As a small boy growing up in Soin a suburb in Bolgatanga in the mid 1980´s, Nyo as we all used to call him was full of life, jovial and very active.

It was no surprise to me and my siblings who grew up with Nyo, to learn that he went into politics.

This is because our grand fathers; Simon Diedong Dombo (SD Dombo) who is my maternal grandfather and Naa Abeifaa Karbo , Anthony´s grandfather were all politicians .

Coincidentally Anthony´s father, the present Chief of the Lawra traditional area and my mother are first cousins.

And Anthony happened to be my two years junior at St. Charles Minor Seminary, Tamale.

Yet with all this history between us, I sometimes diverge in common reason with Anthony, although I have never called to tell him.

The last time I called Anthony was sometime back in 2010, when I called to congratulate him for winning the NPP youth organizer position.

Anthony was so grateful for my call and encouraged me to give a thought to the idea of joining the political band wagon, since our grandfathers all had a stint with politics .Anthony however stopped short by not suggesting any political party to me, which I think was a matured thing to do.

Today Anthony is in the news, although he has always been in the news.

This time for engaging in a street fight. I have watched the video over and over and I did not see at what point Anthony was engaged in a physical scuffle, but for the gesturing with his hands whilst walking away and also seen around people having a heated argument.

I beg to admonish with no party coloration that Anthony Abeifaa Karbo should be mentored and not criticized. Anthony should be groomed to move away from party politicking life that is when his party was in opposition, to a ministerial life, because now his party is governing and for God sakes he is a deputy minister. Any action or act of Anthony will be news.

It was news when he Anthony was seen joining the line to buy porridge ´koko´ on his way to parliament and that was positive media coverage for him.

Today he is seen in a bad light because loitered around where there was a scuffle. Now Anthony is defending himself by saying that he was defending or protecting his minister from attack. Yet people do not see it that way.

My friend and brother Nyo, please be careful in this day and age , because any mobile phone or device is equipped with a voice recorder and a camera and someone is always videoing or recording something, and will put it out there and you will find it difficult to defend yourself when the damage is already done.

Please let’s not kill the boy´s spirit by criticizing him. Let’s groom him, advice him talk to him and teach him how to conduct himself because today he is a deputy minister and must comport as such.

I will leave my readers and young politicians like my brother Nyo with an advice from Kenny Rogers song entitled; The Gambler .

In some of the lyrics in the Gambler´s song , and I will paraphrase, if you got to play the game boy , you got to play them right, you got to know when to hold them, know when to fold them, knowing when to walk away , knowing when to run, you never count your money sitting at the table, there will be time enough for counting when the deal is done, now every gambler knows the secret to surviving , knowing what to throw away and knowing what to keep…… sing along.

So Anthony know when to walk away when there is a scuffle, because cameras and recording gadgets rolling all over.

Philip Guribie Jnr
philip.guribie@yahoo.fr

Philip D. Guribie Jnr International Business Development Manager ZOOMLION Ghana Ltd PO Box PMB 117 Medina Accra philip.guribie@yahoo.fr Mob: 00233546140410