OPINION: IMANI Africa et al are not think tanks, but mercenaries

Think tanks and civil society organisations are purposed to bring out ideas, propose alternative solutions to existing challenges, and unearth acts that affect the well-being of the nation, among other responsibilities.

In present-day Ghana, think tanks and civil society organisations have navigated far away from these stated functions and concentrated on matters that serve their interests.

Now, our think tanks are set up mostly to oppose the Electoral Commission and any policy initiative that the government intends to implement.

Let us look at IMANI Africa. They tend to remain relevant with their stiff opposition to the Electoral Commission in everything the Commission does.

IMANI Africa stoically attacks the EC and fabricates stories, and when the same is disputed with incontrovertible facts, these people come back with all manner of voodoo analyses and pronouncements that seek to make them right and the EC wrong.

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In the run-up to the 2020 elections, these people came up with a queuing theory that proved to be ineffective as much as they were impractical. Their theory was defeated by the EC’s strategy for the registration exercise.

They invented another lie: this time around, they accused Jean Mensa of having breached procurement laws. The claim turned out to be false.

They threw their support behind John Mahama when he petitioned the Supreme Court over rigging allegations without supporting the claims with evidence. The case was described by the Supreme Court as lacking in merit and frivolous and consequently was thrown out for lack of evidence. These IMANI people were pained by the court’s ruling. “The Unanimous 7” was their coinage.

They have spared no opportunity to go after Jean Mensa. They have reincarnated their botched procurement breaches. They have found themselves gleefully accusing the EC over the disposal of obsolete biometric gadgets, saying the sale of these machines as scrap was opaquely done. The EC has clarified the matter, yet still they perpetuate this ridiculous narrative.

Now, they are on to SML. They simply do not want to accept the fact that SML is not tainted by any corrupt practices, as they have been alleging. KPMG has finished with its job and these people believe the reputable auditing firm was compromised and, therefore, they are ready to do the auditing themselves.

As far as these people are concerned, they never get anything wrong. They are always wrong, even if data and facts are adduced to make nonsense of their claims.

They are not think tanks. These entities are blood-sucking mercenaries who go after entities that do not give them sumptuous contracts. It’s all about interest.

The writer is P K Sarpong of “Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place“.

Reporting by Wilberforce Asare in Accra

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