Opinions of Monday, 22 December 2014

Columnist: Newton-Offei, Justice Abeeku

A solidarity message is not conterminous with praise-singing

In his message to followers of NDC at their party’s 8th national delegates’ conference at the Baba Yara Sports stadium in the Ashante regional capital,Kumasi,over the weekend,, the General Secretary of New Patriotic Party, Mr. Kwabena Agyeii Agyepong took the opportunity to admonish the two biggest political parties in Ghana that, “the level and quality of discourse and interaction between the two parties in particular and with other political parties in general should be guided by a deep sense of maturity and nationalism. Sadly, to the contrary, recent happenings in the country have brought about despair, despondency and with it, a crisis of confidence in politicians and political authority. Our media landscape has been inundated with the use of intemperate language, propaganda, insults, and pure lies which serve only to poison the political atmosphere”.

He further opined that “We cannot continue down this road and scare good people away from the opportunity to serve our country in dignity. As politicians, we have a duty to lead by example by upholding and respecting the virtues and values of society. Tolerance, decency and discipline must guide the way we interact with each other. As leaders, we have to blaze a path worth emulating by celebrating our diversity, restoring hope and also demonstrating a high sense of maturity in order to restore confidence and trust the good people of our dear nation will have in democratic governance”

Mr. Agyepong was therefore hopeful that the delegates of NDC “will elect a leadership that will ensure that the discourse between our two political parties will be elevated beyond needless propaganda, outright lies, pure insults and total disrespect, and rather hold aloft the beauty of our Ghanaian cultural values that put premium on decency,respect,truth and fellow-feeling”

Now, a solidarity message is not conterminous with unbridled praise-singing so these NDC people, including the president, that obviously lack appreciation of english grammar and therefore shamelessly insulting Ivor Kobina Greenstreet,a highly accomplished legal luminary, and rather showering unprecedented beautiful accolades on Madam Akua Donkor,should better educate themselves and cut-out the crass ignorantly ignorant ignorance.
And to you, President John Dramani Mahama, my very humble piece of advice shall be; you are the leader of over 25million Ghanaians who have diverse needs and expectations, and also, remember that you are human and therefore very much fallible.
Indeed, some self-seeking individuals virtually took the late President Atta-Mills ‘hostage’, rapidly poured pure verbal venom on anybody who expressed divergent opinion and pretended they were ready to even die in his place, yet, his body was allegedly taken to the 37-military hospital without the company of even his aide-camp. And by some divine intervention, Yaw Boateng-Gyan, the just defeated NDC national organizer recently shed a bit of light on this mysteriously mysterious mystery which a Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo presidency wouldn't hesitate delving into to unravel.
Consequently, Mr. president, your characteristic brazen arrogant posture and rapidly rapid rapidity with which you always respond to pertinent concerns raised by citizens of this nation, whom you erroneously consider as political foes and therefore describe in very derogative terms (BALONEY, FOOLISH, SELECTIVE MYOPIA, YENTIE OBIAA etc), is very much uncharacteristic of a head of state that is expected to rather conduct himself in dignified dignify dignity and with utmost candour.
Unquestionably, times are extremely difficult for ordinary Ghanaians and I believe it is only fair that their legitimate concerns are given an attentively attentive ear and certainly not this kind of scathing attacks by these over-exuberant government propagandists with enormously enormous enormity of over-bloated egos, a classically classical classic example is Samuel George Nartey who shamelessly mocked Mr. Ivor Grrenstreet’s physical disability. So Mr President, please check yourself so that you can master the moral authority to stop your followers from doing same.

Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei
(Media liaison)
Office of the General Secretary
New Patriotic Party
E-mail: justnoff@yahoo.com