The story is told of a young man who applied for a job in a company. The Human Resource Officer (HRO) of the company invited him for an interview and the following ensued:HRO : What is your name?
Mike : MP sir
HRO : In full please
Mike : Michael Peprah
HRO : Your father’s name?
Mike : MP sir
HRO : What does that mean?
Mike : Mensah Peprah
HRO: Your home town?
Mike : MP sir
HRO : What’s that?
Mike : Mampong Pataasi
HRO: What is your qualification?
Mike : MP
HRO : (Angry) what is that?
Mike : Mathematics Professor
HRO : So why do you need a job?
Mike : It is because of MP sir
HRO: Meaning?
Mike : Money Problems
HRO: Would you explain yourself and stop wasting my time? What’s your personality like?
Mike : MP sir
HRO : And what is that?
Mike : Marvelous Personality
HRO : I see, I will get back to you
Mike : Sir, how was my MP sir?
HRO : And what’s that again?
Mike : My Performance
HRO : I think you have an MP
Mike : Meaning?
HRO : Mental Problem!
Folks, on a more serious note I’m very much worried about the way some prominent citizens of this land lie, especially those that claim to be religious. Truthfulness is one of the pillars on which the moral survival of the world depends; and lying is one of the most evil characteristics, of which all religions and systems of ethics warn against and which man’s innate common sense agrees that it is wrong.
The Quran and Sunnah see lying as haram, and it is believed that the liar will have bad consequences in this world and in the next. And cover not Truth with falsehood, nor conceal the Truth when ye know (what it is). (YA, al-Baqarah 2:42). According to the Quran it is only those who believe not in the Ayah (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.) of Allah, who fabricate falsehood, and it is they who are liars.
Someone who professes to be a staunch Muslim has gone against this belief and I think the Chief Imam must know about it.
At a press conference organised by Alhaji Dr. Opanaba in response to the recent budget read by the Finance Minister, many lies were told. I’ll borrow some points from an analysis made by the chairman of the NDC New York Branch, Comrade Moses K. Mensah on the issue.
According to Alhaji Opanaba, the NDC government’s economic performance is a “record of monumental waste of an historic opportunity to transform the economy”. He says comparisons between NPP economic track record and NDC’s is proof of his claims. He presented that in 2001 under NPP, GDP growth was 4.3% in 2002, 4.5% in 2003, 5.3% in 2004, 5.7% in 2005, 5.9%, 6.6% in 2006 and 8.4% in 2007. This according to him is a steady growth and it occurred without revenue from oil.
He further stated that under the NPP, the total value of the economy grew from 5.1billion dollars to 28.5bn dollars, representing 500% growth even in the face of a global economic crisis in 2007. Ghana was transformed from a low income to a middle-income economy under NPP, according to Dr. Alhaji Opanaba, and he said under the NDC government, the economy grew by 7.4% in 2009, 8.8% in 2012, 8.8% in 2014, and further went down to 4.1%. 2015 provisional figures put growth at 4.1%.
Interestingly, the real GDP growth from 2001 – 2013 according to IMF World Bank Economic Outlook database for October, 2014 is shamefully different from what Opanaba has churned out. The GDP growth rate for 2011 was a whopping 15%, but Opanaba left that out of his analysis, I think for mischievous reasons.
Now check this: real GDP growth under NPP and NDC (source: IMF, World Bank).
Under NPP Under NDC
—————— ———————-
● 2001 – 4.3%— 2009 – 7.4% ( the great recession)
● 2002 – 4.5% —2010 —8.0%
● 2003 – 5.3% —2011 – 15%( missing from Bawumia’s analysis)
● 2004 – 5.6% —2012 – 8.8%
● 2005 – 5.9% —2013 – 7.10%
● 2006 – 6.1% —–2014 – 4.5%
● 2007 – 6.5% —-2015 – 7.4% (IMF provisional growth rate)
● 2008 – 8.4% —-2016 —?
Chai, do you get the picture? Do you see the difference? Do you see the lie? And funny enough the 3.5 billion dollars HIPC money obtained by the NPP could not help them.
Kikikikikiki, is it also true that Dr. Opanaba said Farmers’ Day was Thursday 3rd December instead of Friday 4th December? Friends, I want to be fair with Doc, let me call him and find out from him.
Phone ringing:
Doc: Hello
Me: Hello, please am I speaking to Alhaji Dr. Opanaba?
Doc: Speaking
Me: Doc, please is it true you said Farmers Day was 3rd December?
Doc: That was an MP
Me: Sir, please what do you mean by MP? Hello, hello, oops, I’ve lost him.
Hehehehehe, whatever the case may be, all-lie-be-lie which is against the Islamic faith, and I think the Chief Imam must hear it.
Anthony Obeng Afrane
