freemymind: Nana Akufo-Addo- Still the Best!

freemymind: Nana Akufo-Addo- Still the Best!

Nana Akufo-Addo- Still the Best!

The NPP campaign for flagebearership is in full swing with all the serious contenders now officially on the road especially the two key contenders, Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanteng.

For me I supported Nana Addo in 2007 and I have tried to look for a reason not to do same this time around, fortunately or unfortunately, I have found none. I believe fully within me probably more than ever that Nana Akufo-Addo is the best man among all the other aspirants in the New patriotic Party to lead the Party to victory in 2012. Indeed, I am of the belief that Nana Addo is the best among all the other prospecting candidates in this country to lead Ghana and I have no doubt about this belief.

In the run-up to the race, a lot of issues have been raced for and against Nana Addo candidature not only due to the fact that he led the Party in the 2008 General Elections but also because he is till date the obvious frontrunner in the race and the most popular candidate. I admit that all sides have attempted to skew the debates unto issues they think would either help Nana’s bid or harm it. For me this has even gone further to boost Nana’ s popularity, just because the competing candidates have failed to really raise issues and send a message which proves clearly that Nana Addo is not the best man to lead our Party.

I think that the opposition to Nana’s bid especially that coming from Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng’s camp has mainly focused on trivialities and attempted to demean Nana’s personality rather than telling the broad masses of the NPP, the basis for the belief in their camp (s) that Alan or any other candidate is more right and fit to lead the Party than Nana Addo.

To begin with , one issue which has somewhat dominated the debate is this issue of floating voters. Many within the other camps have boosted that their candidates would win more floating voters than Nana did in 2008 and than Nana can do in 2012. These statements are made constantly without any basis or proof and for me are made on the basis of mere imagination, hearsays and fantasies. I have on more than one occasion challenged friends of mine who are of the opinion that Alan in particular can win more floating voters to proof to me the basis of their view and they have on all occasions failed to provide any coherent basis of this view as they profess.

But this issue of ability to win floating voters is not peculiar to Ghana or indeed this NPP race, it occurs all over when it is time for the primaries. In the US, almost all candidates in the primary season mysteriously lay claim to having an ability to win independents. They all profess this ability and find all sorts of excuses to back their arguments. So its new. But for me the issue boils down to the Party primaries. If you are truly popular with the masses or the generality of the population, then you should be able to win your party’s primaries because the delegates in your party form a microcosm of the society in general and certainly they are as wiser as the general populace. It should not be forgotten that the main preoccupation for the generality of the delegates is who can lead their Party to victory in the general elections. So if you are truly popular and your personality appeals then that is where you must first prove it – your Party’s Primaries! For me this is where the argument should stop. Thankfully in the NPP, we now have over 110,000 as the electorate for our flagbearership, that in itself is a big enough sample of the population and oh, there are definitely floating voters among our delegates too.

The issue of floating voters is a very dicey one. Everyone admits that there are floating voters but as I speak I have not come across any scientific research which tells me that Nana Addo is less likely to win floating voters because of his person than say Alan. Yet people keep purporting this belief that Nana cannot win floating voters. Sometimes I get the belief that many of our politicians are still of the belief that the Ghanaian electorate are not discerning and are so gullible. This is because you sometimes hear the explanation that Alan or some other candidates would win more floating voters because Alan is tall, he is handsome, he is fair etc. etc.

I do not doubt that fringes of the Ghanaian electorate vote because of trivialities like looks but the question is of what percentage do such electorates form? In my view, such electorate as I described are at best on the fringes, they have no major significance in our elections; maybe they were more significant in 1992 or even 1996 but I fail to imagine how anyone can prove to me that with the political maturity this country has attained in its 18 years of unbridled multi- party democracy, we can find any significant group who vote just on the basis of a candidates looks or his height etc.

In any case if this is the standard for electing flagbearers then as a advocate for simplicity in all activities, what I think should be done is not to waste precious sums conducting elections for an electorate of over 115,000; all we should do is to hire maybe Charterhouse to organize a beauty contest for all the aspirants with a minimum height requirement so that the short ones would be disqualified and the winner of the contest becomes the flagbearer. We could have the aspirants coming out in swim suits, in kente and suits to judge which one looks best in all those attires etc. This process would save cost and simplify the whole contest for all of us.

This is how absurd for the argument on looks sound. I do know that an overwhelming proportion of Ghanaians decide on who to vote for on much more serious issues than looks or whatever and for me any candidate who attempts to focus on looks and such trivialities either has no serious message to sell his candidature or is someone who just does not understand the intricacies of modern day politics and the maturity of the Ghanaian voter.

Secondly, I hear most often from many that because Nana Akufo-Addo could not win the 2008 elections, he should be changed because it was his fault we lost. Others go ahead to claim that we lost the second round by the around 25,000 votes because of Nana’s personality. Well I see it very differently and I am entitled to see it that way.

In my view and considering the circumstances that surrounded the Party’s campaign in 2008, I think that Nana did exceptionally well and tremendously so to even be able to win the first round and to lose the run-off by such a margin though I would also admit that every defeat even by a single vote is a defeat. What circumstances am I talking about? Well, to begin with, it is world knowledge that every govering Party in a mainly two party democracy finds it difficult winning a third term or passing the presidency from one president to another within the same party. This is not even a point I wish to concentrate on; the first point I like to emphasize is the fact that in 2008, the New Patriotic Party through a combination of factors was thrown into disarray all over the country thanks to activities of the various Constituency, Regional and especially National executives as well as other stakeholders like MPs and other big palyers.

As a result of the mismanagement of especially the Primary process of electing candidates for the 230 parliamentary seats by the groups just named, the Party ended up alienating substantial parts of its own core supporters across the country and across very key constituencies. The confusion which beset the grassroots due largely to the primaries did a lot to either keep sympathizers away from voting or even casting votes for other Parties and such votes would have been lost whether Nana Addo was candidate or not.

Let’s continue. In 2008, we lost throughout the coast from Shama to Keta. Now it should be recognized that the fisherfolk of our country are a huge segment of the type many would call swing voters who have not stuck with a Particular party at least in our fourth republic but vote year on year based on the improvements or otherwise in their livelihoods as well as other factors. Prior to 2008, warning bells were sounded constantly on how their trades and livelihoods were diminishing as a result of the activities of pair trawlers and also due to the mismanagement of Pre mix fuel distribution. By some strange occurrence their concerns were overlooked or at best lip service was paid to them and the fisher folk rightfully punished the NPP when they had the opportunity to do so. Here again, I want anyone to show me how Nana Addo’s personality if different could have prevented the backlash from the activities of Pair trawlers and the mismanagement of pre mix fuel distribution. I want to know how Alan or any other candidate would have won us more votes from the coast if they were the candidates.

Yet as a result of what happened in the fishing sector, we ended up antagonizing a major part of the electorate like the fishing community which had in 2000 and 2004 backed our tickets heavily and which had aided us significantly in our victories of those years. Now someone should calculate the population of fisherfolk in our country and tell me that we could not have won the first round if we had even picked half of the constituencies on the coast. We shot ourselves down and we were repaid!

Another group worth considering is the informal sector; the commercial vehicle drivers and the hawkers especially. For over a year and a half in this country we had trotro drivers and taxi drivers agitating over the maltreatment and harassment they were receiving at the hands of the Police and the motor courts and yet I do not know of any attempt that was made to redress their concerns or even to investigate them. And yet this was a group that moved through heaven and hell not only to vote for us in 2000 but to do everything to ensure that we won. We did not reassure them that their concerns were important or that we were doing anything to solve them until after the first round when in our desperation we did everything to try to win their votes. By this time it was too late and their minds were already made; they nailed us in the coffin on December 28th and sent us packing. Here again, how would Nana Addo personality impact on the alienation of the informal sector?

It would be remembered that in 2000, bread sellers at Nsawam and other places out of their own volition branded breads with the images of our candidate then and were seen shouting on top of their voices, ‘asieho’ and other slogans we used in 2000; the question is did this happen in 2008 and why? Food for thought!
Last, was our inability to ensure that our ballots were cast and protected. The incidents of fraud and intimidation against the NPP are numerous and in some instances very shocking. It is very amazing how we forgot to undertake such a core responsibility at the Polling Station level because that is where elections are won and lost.

Just these three groups and how they felt as at December 2008 should have gone a long way to even lead us to a first round defeat looking at the numbers which they present. Yet despite the division within our ranks, the alienation of our support base, the alienation of key groups like the fishing community and the informal sector and the failure to protect our ballots, Nana Akufo-Addo in his first attempt managed to secure over 100,000 votes more than candidate Mills who was on the ballot paper for the fourth time running in the first round.

Then comes the third and almighty issue of age. Indeed let me confess that I knew long before the race got hot that this issue would become a key issue against Nana’s candidacy. Indeed I do not blame those attempting to use the age argument; once they think it goes into their advantage, they have all the right to do so. Also I would confess again that with equal competence, I would prefer a young leader to an older one. It should also be made known that the issue of age is perhaps one of the first things that come up in a campaign is the issue of age. It happens everywhere and comes up everytime so its not new and those on Nana’s side should not make a fetish out of it on why other camps are using it.

But hey for me the age issue is not one to be preoccupied with; it is only a small issue; it is just one of those things. After all, if a 90 year old man knows how to transform the indigenous Private sector to becoming world beaters and continental or global leaders while a 40 year old man has no idea of how to this, I would prefer the 90 year old man and would work to support him. I would stick to a 90 year old man who has ideas about how to transform agriculture in my country from the situation where though we have over 50% of our population engaged in it, we still cannot be self-sufficient to a situation where we can have only 10% involved in agriculture but can be self sufficient; this for me would liberate the energies of millions of our people to be engaged in other productive ventures by adapting technology and I would prefer that 90 year old man to a 40 year old who does not seem to have any ideas about how to achieve this. If a 90 year old man has character and is a proven performer and achiever, I would stick with him than a 40 year old who has a questionable character and is not known to be of much competence.

I would on any day stick to a 90 year old man who has a history of activism; someone who is known to have made his voice heard when the ordinary Ghanaian was in the doldrums of dictatorship and abuse and I would prefer this 90 year old man to a 40 year old who has not demonstrated commitment to the defense of the rights of the ordinary Ghanaian and who is nowhere to be found when the going gets tough.

I prefer a 90 year old who knows how to raise the standing of Ghana among the comity of nations. Had the idea of an African permanent member of the Security council been mooted in the 60’s, Ghana would have been most likely the probable choice, 40/50years down the line, Ghana could hardly stake a claim to this role when the idea came up early this century while countries like Senegal, Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt were claiming it so seriously. Ex-President Kufuor if my memory serves me right, attended four consecutive G8 meetings, it does not seem Mills would be at any of them anytime soon. Why? Because we have a president who seems oblivious to the need of building an high international image of one’s country and the benefits that come with it, that is probably why he does not feel it so important to even attend AU summits. So obviously, I would prefer a 90 year old man who is aware of the challenge to uplift the image and standing of Ghana in the international community and who has a proven ability in that area.

And oh, if my Party is in opposition, then I would prefer a 90 year old man who is clearly popular and can bring my party into government; I would not stick to a 40 year old man who claims to be popular but who has no proof to that popularity and cannot even win my Party’s primaries.

So yes, age is a factor but it comes very very down the ladder. What matters most are competence, vision and character. These are the real issues to debate on and for me candidates who concentrate on issues like age have nothing much to base their candidatures on and that explains why they would concentrate on age instead of singing about their competence, vision and character.

When I put up such arguments, I hear people saying that because am young, I should support a young candidate because I can ‘identify’ with a young President. But I retort that of what essence is identifying with a President if that President cannot solve your problems or the problems of your country in general? What essence is that? Who eats identification? Indeed if that is the argument then very soon we would have presidential aspirants basing their campaigns on the football teams they support so that they would identify with supporters of that team and for them to gain support of such supporters. We would very soon be hearing radio and viewing Television adverts which tell us that candidate A supports Arsenal or that candidate B support Kotoko in order for people like myself to identify with them.

In any case as a young man in his 20s, I would find it as hard to identify with a 50 year old President as I would find with a President in his 60s. We are generations apart and that goes for both the 50 year old and 60 year old President.
This even brings me to an issue which bothers me and confuses me a lot. Who can be called a youth? Ghana is indeed a very strange place to be in. all of a sudden and for political expediency, people are expanding the frontiers of the definition of a ‘youth’. It is not uncommon these days to hear people claiming that some aspirants in the NPP race are youth. Ei, but from what I know, all the aspirants are over 50 years. How can a 50 year old be called a youth? As my friend Eugene Boakye Danquah says, a 50 year old if in the civil service would just be 10 year shy of retiring. Would that be a youth? Please sometimes lets cut down on such pranks!

For me Nana Addo is till date our best option to recapturing power and till I am convinced by any coherent and cogent analysis which points to the contrary, this shall be my view!
Thanks!

JUDGMENT DAY 1

The issue of the Judgment Day as we know from the Bible has occupied my minds recently. Fortunately or unfortunately, it was heightened yesterday when I got a call from one of my aunties to go out and look at the Sun. I did and what I saw sent shivers through me literally. It brought my mind back to the issue of the second-coming of Christ and how dreaded that day would be. Where would some of us find ourselves, heaven or hell? And where would some people go. Hmm.

My mind was set for another journey into vivid imagination. I started wondering how things would go when God finally arrives especially in relation to our Ghanaian situation. For some of us we know that certain people would do everything to ensure that our feet does not touch the Golden pavements of Heaven. All kinds of allegations would be made against us and all sorts of things would happen. But I leave my fate in the Lord.

First of all, knowing Ghanaians, I know some people would surely jump the queue and cause so much commotion. Some would lose their tempers at the sight of the abuse of the queue and hurl all sorts of dirty and unpronounceable insults at the people who jump the queues. Words like ‘wo maame’, ‘kwasia’, ‘opuro’ ‘ogyaen ’ etc. but this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Again, I know that every judgment would be greeted with loud bouts of cheers and jeers. People would jump up and down at the sound of certain people being sentenced to Hell and do same when others are sent to Heaven without bothering about their own fates.

I decided to try and make out how certain issues would play out in general and in relation to specific Professions and people. I start with Politics and Politicians

Knowing how politics define everything in Ghana, it should not be surprising to see certain people taking a back seat and trying to figure whether the people going to Heaven or Hell are NDC or NPP. Maybe some of us might even be tempted to do such a sorting to see whether there would be more NPP people in Heaven or more NDC people there.

Obviously, as we see in Ghana, not all the sorting would be done on a purely factual basis. Much of it would be based on stereotyping, assumptions and hear says. For example every person with an Akan sounding name would be classified as a pure born and bred NPP man being probably an Ashanti or Akyem. Names like Owusu, Asamoah, Adjei (including Kwabena Adjei), Nketiah etc. would all be classified as NPP people.

Again, all persons from a church like the E.P Church would be considered as unrepentant Ewes who always vote for the NDC and so on. Many Methodists for example with Akan sounding names would be classified as NPP men and women either going to heaven or hell.

Now the real problem would come when at the end of the judgment, people realize that there are more NPP people in heaven than NDC or vice-versa. But the real issues would arise when some notable personalities/ politicians are called to be judged.

Certain people I know would do all sorts of things including sending high powered delegations to God and forming Pressure groups to prevent Kufuor from going to Heaven. In fact people would go ahead and accuse Kufuor of bribing some angels and possibly God.

As for Rawlings, there would be huge demonstrations if he is admitted to Heaven. People would even declare that they cant stay with him in Heaven and would go to hell rather. On the other hand should Rawlings be delivered to Hell, it would be a scene to remember! Rawlings would not hesitate launching a series of characteristic venomous attacks on God and Heaven. He might even go ahead to accuse the Lord for many dangerous crimes that occurred in the world including the Serial Killing of women, Ya-Naa’s murder and the murder of Rokko Frimpong as well as the fire in his house.

I also think that it wouldn’t be hard seeing people who would boycott the judgment and choose to go to hell because their mentor Rawlings has been sent there.

Many believe that Prof. Mills is incorruptible, harmless and Godly, so it would be a shock to many on Judgment Day should Prof. Mills go to hell. Should this happen, there would be huge conspiracies bothering on his sentencing. Many would accuse UP elements of being behind Prof’s Hell judgment. They would accuse the NPP of seeking to destroy the man and of framing up lies about Prof. Mills to get him to hell. The only thing I cannot imagine is whether Prof. being a ‘Slow but sure Man’ would slowly go to hell or move there fast or if he would appeal or accept the ruling as it is because he is a ‘man of peace’!

Indeed, it would be very interesting. It would be so interesting when certain politicians who are known to be holier than the pope are sent to hell, am talking about the politicians who are so clean that other politicians can put their hands in fire for them. It would be interesting to see the activities of such people beamed on giant screens!

This brings me to another issue. The beaming of everyone’s life on Giant screen for every body to watch. I know the conventional taught that occupies the Sunday schools is that when the Lord comes, he would mount a huge Giant screen on which he would portray everyone’s life from birth to death after which he would give judgment on whether you should go to heaven or hell. If this would be so then’ people get problems waa’! Some of us would be hot that day, when people discover that we did certain things no one expected we could have done!

It would be so interesting and exciting to see some top people who bunking in cars in all styles thinkable. And let me say that this free show would know nothing like censoring or Parental Guidance! All of us would watch every thing feeli feeeli with our eyes! No editing whatsoever! We would see the Presidents who have small lanky University girls as lovers and who go on all sorts of rendezvous with them! We would see what Muntaka did to Bagbin’s girl (I mean the girl who worked in Bagbin’s office) while they were in Cote d’Ivoire and Germany. We would see with our naked eyes, how certain arrogant people at the Castle raped small girls.

Oh, it would be a delight! Finally, all of us would have the opportunity to know every single truth. We would find out if there exists John and Philip Kufuor (probably the most popular ‘so-called’ kids in Ghana around 05/06) and how they came into being if true. We would get to know if some Presidents ever climbed Trees after blowing some rolls of ‘Ntampi’/ wee/ Heavy/abodam and what it took to bring them back to the earth after the wee turned them into Captain planet. We would see who killed the three judges, Yaa Naa, Issah Mobila, the over 28 women in Accra and the Kume Preko victims.

I can go on and on but for me these things would best interest me. Maybe we can share what would interest us as individuals.

Back to the trial of the Politicians.

I believe that some politicians and people would go to Heaven not because they any good but because should they be sentenced to Hell they would waste everyone’s time by going to court after court and filing for injunction after injunction to ensure that the case is delayed, that is, if they have the chance to do so. Someone like Tsatsu Tsikata would ensure that he delays the Judgment of all of us just to ensure that he is made to go to heaven.


To be continued. Coming Up the fates of Journalists, Facebook Users, Pastors, Football Administrators, insurance Brokers, Lawyers etc.

first published on Facebook on March 11, 2010

Stephen Appiah at the World Cup? I dont think SO?

Stephen Appiah at the World Cup? I don't think SO! (an assessment from one of the 22million Ghanaian Coaches)

It pains me dearly that I am writing this piece but I have to do it because it would clear my conscience from blame that I sat quietly unconcerned when I could have talked about it. It pains me because for me, Stephen Appiah has been the most committed and dedicated captain of the Black Stars since I started following football in the very early 90’s. what I am about to do therefore is not to question the performance of Appiah or even his commitment but to tell the facts as it is.

Straight to the point.

Coach Milovan Rajevac is preparing to name his team to the World Cup in 2010. The team should be ready in just a little over a month’s time. I feel the pressure to talk about the Black Stars because I have the strongest of beliefs that if Ghana picks its best team, Ghana can very easily reach the semi-finals of the world cup taking into cognizance the pairings and the possible match-ups in both the second round and quarter-final. Strangely, my feelings about football and our national teams normally come true these days. I remember telling friends just after the African Under-20 tournament in Rwanda that I felt that team would win the World Cup, this was not based on any Joshua prayers or football research, it was just a feeling which arose from knowing the kind of players we had. Same happened in the recent African Nations cup were I said even on facebook sometime in December when all our players were getting hurt that I felt something special and great was going to happen in Angola.

But that is even beside the point, as stated earlier our pairings and possible match-ups look very favourable and knowing the kind of quality we have, in depth, I am of no doubt that Ghana can easily become the first country into the semis and possible into the finals. As for lifting the trophy, my same feelings tell me that we can’t.

My fear however is that as normally happens in Ghana, we would not send our best team to South Africa in which instance I am clear in my mind that we would crash out very early. For me, certain things shouldn’t have even been on the table for debates with the facts and realities at our disposal. One of such issues is the inclusion of Stephen Appiah into the national team. For me, Stephen Appiah has no place in our current Black Stars esp. the one going to South Africa and this is as a result of his current form. In any country, there would have been no debate on this issue but in Ghana, people are trying to make it a debate in order to put players like Stephen Appiah in the team.

In the past two week I have observed a very deliberate PR campaign to prepare the minds of Ghanaians for the unjustifiable inclusion of Appiah in the Black Stars and it is sickening! Almost all the sporting newspapers in this country are poublishing one thing or the other about Appiah and how he is looking forward to lead Ghana to glory at the world cup and it smacks of clear machinations from certain quarters.


The fact is that Stephen Appiah has not played any consistent football since November/December 2007 (over 2 years now). He hasn’t! Initially, it was blamed on his long term injury which at a time almost looked to be eternal. Fortunately, he got well and the PR men were all over singing tales of how Stephen Appiah was going to land some huge contract with some huge European outfit. He was linked to teams all over Europe including Tottenham Hotspurs, Celtic, AC Milan, Shalke 04, Juventus etc. etc. Ibrahim Sanni Diara of the BBC was the key crusader in this magnificent crusade. He told us of how Appiah had turned down a contract from Celtic, which were then Scottish Champions and playing in the Champions League. According to Sanni Diara, Appiah turned down the celtic contract because he preferred England to Scotland partly because he wanted his children to receive English (as a language) education. Well I don’t know since when the scots started speaking German though I know there are some little differences in the English of England and Scotland. We were also told of how Appiah had turned down a move to AC Milan because of the same reason. Lastly, so much noise was made about a signing of Appiah by Tottenham Hotspurs. We were told of how Harry Rednapp had been impressed by Appiah’s first training and how he couldn’t wait for Appiah to sign. Well it never was.

We waited and waited for long before it was announced that Appiah had signed for Bologna (though he had earlier rejected moves to much bigger clubs like AC Milan in the same Italy and Celtic in Scotland because he wanted his children to speak English). We thanked the lord for giving Appiah a Team at long last after almost 2 years out of active football. We waited for baited breadth for Appiah to start performing in the Serie A ; till date that has not happened. Appiah has not played a minute for Bologna! Somewhere in December, we were informed of an injury to Appiah, well it has healed for over 2months now, yet he still hasn’t played!

It is against this background that I cannot to any possible imagination understand the desperate attempt to get Appiah to South Africa at all cost by certain individuals with the tacit support of certain Sports Journalists for whom there is a very thin line (almost non-existent line) between truth and falsehood. As we talk, I can mention at least 50 Ghanaian players who are playing regularly all over the world and have done so for more than a year! Ghana has to pick only 23 to the world cup so how on earth and for what justification can we drop some of these players and pick Appiah and other so-called experienced players (which I would come to) who have clearly lost form and have lacked consistent playing time? How on earth, Ghana?

The significance of the World Cup for our country can never be understated. Until Barrack Obama won his election on November 4th 2008, the Black Stars had the record of the highest number of website visitors after we generated 7,283,584 website visitors per minute on 22 June 2006 when we beat the USA to qualify for the world cup. We all remember how our nation was united and how we all felt good about ourselves. The free publicity it gave us on major networks like CNN, Sky, BBC etc can never be quantified!

Appiah has served Ghana well, but obviously it is time he is made to know that the National interest is much bigger than his ambition! Appiah has served Ghana but the truth is that he is not in form and should consider retiring from international football.

Anytime I raise this topic, people remind me of what Appiah did prior to 2006 and so on but hey, we are in 2010 (four long years since) and many things have changed. In 2006, a certain Ronaldinho was thought by some as the greatest player ever, today how is he regarded? Today it is a certain Lionel Messi who comes to mind anytime you hear the word ‘footballer’. Again, if the qualification for going to the world cup was previous performance, then it is obvious that we have been very unfair to the likes of Rev. Osei Kofi, Mohammed Polo, Mfum, George Arthur, Opoku Afriyie, Abdul Razak etc. so maybe we need to call of them and send them to South Africa! It is illogical, don’t you think? But that is exactly how the argument for Appiah to be sent to South Africa based on his performance in 2006 sounds, as we speak, despite all Ronaldinho did for Brazil, he stands a high risk of being dropped from the ‘Selecao’ though he plays consistently for AC Milan and has been displaying some good form. Football is about form not history!

Then the experience argument comes in. this is even more laughable. Thankfully, our God showed us how funny his argument is in Angola 2010. Do we all remember how so called experienced players like Haminu Draman, Matthew Amoah and Eric Addo looked totallu useless in all games they played at Angola 2010 and how so called inexperienced players like Isaac Vorsah, Lee Addy, Samuel Inkoom, Agyeman Badu, Opoku Agyeman, Andre Dede Ayew and the best if all, Kwadwo Asamoah excelled? So where lies the argument?

No one can convince me that a worn out player who lacks speed, agility etc. can perform at top standards just because he has experience. If you are experienced and you get tired within 15 minutes of a game, your passes don’t go through, all your free kicks are way way from the post, you can’t run, you can’t dribble successfully, then what benefit are you to a world cup team? For Christ sake let’s be serious in Ghana for once! We are not going to play Tahiti, Tonga or Samoa Islands in South Africa!

Unfortunately all the deficiencies , I mentioned in the foregoing chapter are things we have seen of Appiah in his recent outings for the Black Stars and it is as a result of the natural tendency to dip in form as age catches up with you and coupled especially by his lack of consistent football!
It is also not as if, we don’t have experience in our team to the extent that we need to fix Appiah at all cost. The Black Star on any day and at full strength be able to field at least 7 experienced and in form players- Richard Kingson (in form when he plays for the Stars not in Wigan but this is another topic for discussion, at least we saw him in Angola), John Paintsil, Harrison Afful/Adu Sarpei, John Mensah, Michael Essien, Anthony Annan and Asamoah Gyan. So obviously, our team does not lack experience as some would want to make it look! Appiah clearly has no place in the team!

If Ghana wants to do well at the World Cup then we can’t take chances with even 1 player! We need 23 in form, proven, strong, and tactically disciplined players in South Africa not even 22.5. We need 23! Fortunately, we don’t only need 23 but we can get 23 such players (and it would indeed be a headache for Milovan in picking from an abundance of such players). Indeed had FIFA required 30 players. We would have still gotten such players and Appiah would still have no justification of being in the team ad this is the truth we need to tell ourselves!

I have in my opinion more than 23 players who fit clearly the definition I have given in the previous chapter and have shortlisted them to 23 who I think have every single justification to be in South Africa. I would release it in due time. This piece was rushed because of the factors listed earlier, i.e, the machinations but obviously it is not only Appiah who has no justification for being in South Africa. A player like Eric Addo also has none! But let me keep my list for now!

Before I go though, let me advise Milovan Rajevac and the GFA.

For Milovan Rajevac, I believe that he is on his way to becoming the best foreign coach we have in our history arguably. I know that Milo has so far displayed some decisiveness when it comes to picking his team as was witnessed in Angola 2010. Milo has a choice to make obviously. Milo can choose to go to South Africa with our strongest best squad in terms of form and tactical discipline and if he tactics work again, it is very likely he would make history, make a name for himself and boost his renown and CV. On the other hand he can choose to go to South Africa without some of our best players (in terms of form and tactical discipline) and stick to players who are clearly out of form because of their name or some emotional attachments, in which case he would have to pray to be lucky even if he tactics work. But if he is not lucky ad we crash out, well I would be sad but my image would not be dented or affected as his.

The choice is his to make, he has a fantastic opportunity to make a great name- no one should ever forget throughout the World cup that the world wants to see an African team in the Semis (latter events would vindicate this statement).

To the GFA, they also have a choice to make. They can choose to stick to emotional attachments and do everything within their means to push out of form players, tactically indisciplined and disrespectful players into the squad. In that case they should also pray for luck before if we crash out it would have huge consequences on their administration. No one should forget that elections for the FA presidency and Executive Committee take place a few months after the World Cup. We should also not forget how certain dreamers and self anointed holier than thou saints in Ghana Football are ready to use partisan politics to boot out the Nyantekyi administration.

On the other hand they can choose to encourage the coach to pick the best squad possible. In that instance, even in the very unlikely case of a crash during the World Cup, many would acknowledge that we did everything humanely possible and the FA would not be blamed too much!

This is longer than I expected. I rest my case here. To Be Contd