[male
vocals] (
Drums:
heavy
one-drop
rhythm,
Hammond
organ
swell)
[INTRO — NYABINGHI DRUM / SOFT ORGAN] Whoa-oh...
January 2017...
A
new
President
stood
before
Ghana
and
made
a
solemn
promise: "
I
shall
protect
the
public
purse..."
Protect
the
public
purse?
CROWD:
PROTECT
IT!
LEAD:
Public
money?
CROWD:
PROTECT
IT!
LEAD:
State
coffers?
CROWD:
BELONG
TO
THE
PEOPLE!
[BASS DROPS] Eight
years
later...
CROWD:
LET
THE
RECORD
SPEAK!
[CHORUS] Promises!
Promises!
Ghana
remembers!
Yesterday's
words,
today's
questions!
Promises!
Promises!
Ghana
remembers!
Protect
the
public
purse!
CROWD:
WHO
PROTECTED
THE
PURSE?
LEAD:
Truth!
CROWD:
MUST
COME
TO
LIGHT!
[VERSE 1 — FAMILY AND FRIENDS] They
once
accused
Mahama: "
Family
and
friends
government!"
Mahama
answered:
Joyce
Bawa
Mogtari
is
my
cousin,
but
where
are
the
others?
Then
government
changed...
And
opposition
came
with
a
list—
Fifty-one
names,
they
called
relatives
and
cronies!
Government
said:
NO!
Qualified
Ghanaians!
LEAD:
Family
and
friends?
CROWD:
WHO
IS
COUNTING?
LEAD:
Yesterday's
accusation—
CROWD:
TODAY'S
QUESTION!
LEAD:
Who
remembers?
CROWD:
GHANA
REMEMBERS!
[VERSE 2 — CEDI] Then
the
cedi
was
running...
They
said:
WE
HAVE
ARRESTED
IT!
LEAD:
Arrested?
CROWD:
ARRESTED!
LEAD:
Who
has
the
keys?
CROWD:
THE
I-G-P!
Peeeeee!
Peeeeee!
Lock
the
cell!
But
time
moved
on...
And
an
old
economic
warning
came
back
again: "
If
the
fundamentals
are
weak,
the
exchange
rate
will
expose
you."
LEAD:
So
who
opened
the
cell?
CROWD:
ASK
THE
FUNDAMENTALS!
LEAD:
Where
are
the
keys?
CROWD:
ASK
THE
I-G-P!
No
hiding
from
the
numbers!
CROWD:
GHANA
REMEMBERS!
[SHORT CHORUS] Promises!
Promises!
Ghana
remembers!
Yesterday's
words,
today's
questions!
Protect
the
public
purse!
CROWD:
WHO
PROTECTED
THE
PURSE?
[VERSE 3 — GALAMSEY] Then
came
galamsey...
The
President
declared: "
I
will
put
my
presidency
on
the
line!"
CROWD:
ON
THE
LINE!
Excavators
were
seized...
Then
came
controversy
over
those
that
could
not
be
accounted
for.
LEAD:
Excavators!
CROWD:
WHERE
DID
THEY
GO?
Then
that
recorded
conversation... "
Party
hia
sika!"
CROWD:
THE
PARTY
NEEDS
MONEY!
Then
Akonta
Mining.
Minerals
Commission
said:
NO
MINERAL
RIGHT
TO
MINE
IN
TANO
NIMIRI
FOREST
RESERVE!
But
in
January 2023,
the
President
said
Akonta
Mining
was
not
engaged
in
illegal
mining
anywhere
in
Ghana
as
they
spoke.
LEAD:
Presidency
on
the
line!
CROWD:
GHANA
REMEMBERS!
LEAD:
Truth
must
come—
CROWD:
TO
LIGHT!
[VERSE 4 — FLIGHTS / PDS] Protect
the
public
purse!
Then
another
controversy
took
flight...
Ghana
had
a
presidential
jet.
Ablakwa
questioned
the
use
and
cost
of
chartered
aircraft
and
published
his
estimates.
Government
confirmed
official
travel
was
paid
through
National
Security
operational
funds.
LEAD:
How
much?
CROWD:
SHOW
US
THE
FIGURES!
Then
came
P-D-S...
The
concession
collapsed.
MCC
said—
ONE
HUNDRED
AND
NINETY
MILLION
DOLLARS—
CROWD:
NO
LONGER
AVAILABLE
TO
GHANA!
LEAD:
Public
purse!
CROWD:
ACCOUNT
FOR
IT!
[VERSE 5 — AIRTELTIGO] Then
AirtelTigo...
ONE
DOLLAR!
LEAD:
How
much?
CROWD:
ONE
DOLLAR!
LEAD:
For
one
hundred
percent
of
the
shares?
CROWD:
ONE
DOLLAR!
But
the
transfer
also
included:
Customers...
Assets...
And
agreed
liabilities.
Years
later,
Communications
Minister
Sam
George
said
the
company
still
had
more
than
two
hundred
million
dollars
in
debt—
and
was
losing
around
twenty
million
cedis
a
month.
LEAD:
One
dollar
for
the
shares—
CROWD:
BUT
WHAT
WAS
THE
TOTAL
BURDEN?
LEAD:
Tell
the
people!
CROWD:
SHOW
THE
WHOLE
ACCOUNT!
[BRIDGE] My
brother...
My
sister...
Campaign
microphone
can
make
a
promise.
But
government
must
keep
the
record.
Contracts...
Expenditure...
Decisions...
Public
money...
When
you
say: "
I
shall
protect
the
public
purse..."
The
people
may
ask:
What
entered?
What
left?
Who
authorised
it?
What
did
Ghana
receive?
No
hatred...
No
violence...
Just
accountability.
Because
the
public
purse—
CROWD:
BELONGS
TO
THE
PEOPLE!
[FINAL CHORUS] Promises!
Promises!
Ghana
remembers!
The
cedi
was
arrested—
CROWD:
WHO
HAD
THE
KEYS?
Galamsey—
CROWD:
PRESIDENCY
ON
THE
LINE!
Chartered
flights—
CROWD:
SHOW
US
THE
FIGURES!
P-D-S—
CROWD:
ONE-NINETY
MILLION!
AirtelTigo—
CROWD:
ONE
DOLLAR
FOR
THE
SHARES!
LEAD:
But
what
was
the
burden?
CROWD:
CHECK
THE
RECORD!
Promises!
Promises!
Ghana
remembers!
Yesterday's
words
will
meet
today's
record!
LEAD:
Public
money!
CROWD:
ACCOUNT
FOR
IT!
LEAD:
Truth!
CROWD:
MUST
COME
TO
LIGHT!
LEAD:
Who
remembers?
CROWD:
GHANA
REMEMBERS!
[OUTRO — DUB ECHO] Whoa-oh...
Promises...
Promises...
Campaign
microphone
may
forget...
But
history
keeps
records.
The
people
remember...
The
documents
remember...
The
figures
remember...
And
Ghana—
CROWD:
GHANA
REMEMBERS!
LEAD:
Forward
with
truth!
CROWD:
FORWARD
WITH
ACCOUNTABILITY!
Promises...
Promises...
Peeeeee!
Peeeeee! [
HORN
ECHO /
FADE]