Biggest hallmark of our politics is the fault-finding with really no concrete alternative(s) in blame games'-brinkmanship. Common knowledge pins it to earnestness for electoral gain(s). Unsurprisingly, comments on the IMF props exemplify : one side opines the deal would neither shift towards exit the trough in the set time frame; nor, relieve general squeeze-cringe. Another side defends. But incidentally, no one has called the package "bogus and fraudulent", Nkrumah's historic phrasing label to reject the Justice Henley Constitutional Report Dec.1949; and or indeed 'doomsday' except all find it grim. In terms, all feel it is adding to our hunch-back-debts for generations. It becomes logical for critics' scepticism that the deal is not final; and officially, it is not, apparently because it is said to be the prologue-guarantor for other borrowings at international capital markets. That has already raised dubieties. Bald truths are in spite, the text and tenor of the deal propose it needs to take gritty managing for this country give itself a chance to [i] leap-frog the circuses of near-economic collapse; and [ii] given (a) it's 17th; and (b) requires celibate-frugality, type found in a Monastery ; and shrewdly-led.
Ghana's almost six-decade-continuum of "BROKE," bundles weaknesses in structures,
and misses operational circumspection. These make up how-why successive civilian and four military managements had neither precisely located, nor yet got right. It seems urgent to check the advisories for how listened-followed by whom to pigeon-hole what went wrong. This shall be aide memoire; and applied consensus, fundamental in our foundation. In spite, it's not flattery to submit each administration operated, country ahead of partisan politics; and held the panacea. Aggregate pulses are that the IMF's may have aimed to hit it, or, closely perhaps.
The summation seems to rely on if the attached prescriptions, were kept holistically. I wonder if it's because it looks "take or else", But that may conduce desperation, admitting we are in dire straits. I prefer the hawkishness as the benefit of the borrower. And that denudes our immediate challenges: [i] how well we exile our penchant to elude accountability, not cutting corners or attempting to hog ruling political power, like Busia's Dec 1971 devaluation; [ii] Our constitutional governance for example, orders term of present borrower-government's term terminates a year from now, calculating the due outstanding six months are, usually presumed for election campaigns. Busia had 18 months to go.
Arguably, if the victor of 2024, is different party, distances itself from the IMF, or may hold on to it to re-negotiate. It is a noteworthy precaution that probably new NPP President, but of another economic persuasion, would not necessarily tow as previously, our second nature demonstrates severally after changes of governments. Also, through rare possibility of cross caucus unanimity relative to [i] compelled more of public opinion; and [ii] comply. Note too that governments succeed in perpetuity; but debts can be disowned -"Yentua" debts-renege, extreme; and 'debtor must eat', a cri de couer, and re-negotiated--NLC/Col Acheampong-our sad precedents.
What we confront then is, advanced hole-in-heart economy excused covid and Ukraine partly; but the germane albatross with a Siamese-twin features- jinx and sphinx post-IMF. A pretence to fathom the outcome is devious with regard to fluctuations in domestic/external market dynamics. The quandary leads to hearing hackneyed statements by political hopefuls. It deprives the country deciding which way to vote. Granted again that other political parties and independents are yet [i] to determine "Tickets"; [ii] craft positions, IMF-inclusive. Funny though that same affords them dodging premature suicides; nor political clothes-stealing and lose ab initio a ballot where the field is supposed even ground globally for credibility, adding current nationality huu-haa bye-election to counsel "sober" for the EC and political parties tossing apparent rude public salvoes before hitting lowest of the low, unpardonably wrong.
In veritable sense, I could be running ahead of myself. The primary aim asserts we are dealing with the roughest-end of a matter which is bigger than the country, let alone political parties. Proof: the country is solid mass and the parties are ephemeral abstracts of the mass. That, they are electable to form governments, is a convenience, given limited tenure, though they represent the mass for the period--re-elected or dropped. Interestingly, succeeding governments don't, repeat verbatim policies even of the same basic ideologies. Generally successive regimes, as if relay, have not habitually sustained, stated for emphasis, sustained a predecessor's same ways, brainers and actions--not even of same party, for emphasis, outside of also characteristically borrowed, and might over-try lost way to crawl the precincts at a pawn shop. The only serious comparative between civilian and military governments would be found in statistics about which was less miserly, in terms.
I have veered to let it explain the harm from a flair for altering secured courses in the past, show-off the 'new king and new power.' The shame is little is said or written about this "STOP-GO." in another direction as basic weakness, hindsight apparently shows un-abated striving from past to abandon developmental adjuncts, substituting new structures and left them unfinished, playing kindergarten rounders, quickest to appease with deluge of verbiage where foreign jaws are drawn down. Push in same but another orbit, the US has no permanent "friends" internationally, not in even inside NATO and trade across the Atlantic or next-door Canada; parliament hardly debates foreign affairs to graft a policy input for government of the day--years after that unparalleled debate held in old Parliament House after the Soviet leadership order took away the Hungarian revolutionary leader Imre Nagy, ( June 7 1896-- June 16 1958) executed after trial following seized for communist doctrinal deviations, posthumously restored about 30 years later.
By the way, what is far away jostle got to do with us, some may ask. It is an elementary yet substantive pointer that puts a country among the ranks of international forefronts; and Both Joe Appiah and Nkrumah excelled. Our immediate glittering image post-independence, derived from there in substantive-quality-part, no freak. I shall always remember--depth, knowledge and flow. That gave license to Leonid Brezhnev to invade Czechoslovakia for Checks and Slovaks independence. Thus, Prague Aug 21 1968 invasion would seem historically, as an old attack-defeat and annex tactic, resembling our ancient prior centuries internecine wars. Now we have Czechs and Slovenia.
The story doesn't compare, the couple centuries preceding Slave Trade, but tallies 19th/20th centuries how the Brits treated African and Asian nationalist leaders, -our revered "BIG SIX", lied "Windies-Rush" and harassed Pacific 'possessions' to cow nationalism fervour, boomeranged. For Russia, it looks a legacy from the former Soviet Union's history. Russian bellicosity today, similarly may parallel the 18th century Prussian Empire. And Russian strong man Vladimir Putin appears to have finessed it to characterize it as "self-defence" to pre-empt potential threat--Western Europe, obviously, keeping the embers of the "cold war" burnt after US President Reagan had brought down the "Berlin Wall" early 90s, the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and the finale to the Soviet Union-- the death of the East which could most probably irk Putin from Western Bloc media commentaries. The greater significance for posterity was that Putin was then at Ukraine-warring.
Leaving necessary history and apart from the arguments and the-may-happen", if there was a different regime scenario here and there are other possible permutations, there are few other
salient issues which I call "within the structures" which the IMF would want properly re-fixed for workability and mainstay durability. I shall cite the Dormaahene's direct address to the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia at a fund-raising function recently. The chief asked for explanation how the country earns respectively only seven percent from our trades in Gold and 17 per cent for oil, using the examples of 51 per cent for Equatorial-Guinea and Nigeria. Then the University Lecturers' query about the free SHS. I think the weights are on the standards and costs to parents, after all, students and nation qualitatively more than quantitively. It is recalled the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta in budget delivery off the cuff had spoken about throwing the scheme back to "can- afford" in two senses: the well-to-do and the national kitty's ability which indeed is the constitution's cautionary-advisory.
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Then the controversy of a World Bank-funded radiology specialist Ambulance for our Ministry of Health is found at a Dubai car mart. I have not forgotten the high seas missing of fully shipload of Ghana-cocoa from the harbour at Takoradi; preceded by Abbott/NLC Pharmaceutical agreement chased out former NPP leader Prof. Albert Aduboahene with Finance Minister's father, forefront and bears seeming marks with the World Bank's "yellow-carding" power purchase contracts for review latterly. Then further back "put (or pull) for the shore". In the procession arrives former Health Minister Dr Anane's tip of revelation about the railway lines rehabilitation expansion to Burkina- Fasso using the Nyinahene bauxite, ore etc with a Chinese contractor. The narrative claims an 'invitation' recommended by former President John Kufuor to Vice President Bawumia, to meet a Chinese, apparently a contractor. The outcomes are allegedly unsavoury, Dr Anane says in a viral social media clip--under or calls for investigation for huge losses.
These hangers are formidable for successor administration, whoever succeeds 2024. No one under- estimates the burden ahead. Remarks that the IMF's would guarantee for capital markets to advance other credits, is receiving overly dubieties. I think everyone has their concerns' tooth pick about how we've got here, multi-faceted to speculate positive or negative response in the wake of IMF. That must sum up the predicament.
