Lecturer at the political science department at the University of Ghana, Prof. Yaw Gyampo has told Dr. Kpessah Whyte that he does not fear bootlickers.

Dr. Kpessah Whyte in responding to Prof. Gyampoh’s response to President Mahama’s recent comments about the declining patriotism among Ghanaians called on the Professor to tell the world his contribution as a lecturer to make his present and past students patriotic.

“I happen to be located on both ends of the axis by my recent experience in public service, and I get surprised when Ghanaians especially those expected to know better assume that our politicians come from another planet. My friend Gyampo should tell us his own contributions as lecturer to making his past or present students patriotic.”

He described the analysis of the Professor as a serial caller analysis adding that “We must be glad that this kind of serial caller approach to public discussions characteristic of my good friend does not reflect the fine and celebrated scholarship for which Legon and the many fine collection of academics and intellectuals there are known for”.

But in a reply to Dr. Kpesah whyte, Prof. Gyampo said ” you seem to take offense anytime I criticize those you bootlick. Remember it all started when I criticized the late Prof Mills. But what you still haven’t found about me is that I don’t fear those you bootlick, let alone your good self.

I will keep on firing my mind at all times and you are free to respond at anytime. But when you do, please lift the bar a little by offering superior argument, not the argumentum ad hominem fallacies you commit in your responses”.

On whether the Professor had contributed to instilling patriotism in the hearts of his present and past students, the Head of Political Science department at the University of Ghana said “With regards to what I am doing to instill patriotism among students, I would respectfully urge Kpessa Whyte to come and sit in my Level 300 class on Governance and Leadership to be abreast with what I tell my students. Indeed, just this week I reiterated my call on my students as future leaders to put into practice what they are learning from me”.

READ PROF. Gyampo’s reply here

Prof. Yaw Gyampo writes:
I have read the attacks of this boy called Kpessa-Whyte and I have decided not to respond in the manner I wanted to. I will briefly summarize my epistle I earlier wrote to him.

1. I offered a classical definition for Patriotism yesterday in my interview with Citi Fm.

2. Any serious minded academic who goes by that definition would appreciate the truism that patriotism is dead in Ghana and no one seem to want to die for the country.

3. In my interview, I identified the mechanisms for instilling patriotism. They include civic education, and exemplary political leadership.

4. It is a truism that we have severe deficits of civic education and exemplary leadership in promoting patriotism in Ghana.

5. Exemplary leadership as a tool for instilling patriotism inter alia, manifests in passionate speeches that calls on citizens to give their best and to die for their country. It also manifests in the modest attitude of leaders.

It manifests in the sacrifices leaders make just for the sake of their nation, including halving salaries, refusing to take per diems and other allowances in a poor country. It manifests in a leader’s willingness to affiliate with ordinary people and joining them to clean choked gutters like Jerry Rawlings used to do. It manifests in willingness to save money and not incurring huge costs for the nation.

6. These and other tangible manifestations charges people emotionally and make them willing to also die a little for the country. These manifestations would make people voluntarily willing to be posted into rural villages just to undertake their National Service.

7. Kpessa Whyte may have forgotten that at least on two occasions in Ghana’s political history, university students, without being forced, abandoned their studies and went into the hinterlands to carry lock up cocoa beans and also harvest sugar cane for processing.

8. This is what we call patriotism, a spirit lacking these days. Rawlings did his best to instill this among many young people. But I insist John Mahama, though affable and obviously a pleasant personality, could not do much in this area.

9. This is my position. I won’t change it just because of Kpessa Whyte’s insults. I expected him to challenged my views by offering superior argument.

10. With regards to what I am doing to instill patriotism among students, I would respectfully urge Kpessa Whyte to come and sit in my Level 300 class on Governance and Leadership to be abreast with what I tell my students. Indeed, just this week I reiterated my call on my students as future leaders to put into practice what they are learning from me.

11. I will keep making this appeal passionately in the hope that they would abide by them after school. I am certain that after school, they would not abandon what they have been taught just because of Political appointment.

12. You initially paraded yourself as an independent scholar. I was particularly elated when you were given an appointment to serve in the administration of JDM. But you suddenly sacrificed your objectivity and couldn’t help sanitize our politics. Your attempt to draft fresh graduates as traffic wardens could not promote patriotism because it was not properly thought through. To say the least, it was jaundiced.

13. As to what gives academic fame, I agree with you that it doesn’t come as a result of serial calling analysis. You insinuated that my analysis were like a serial caller. That’s your opinion. As an academic, I know the more one climbs higher the ladder of academic progression, the more one gets to know he knows nothing. So, forgive me if you think my analysis are like a serial caller. I am still learning. But if you have time, kindly “google-scholar” me to see my serial calling research outputs and where they have been published.

14. Finally, you seem to take offense anytime I criticize those you bootlick. Remember it all started when I criticized the late Prof Mills. But what you still haven’t found about me is that I don’t fear those you bootlick, let alone your good self. I will keep on firing my mind at all times and you are free to respond at anytime. But when you do, please lift the bar a little by offering superior argument, not the argumentum ad hominem fallacies you commit in your responses.

Cheers

Yaw Gyampo
Prabiw, A31
PAV Ansah Street
Saltpond