekeeper even when her immigration status elapsed.

Perhaps, the most interesting twist given to all of these concerns is the alleged attempt by the governor of Illinois, Obama’s home state to sell off the senate seat which became vacant as a result of Obama’s election. This probably has been the most embarrassing for the newly-elected President because it involves his home state and his previously held seat.

In spite of these concerns, however, the ever-defiant Governor Rod Blagojevich has gone ahead to appoint Roland Burris for that position.

This is one country that values record-keeping and no matter how long ago it takes, your sins will definitely catch up with you one day. Many people have fallen from grace because of acts they indulged in years ago. This is what makes America the leveler of men. From Chief Executive Officers, Senators, Mayors and Governors at best a near clean sheet or at worst a public admission of wrongdoing and an apology is the only way to go.

The irony of this strong system of accountability is that some people still get to slip through the system and Governor Blagojevich may yet be one of them especially in a country where political appointments understand the language of quid pro quo or “something for something”.

It appears that questions would keep flying about appointees, but the truth is that, most of them will scale through the congressional hearings. The question, therefore, is no longer who is without blemish but whose blemish can be politically tolerated?

A tale of two former first ladies

Ghanaians have decided that Prof. Mills should be their next president. Thankfully we also have another former president in the making. President Kufuor will now join Ex-President Rawlings in that ‘hall of fame’. Whether you agree with me or not, both personalities have paid their due to this country and we must be grateful to them.

The country is also now going to have two former first ladies—Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and Theresa Kufuor.

One thing was made clear during the electioneering campaign and even now the point has taken on a more compelling significance that most Ghanaians will want to see a new administration devoid of any ‘interference’ from former President Rawlings — something, I believe, he will live up to perfectly. As President Kufuor joins him, this country must be the richer in tapping the wisdom of these two fine personalities.

I am, however, more concerned about two former first ladies. Both of them during their tenure as first ladies embarked on programs that largely worked to improve the lot of women and children. Fortunately these are programs that can still be pursued if they chose to do so.

In the United States, former first ladies have embarked on their own programs or pursued active political life as Mrs. Hilary Clinton is doing; I can imagine that Mrs. Laura Bush may want to continue writing books or do something she is passionate about. What I cannot see any two of these ladies doing is imposing their programs either overtly or covertly on Mrs. Obama who has indicated that she would like to spend more time with her daughters among other things.

Reading through the lines of Nana Konadu Rawlings’ New Year message which was published in the media I am tempted (albeit fairly) to imagine that with an NDC win she may want to re-engage in active public life by resurrecting the red berets. I have no qualms about bringing the red berets back to life; after all, it is in the interest of women and children BUT it is important to remind her of a number of things.

* In an attempt to carry out her legitimate duty of working with women I hope that the 31st DWM does not become more powerful than the official ministry mandated to work for women and children (I hope you know what I am talking about)

* It is important for her to allow our new first lady, Naadu Mills together with her next in line, Lordina Mahama, to decide what they want to do that is if they so choose to execute any special projects.

* I must indicate to her, without attempting to be personal, that as a woman equally interested in the welfare of all women and children, I will not be silent if the DWM’s activities are made to overshadow what the Ministry of Women and Children (if it stays as such) does for all women and children of Ghana or whatever enterprise the First Lady chooses to embark on unless she decides to adopt the red berets in which case I will redirect my energies to some other venture.

Whatever paths the two former first ladies separately pursue I hope that it will be truly and sincerely geared towards the welfare of women and children without getting into the pettiness often associated with rivalry.

To Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and Theresa Kufuor I say kudos for playing your respective roles to my admiration, although I have my reservations which I will not burden readers with; however, please, if you choose to continue working for women and children just remember that Nana Konadu, you already bear the title of ‘former’ first lady and Theresa Kufuor, you will cease to be first lady as of January 7, 2009.

Re-Does Ghana Exist?

After the December 7 elections, I came across this thought-provoking article, Does Ghana exist, written by Oluniyi David Ajao. His analysis on the coverage or lack of it by the international media caught my attention immediately because this subject of international reportage of Africa has always been an area of interest moreso ever since I set foot in this country.

Having read that article, I decided to give America’s topmost news organization, CNN, a very ‘close marking’ to see what they would put out about Ghana’s elections if they decided to put out anything at all. I found two news stories, one of which was filed by the Associated Press (AP). I was not surprised that Ghana deserved two stories but Zimbabwe deserved much more considering the fact that good news is no news to the media.

The coup in Guinea a couple of days ago following the death of Lasana Conte confirmed this further. On the Yahoo news page, maintained by the Associated Press, the news of the coup gained a ‘permanent post’ status just as it did on CNN. It was a story for CNN International or Inside Africa, where most African stories will end up, but for CNN world which is targeted at the American audience. Ever since the coup occurred, news about Guinea receives constant update and is given the “place of pride” on the network’s internet page.

When it comes to Ghana’s elections, not so much prominence but at least there was some mention. Okay so what did CNN say about Ghana’s elections? I will reproduce portions of the two reports.

Queues form outside polling stations for Ghanaian election
ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- Voters slept on the concrete sidewalks outside polling stations seeking to be the first to cast their ballot in Ghana's historic election Sunday, a vote that could solidify its place as one of the few mature democracies in Africa.

As the polls opened, they waited their turn patiently, their ID cards tucked into the folds of their colorful cloth. In the courtyard of a school, one man dragged himself to the voting booth on a walker, his ballot card in his mouth.

Voters in this coastal African nation are acutely aware of the responsibility they bear as they cast their ballot to elect their next president.

"The whole world is watching Ghana because Ghana is enlightened," said Beatrice Mantey, a retired schoolteacher who had sent her niece overnight to save her a place in line. "No matter who wins, Ghana has already won -- because whoever wins we will accept it," she said.
Flanked on one side by Togo, a nation ruled for 41 years by the same family, and on the other by Ivory Coast, a fractured state only now emerging from civil war, Ghana is a rare example of democracy.

Ghana presidential runoff set for December 28

(CNN) -- A presidential runoff election in Ghana will be held December 28, the nation's electoral commission announced Wednesday.
Voters went to the polls across Ghana on Sunday to choose a successor to President John Kufuor, who is stepping down after two terms.

"The significance of this election is that Ghana is going to tell the world, 'We understand the need for democracy and we can do it. We can get it right,"' said Akwasi Osei, a Ghanaian who is now a political science professor at Delaware State University.

With Ghana averaging 6 percent growth, roughly three times the global average, the ruling NPP Party is campaigning on a platform of continuity.

They point to the fact that during Kufuor's two terms in office Ghana has become an economic success story. Foreign investment has grown 2000 percent, while exports shot up from $1.6 billion in 2001 to $4.2 billion now.

Yet for all the statistics indicating success, many here say they have little to show for what economists quantify as progress. Much of the country has no electricity and even in the capital, the poor relieve themselves on the white sand beach because they have no latrines.

Regardless of who wins, Ghanaians are keenly aware of the example they set. Ever since 1957 when it became the first nation in Africa to declare independence from its colonial ruler, Ghana has had the weight of history on its shoulders. For Ghanaians, it's important that the election goes off without the all-too-common hooliganism, ballot stuffing and violence that continues to plague African elections.

Both news reports are undoubtedly about Ghana’s elections. They both carry some concerns about why Ghana cannot afford to lose out if it is to maintain its image as a country that serves as a “rare example of democracy in Africa”.

AP: I am not surprised that the AP decided to start off its story portraying the Ghanaian voter as not being enlightened enough to keep their voter identification cards in places other than the folds of our colourful cloth. It even goes further to describe how someone had his card in his mouth.

CNN: Typical representation of Africa by the international media is not lost out on CNN’s news report which notes the successes chalked by the Kufuor administration but does not fail to add that for all the statistics “much of the country has no electricity and even in the capital, the poor relieve themselves on the white sand beach because they have no latrines”.

Stereotypical news reporting or journalism is what the international media is noted for especially when it comes to the way they report about Africa. There is never a time when positive news about an African country is reported without referring to a war that once broke out in the country or other references to ethnic, ancestral, and primitive links to the story.

It is as though Africa must in every case have some negative label to its news. It seems very out of place to talk about elections and somehow link it to people in the capital (which is seen as the place where civilization should be the norm) relieving themselves on white sands.

Is it possible that stories about Ghana’s elections can be devoid of any label that has no direct bearing on the elections and what Ghanaians have achieved for their country and for Africa? While looking out for what CNN will carry about the run-off elections, I will attempt to answer Oluniyi’s question that: yes Ghana exists but I am not sure how it exists in the minds of the international media.
For now CNN has made it clear what it will be looking out for by reminding Ghanaians that “it's important that the election goes off without the all-too-common hooliganism, ballot stuffing and violence that continues to plague African elections”.

Hanky-panky with the politics of rumours

Rumours or smear campaigns have gradually become ingrained in the general body politic associated with campaigns in democratic countries. Seen as unfortunate and childish in some quarters, it is something that we must begin to accept as part of the political game. As is the case in many parts of the world, the media plays a huge role in fueling such rumours; this is what is unfolding in Ghana at the moment. The role of the media in fuelling the spread of rumours as is being seen in the current political campaign going on cannot be underestimated.

Rumours by definition and as applied in this case are stories that are usually made up by people especially for political purposes to make an opponent less credible; this is to make themselves the better option (to be voted for) because they are more credible than their opponent. The difficulty with rumours, though, is that sometimes they are true and only time will prove this.

This was the case here (in the U.S.) in the recent elections when smear campaigns gained currency even days before the elections; around this time, the various political strategists went into full gear appearing on different political platforms and using all media available to them to debunk any rumours that went to town. Before I look at some of the rumours making the rounds in the on-going political campaign in Ghana, let me draw your attention to some of the rumours that ‘afflicted’ the two presidential candidates who contested in the 2008 American elections.

John McCain:

* Brainwashed and psychologically damaged as a prisoner of war in Vietnam
* He is senile
* He fathered a black child (McCain’s 17-year-old daughter Bridget was adopted from a Bangladesh orphanage)
* Cast a taboo slur at his wife, Cindy in 1992.
* Crashed as many as five planes, one that killed 134 sailors due to an alleged risky manoeuver.
* Behaved extremely badly on a holiday to Fiji when he insulted vacationers forcing them to listen to him read aloud the writings of William Faulkner.
* His military record is not what it appears to be.

Barack Obama:
* His Kenyan grandmother stated in a tape recording the candidate's birth in a Kenyan hospital giving cause for concerns about his citizenship.
* He is a Muslim in secret
* He is the anti-Christ described in the Book of Revelation in the bible
* He refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or display the American flag.
* His wife, Michelle, used racial slurs against white people by using the word "whitey."
* Campaigned for Kenya’s opposition leader in Raila Odinga and funneled money to his campaign and that they are cousins.
* Conspiring with Odinga to enforce Islamic law in Kenya despite both men being Christians.

The Ghanaian version of this political game is what we are experiencing in these last days leading to the December 28 run-off; as though someone has blown a whistle in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) camps, we wake up every morning to new party-sanctioned rumours and allegations meant to discredit either party, through which activity one party will appear more credible..

I am sure that by now the list (of allegations) is endless and, I hope, readers will add up to what I have compiled from news reports and radio discussions. The list captured under a party does not mean the party is the generator of the rumour but that is what is being told about the particular party.

The NPP

* Supporter drenched clothes in blood (of animals) at an abattoir and took pictures that suggested that NDC stalwarts attacked him
* Plans to make the Okyehene more popular than the Asantehene
* EC officials wore caps laced with ink and contributed to destroying ballots in NPP strongholds
* Government has ‘pregnant’ bank accounts at the Prudential Bank
* Akufo-Addo is a drug addict
* Akufo-Addo is not the father of his children
* Akufo-Addo cannot speak clearly because of fears that his dentures (false teeth) will fall out
* Akufo-Addo is a womanizer

The NDC
o Has developed a growing hit-list using a mafia-like team of assassins
o EC officials used hair-dye and tainted ballot papers
o NPP plans to put Rawlings under house arrest
o Will expand the Nsawam prison to create more room for NPP government officials
o Will scrap the National Health Insurance Scheme
o CPP officials in the Northern Region who fail to endorse the NDC will have their houses burnt and property destroyed
o Prof. Mills is an irresponsible father
o Prof. Mills is not his own man
o Winning elections means third unofficial term for Former President Jerry John Rawlings.

These political rumours have completely taken over the issues-based campaigns that we were promised. No more talk of poverty, employment, health, water, electricity, food security and all that Ghanaians are saddled with currently. Believe it or not that some people (with the literacy rate that we have in Ghana) will end up believing some of these rumours especially as the campaigns are getting to their climax.

As Ghanaians wait to make a final decision come December 28, it is important for the political parties to be reminded of the observation by the late American President, John Kennedy, that the effectiveness of a political campaign in knocking down rumours and smear campaigns is not an unfair test of that campaign’s candidacy.

For now I eagerly wait to see which of the two candidates will join self-declared CPP presidential candidate for 2012, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who is hoping for a comeback in that year. What about an opinion poll dubbed Rumour Mongering 2012? Time will tell which of these rumours unfolds as truth.

When a President loses honour, shoes fly about.

Politics is interesting. It has its own way of making and unmaking people. Historically there are many examples of how people came into the limelight after gaining political power and later lost everything when they fell out with their people. It is more painful when such people completely lose their honour and integrity.
These people become a perfect embodiment of the Biblical expression that a prophet is without honour in his own home but with a different dimension- this one is self-inflicted.
I find it difficult to appreciate how people can fall so low. What happened to these fine personalities is a question that keeps haunting me.

This, for me, is how the American presidency of President George Walker Bush can be described. In his own country his rating has dipped to an historical low. No one respects the president in this country and it is a pity to hear words that are used to describe him. Maybe that is just the American style- they are very blunt and will never garnish their words if they do not believe it is a true reflection of their thoughts.

The climax of this sad ending of the president was what happened in Iraq on Sunday. President Bush paid a secret farewell visit to Iraq and finished reviewing a military parade. Together with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki they went to address a news conference after the parade and that was where the drama occurred.

“This is a farewell kiss, you dog” was the statement spoken in Arabic that preceded a pair of shoes flung at President Bush which missed him narrowly. The shoes came from the feet of an Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zeidi who is a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

In his humouristic self Bush sought to downplay the issue by saying that the shoes were a size 10. That is how much of an extent a journalist could go to express his dissatisfaction with a president whose farewell visit was also to tell the Iraqis that the war was not over and that it was on its way to be decisively won.

Call it a repetition of history. Do you remember how in 2003 American marines toppled a statue of Saddam Hussein while Iraqis expressed their cultural interpretation of contempt by stamping at the statue with their shoes? In this instance it was not even done to a statue but a sitting president.

With a little over a month left for him to leave office President Bush has become the paper napkin with which people blow their noses. This is a sad depiction of what people can do to themselves.

One can rightly argue this away that he was not popular in the first place when he was elected. True but I am not sure hatred for him was so bad and as he rightly stated after the incident that it was a reflection of the current political situation in his United States.

At this point I want to believe that if there was anything that he will be hoping to do, it will be to hand over to President-Elect Obama and disappear from the minds of Americans.

For the moment the name Bush has become an adjective describing anything negative and unworthy of pursuit like a “Bush policy” or a “Bush programme”. Too bad how a man loses his honour, I only hope those size 10 shoes make it to the famous American Smithsonian museums. I will definitely love to see it for it is worth a ten-page story.

'Abrokyire’ Palaver: Journalism 101

This week marks a very important one for all Ghanaians as we go to the polls at the weekend to elect our president and legislators. A lot has been said and done in the political campaign period just as a lot has gone under the stroke of the pen and the tongue as journalists contribute to our democratic experience.

After all that we have said and debated on the airwaves and in our newspapers this is one week where all journalists would have to go back to Journalism 101 and learn about responsible journalism.

What went down as an apology of journalism culminating in the situation which we all now refer to as the Rwandan genocide is still too fresh to be pushed under the carpet. One radio station’s irresponsibility and its fire-spitting remarks resulted in the death of hundreds of people.

Interestingly I am among the optimists who believe that Ghana is never going to get to that situation but then I also find a lot of wisdom in what our elders say that “when you find your friend’s beard on fire you better put water near yours”. Situations that have happened in other countries are all reminders of what our irresponsibility as journalists can lead to.

Agreeably, it is far-fetched to attribute the outbreak of hostilities especially in elections to the work of the media as research shows but it there is abundance of evidence to show that journalists contribute largely to such situations and so are equally liable for allowing themselves to serve as propagandists and hate messengers of a few selfish politicians who are all too ready and willing to sell their kith and kin for a tin of sardine.

It is in the light of this that I recommend the Ghana Journalists Association for taking steps to educate journalists on what is expected of us in this elections but that point unfortunately also marks my point of departure with my very respected and knowledgeable senior colleague Yaw Boadu Ayeeboafo who was reported as encouraging journalists to ensure equal coverage for all political parties. I am hoping that that was not the thrust of his intervention.

The issue of equality is important but with a week to the elections, this is not the time to advocate for equity. What journalists need is for you to tell them to act responsibly and stop ‘talking by heart’ when the people entrust them with their ears and eyes.

Some of us are just irresponsible and only think of what we can do to promote a candidate who will win and shower us with more favors and more ‘soli’. Sometimes I simply shudder at the thought of how journalism is being redefined by certain practitioners who see any calls for responsible journalism as an attempt to gag them.

I believe that one can make a point without the unnecessary emotional outbursts that follow and add up to an already tensed political situation. As journalists we need to admit that we are human beings who sometimes get things wrong so that instead of fighting to justify our positions, let us lend ourselves to learning the right thing from the right people and infest our audiences with a sense of responsibility in word and deed.

We are all too quick to point at the international media and accuse them of putting out a negative image about Africa, of which we as Ghanaians are an integral part. True, but what are we also doing as journalists to challenge those perceptions put out there when all we spend our time doing is bickering and spewing hate messages and fighting for political favors.

To all those journalists who have kept the standards of responsible journalism high, I cannot but express my admiration for your work and for the rotten eggs among the lot please spare the country in this critical period. We have done it before and we can do it again, let the world see what Ghanaian journalists are capable of achieving in these elections.

As we keep our fingers crossed and pray for a successful election 2008 I am reminded of an article I read in a journal by an African nun in Ireland who in expressing her outrage about the negative image of Africa painted by the western media was told by her friend, “if there is another Africa then let us see it” and I know that Ghana will show the world that there is another Africa which is capable of conducting peaceful elections that are free, fair and smooth.

Dot Asare-Kumah [dortt4u@yahoo.com]

‘Abrokyire’ Palaver: Don’t mess with the ‘tsofi’

Thanksgiving Day is this Thursday and in keeping with their tradition Americans are going to spend the day with their families and loved ones over ‘tsofi’ and lots of food. This is the season for turkeys. They are the prized asset of the week.

Seeing turkeys receive so much ‘attention’ reminds me of Adoagyiri-Nsawam where women sell colored ‘tsofi’ to the delight and eagerness of many hands which reach deep into pockets to get a taste of a part of the whole bird which I am told is mentioned by qualifying one’s language.

This important day has two different versions to it, one being that it commemorates an event in 1619 when the Captain of a group of British settlers knelt in prayer and pledged "Thanksgiving" to God for their healthy arrival after a long voyage across the Atlantic.

The second attributes it to an event in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast in keeping with a long tradition of celebrating the harvest and giving thanks for a successful bounty of crops. America ‘Homowo’ is what you may call it.

Apparently the combination of these two versions is what Americans have celebrated every fourth Thursday of November as a thanksgiving feast featuring the good old ‘tsofi’ which is critical to any celebration of the day.

There are some interesting turkey facts posted by the University of Illinois Extension which shows that the average weight of a turkey purchased at Thanksgiving is 15 pounds and the heaviest ever raised was 86 pounds, about the size of a large dog. This year turkey growers estimated producing 271 million turkeys. Of this it is estimated that 44 million are eaten each Thanksgiving, 22 million eaten at Christmas and 19 million eaten each Easter.

This is understandable considering the fact that everyone celebrates Thanksgiving but not everyone celebrates Christmas or Easter.

These turkey facts were the reason why I found it difficult to understand why anyone would be daring enough to ‘mess up’ with turkeys in this country. Not so for a West Virginia farm whose workers were caught on video not only taunting turkeys but killing them either by stomping on their heads or killing them by twisting their necks with their bare hands which reminds me of that song “no mercy for the alanta”.

According to the Associated Press the video, posted on the website of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, has outraged so many people and the farm supervisor has already lost his job.

PETA as the group is known, campaigns against the practices of turkey growers before Thanksgiving and encourages Americans to find vegetarian substitutes for the bird, such as tofu.

The company which owns the farm has immediately taken steps to address the turkey abuse lest it is saddled with eating its own turkeys now and forever.

It is even worse considering that if convicted in this case someone could go to jail for up to three years or end up paying up to $5,000 in fines so if you are reading this and you have a relative struggling to make it out here working on a farm especially at this time please tell them not to “mess up with that tsofi”.

As I honor an invitation by a classmate to join her family for Thanksgiving and in my own way of making meaning of the day I remain grateful to all those who take time off to commend and insult me for my views in this column. I remain grateful to you especially for reading and for those who go the extra mile to send me e-mails. Even as I take every bite of my ‘tsofi’ on Thursday I say thank you all.