Opinions of Saturday, 2 July 2016
Columnist: Adofo, Rockson
From my long distance telephone calls to Ghana on Tuesday 28th June 2016, I was able to establish from extremely reliable sources that President Mahama’s “Accounting to the People Tour” as took place in the Sekyere East constituencies was a complete disaster. He was booed and jeered at by the audience, especially, by those who had lined up by the roadside to catch a glimpse of him.
Their action was an expression of their anger at how he has by his purposeful actions, commissions and omissions, forced them to battle with unprecedented economic hardships that have rendered their very existence meaningless, on a daily basis.
Why should they applaud a President who has ruined their lives and tarnished the image of Ghana through his deliberate acts of corruption, obvious practice of sanctioned tribalism, selective justice and politicisation of the country’s security forces where the poor and those outside NDC have no justice?
Having said this, some people outside the Sekyere Constituencies (Kumawu, Asokore & Effiduase etc.) hold the opinion that the booing and jeering at the President and his entourage by the baying crowd was uncalled for. To these critics, “he is after all our President”, they say with shameless pride.
Yes, he is our President so WHAT? Why should people be that hypocritical? If someone is an elderly, a President or a traditional Overlord e.g. President Mahama, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and they do not respect themselves, does one have to obligatorily venerate them simply by virtue of their age or elevated status in society? I deplore this nonsensical view by those who hold on to them.
It is because of our hypocrisy, failure to tell the truth when it is needed, that Ghana is bleeding with Ghanaians suffering.
Here is a President who has unrepentantly been destroying Ghana through his inimical fondness for corruption; rewarding the thieves in his government and presidential staffers with elevated posts when they should rather be facing the sack. Here is a President who has overtly been charting the course of divide and rule, putting the interests of a few members within his NDC party, his family members and cronies, above the general good of the entire Ghanaian population. Here is a President who does not respect the position given to him to serve the people but thinks he has the unbridled prerogative to use the nation’s resources anyhow he wants because they are presumptively his.
Let the suffering Ghanaian masses relieve themselves of their anger by hooting at the President if only that is the appropriate way of soothing their economic pain temporarily while waiting to boot him out of power using their thumbs come election 2016.
How best could they have registered their dissatisfaction with the way the most incompetent, clueless and corrupt “Yen ntie obiaa” President is running the country other than the action they took? I am 100% supportive of them provided it sent the right signal and message to him that come what may, he will be a goner come election 2016.
Are Ghanaians not fed up with the way he is mismanaging the affairs of the country to their detriment?
I am sorry to say it is only a fool who will continue to prostrate to, or kowtow to, a President or a traditional ruler who does neither respect them nor the rules that created and continue to regulate their office.
Who in his right mind will respect the supposedly “Asante Overlord” (the best buddy of “President Ede bii keke”), who reaps from where he has not sown and causes needless problems all over Asanteman? Some will, because tradition and custom demands that but I won’t, knowing very well that respect is earned but not commanded.
More grease to the elbows of the people of Sekyere area for a job well done!!!
Rockson Adofo
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