Opinions of Monday, 30 October 2017

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

Has Kwabena Agyepong exhibited enough political maturity, remorsefulness needed for his reinstatement?

Kwabena Agyei Agyepong was suspended by the NPP. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong was suspended by the NPP.

Even though my appetite for political discourse has immensely waned owing to intuitive urge to pursue a different task that will be of a much better collective benefit to Ghanaians and etch my name in their hearts and minds, I will spare a moment to share my views on the latest news involving the suspended General Secretary of NPP, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong.

Some so-called friends, fans and supporters of Kwabena Agyepong, divisive and myopic as they usually are, have embarked on organising press conferences agitating for the reinstatement of Kwabena Agyepong as either the General Secretary of NPP or a member of NPP. Personally, I have nothing against their quest for his reinstatement but I have more to query about their idol, Kwabena Agyepong.

Has he exhibited sufficient level of political maturity, expressions of remorsefulness and readiness to re-join the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as either the General Secretary or an ordinary member as I am? I am afraid not!

Kwabena may be well educated. He may be rich and have connections but I can state without mincing words that he has an ego that is unbefitting of a person seriously aspiring to obtain political laurels.

Yes, he is my son by virtue of the Akan clanship where his biological father was an Agona same as me. Moreover, my family and his Dad’s family were so close and were more of brothers and sisters than mere friends hence addressing Kwabena as my son and offering him advice via the Ghana internet news portals. However, as obstinate as he is and dubiously entrenched in his own ways, he kept ignoring my fatherly truthful advice to him.

Mind him, wisdom is not the prerogative of the rich or the most well educated. As old age is not a repository of wisdom or grey hair an indication of wisdom, so does richness or attainment of higher education with the concomitant scary degrees not a mark of ones intelligence or wisdom.

What has he shown to portray to the NPP faithful and Ghanaians that he is ready to serve them honestly? Is he behind, and goading, those claiming to be his fans who are organising press conferences requesting for his reinstatement? What are his reasons for demanding his reinstatement? Has he made any official approach, either verbal or written adducing the reasons for his reinstatement?

I remember very well placing a publication on Ghanaweb and Modernghana advising him to join the 2016 presidential and parliamentary campaign when the going got tough. He ignored me. If he had thrown his full weight behind the campaign as did Mr Alan Kwadwo Kyeremateng, alias Alan Cash, nobody would today be having any qualms about his requisition for reinstatement, even though he could have been a mastermind and/or orchestrator of the rumoured “Agenda 2020”. He could even have landed a Ministerial appointment if he had done exactly as I suggested to him.

Yes, he might have secretly supported NPP financially to win some swing constituencies; however, that was not enough. His presence on the ground doing effective campaigning could have endeared him more to many a Ghanaian that felt offended by his initially perceived acts of sabotage meant to cost NPP and Nana Akufo-Addo victory in 2016. Nonetheless, as what is written is written with man proposing but God disposing, what God had said about his servant Nana Akufo-Addo came to pass.

If Kwabena were remorseful, he would not tolerate any aggressive methods of press conferences and issuance of threats by his fans to going about his desire for comeback into the NPP fold. He would write an apologetic letter stating his regrets and requesting for his acceptance back, to the NPP National Executive Council. This approach will be the best way forward by anyone showing sense of political maturity and remorse for their already committed acts of condemnatory sabotages against their political party and people.

Being older than Kwabena by age and doubling as his father by extension of my Agona clan and brotherly close friendship with his father’s late nephew Kwame Nyame (Emmanuel Marfo) of blessed memory, let me recount the following true story in case he might learn something better from it for his future guidance.

Once in Kumawu, the then topmost rich people met to discuss an important issue with the motive of finding the way forward. They are all dead by now anyway. They were Messrs B. A. Mensah, Kwadwo Bannor, Kwame Kodua, Aboagye, Kwame Antoh alias Oh Yes, etc. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was one poor man who happened to be in the meeting. He was one Opanin Mensah, the uncle of Mr Bannor and the oldest among all those present in the meeting.

Opanin Mensah had his house between that of the late Master Koo Ani Akyire and Mr Larbi. A public pipe (tap) was right in front of his house and he had a daughter, Akua Saah, who happened to be the tallest female at the Kumawu Presbyterian Middle school in those days.

Back to the story, at a point in the meeting, Mr Mensah stood on his feet to make a contribution. Barely had he made his suggestion or put across his contribution when Mr Bannor was alleged to have shouted at him to sit down saying, “It is rich people that have met here to discuss an issue but not poor people. Therefore, you have no right to talk. Sit down!” The old man had to sit down. However, Mr Kwame Kodua was said to have stood up and said, what Opanin Mensah had said made sense. He was seconded by all the other rich people. They agreed that what the poor old man had said was the answer to the way forward they were seeking and hence adopted it.

This brief narration is to convey to the attention of Kwabena Agyepong that it is better to listen to wise admonition from others regardless of how poor, young or old, or less educated they may be. Their advice may hold the key to unlocking the solution you may be seeking.

Until Kwabena goes through the proper channels with the show of honest remorse and convincing level of political maturity, he should not be reinstated to his post of General Secretary as sought by his fans. We should not be compelled to revisit that dangerous era of Agenda 2020 by whomever.

I shall fight in Kwabena’s corner if I saw that he has indeed regretted his diabolic Agenda 2020 intents; reined in his fans agitating for his reinstatement and gone about things in a politically-matured manner. Until them, let him wallow in political dungeon.


By: Rockson Adofo