I had the occasion to talk about choice and its consequences in this column. I’m revisiting the topic once again because there is no over-flogging an important issue. For it is said that the blacksmith always hits hard on the part of the iron that he wants to mould.
There comes a time in a man’s life when he is faced with the difficulty of choosing among many alternatives. Whatever choice he makes has its advantages and disadvantages. In making his choice, he should be prepared to live with the consequences of his action. Blessed, therefore, is he who makes a good choice; and misery becomes the lot of he who makes a wrong choice.
There is this beautiful damsel who had the onerous duty of choosing between two handsome men. One is sweet-tongued. He promised her heaven on earth, claiming he was as pious as Yesu Kristo himself. He also pledged to shower love on her to prove he cared for her. His mantra anytime he visited the beautiful damsel was ‘I care for you’.
Being very honest, the other gentleman tried as much as possible to paint a very true picture for her. He told her life was not a bed of roses so she should not allow herself to be fooled by the sweet words being whispered into her ears. He however promised to do everything in his power to make life comfortable for her.
Oblivious of the fact that one of the gentlemen was only singing the tune she wanted to hear, the beautiful lady did not even ponder over it before making her choice. The sweet promises hoodwinked her into choosing the sweet-tongued chap over the honest bloke. The two love birds hugged and kissed as the loser walked miserably back home to lick his wounds.
Three years on and the beautiful damsel is yet to see any of the goodies promised her. The sweet promises have all turned into bitter realities. Indeed, the man who promised her heaven on earth has now made life a living hell for her; and the once beautiful lady who was the cynosure of all eyes is now a pale shadow of herself.
I know this is a puzzle that would not be difficult to decipher because we are all privy to past and recent happenings in this beautiful country. The lady in question is the Asomdwekromanian electorate, while the two gentlemen are Agya Ofuntuo and Nana Addo.
If you recall, when Asomdwekromanians were given the option of choosing between Nana Addo and Agya Ofuntuo in December 2008, all manner of promises were made by the ‘I Care For You’ man. He promised to reduce fuel prices drastically, fight corruption and make life very comfortable for me and my compatriots.
Some of us told our compatriots to be wary of all those promises because it was a ploy to hoodwink them into voting him into power. They ignored our wise counsel and voted for him and his party. Three years on and he is really showing them his special kind of care. Only the greedy bastards are feeling his ‘better Asomdwekrom’ agenda.
Everywhere I go, I hear my kinsmen complain about how difficult things have become since Agya Ofuntuo took over the reins of government some 38 moons ago. I hear them express shock at the rising cost of goods and services in the country. They also complain bitterly about how the cedi is galloping like a mad horse against the dollar.
Abusuapanin, I know theirs is a genuine cry because I’m myself reeling under serious economic pressure. I sympathize with them because I feel the financial pinch too. I can no longer afford to pay my ward’s school fees; neither can I afford two balls of my favourite kenkey because it has now shrunk in size. Progress on the small house I’m putting up to house my family has stagnated because I cannot afford to buy a bag of cement which now costs GH¢15, more than half the price when Agya Ofuntuo took over.
I feel the pinch just as most of my compatriots do, but I mostly do not complain because I know we are only reaping the fruits of what we sowed on December 28, 2008, during the run-off.
We therefore have no option but continue savouring the ‘I care for you’ dish Agya Ofuntuo is serving us until December 7, 2012. After all, that is the consequence of the decision we willingly took. Like the proverbial fly that did not heed good counsel, we have followed the corpse into the tomb. So we are compelled to have a feel of the sweetness or otherwise of the tomb that we have so chosen.
It is in the light of the above that I entreat my kith and kin to be steadfast and savour any dish that they would be served by the ‘I care for you’ president. I can promise them one thing; more ‘caring’ and ‘appetizing’ dishes would be served them before December 2012. The recent drastic increase in utility prices is just the tip of the iceberg. Wasting state cowries on hampers and splashing cowries on cronies in the name of judgment debts are also ample proof that corruption has become the order of the day.
Nevertheless, it is my conviction that my compatriots have learnt a valuable lesson from their previous mistake and would be more discerning on December 7, 2012. I know for sure that when someone comes knocking at their door, claiming he cares for them, they will ask whether it is the Agya Ofuntuo-type of care. If it is, I know they will give him a Kung Fu kick because they’ve had enough of that.
We are told in basic Economics that ‘choice’ and ‘opportunity cost’ are closely related. Choice is choosing from many alternatives and opportunity cost is the cost of the alternatives not chosen. Simply, one cannot eat his cake and expect to have it.
See you next week!
