By K. Badu

A few months ago, I recounted how I rejected my maternal uncle’s appeal for some help towards the payment of his children school fees.

Apparently, the punitive decision was based on the fact that my maternal uncle bizarrely rejected Nana Addo’s 2012 free SHS campaign message and strangely went ahead and voted against such an expedient policy.

To be quite honest, back then, I never thought I violated any accepted moral standards for turning down my uncle’s passionate appeal for help to pay for his children school fees.

But funny enough, my aggrieved uncle had an impertinent boldness and lodged a complaint with my mother for turning my back on his informal fund raising appeal towards the payment of his children school fees.

So, in her attempt to resolve the simmering dissonance between my uncle and me, my mother arranged a crisis meeting.

It was during the meeting that I informed my mother that my decision was based on the fact that her brother needlessly refused to accept the offer of free SHS by Nana Addo during the 2012 electioneering campaign.

“Well, but your uncle has never voted for NPP”, my mother retorted.

“Oh, so even if NPP came up with an advantageous policy that could be beneficial to him, he must still turn his back on such a policy because of unbridled devoted attachment?” I quizzed.

I proceeded: “Where is the justification for your brother to turn down such a handsome offer of free ‘SHS?”

My uncle then responded: “But where was the evidence that NPP was going to implement the free SHS policy?”

“You don’t have to look far for the evidence uncle”, I responded.

I continued: “Didn’t the previous NPP government deliver on its campaign promises by introducing social interventions such as the free Maternal Care, the School Feeding Programme, the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Mass Transport System, the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the National Youth Employment Programme, now known as GYEDA, and many other social interventions?”

“Well, my nephew, I think you are making sense but there is nothing we could do over the spilt milk”, my uncle responded.

“You are right to some extent uncle, but we could put it right going forward”, I retorted.

“For we should not and must not ever vote on narrow party lines, but we must rather vote according to campaign messages, competence, experience, ability, skills, knowledge and the integrity of the candidates”.

“Well, my son, your uncle has obviously simmered down and shown remorse, so go ahead and pay for his children school fees”, my mother proposed.

“It is too late mum; I would not be able to pay for his children school fees as I have other equally important responsibilities”, I replied.

I nonetheless continued by beseeching all and sundry to embrace Nana Addo’s 2016 campaign message of one district one factory and one constituency one million dollars.

I maintained that if they refused to accept Nana Addo’s advantageous policy of one district one factory and one constituency one dollars on this occasion, I would not entertain any future appeals for financial assistance from anyone.

Gratifyingly, both my uncle and my mother promised wholeheartedly to scrutinise future campaign messages of all political parties before settling on their preferred candidate or party.

Indeed, I was over the moon because I managed to bring my mother and my uncle from darkness into the light.

I must admit though, I was moved by some of the comments posted by the discussants following the publication of the article. So based on the discussants poignant advice, I engaged in a carefully considered deliberation and went ahead and paid my maternal uncle’s children school fees.

Below are samples of the advice posted by some discussants:

Author: Ken Ntiamoa
Date: 2016-08-11 01:16:58
“I hear you loud and clear. However, please go and pay your cousins' school fees. You cannot punish those kids because of their father. Their father may not live long. However, you may be here with your cousin's for a long while yet.

“My advice: Make sure you take the kids to their schools yourself and pay the fees right in front of them. But, don't let your uncle know that you did that.
Take my advice.

"What goes around comes around".

Author: EBBY
Date: 2016-08-11 01:32:44
“Don't visit the sins of the father on the future generation which had no ability as children make that choice. People are dying needlessly today from collapsed NHIS and maternal care programs all because of the visionless votes cast by them or their parents.”

Author: TRUE GHANAIAN
Date: 2016-08-11 03:54:09
“YOU HAVE REVEALED TO US THAT GHANAIANS WHO VOTE FOR NDC ARE LIKE SMOKERS WHO KNOW THAT SMOKING KILLS BUT THEY KEEP SMOKING. SMOKING DOESN'T CAUSE ADDICTION.”

Author: Pelicles
Date: 2016-08-11 03:12:25
“Next time, tell your uncle to vote base on issues and not on partisan party lines.”

I could not agree more with “Pelicles”. Indeed, I cautioned my maternal uncle to vote on issues next time and he, in turn, promised to scrutinise all political parties’ policies next time before making his choice.

Regrettably, however, my maternal uncle does not seem to have heeded to my earlier advice, as he has gone back to his old ways. He has probably pocketed his share of ‘the vote buying’ largesse. He could not take a cue from the Northern Regional NPP Party’s Chairman, Bugri Naabu, who rejected the alleged bribe by President Mahama and his brother Ibrahim Mahama to tarnish the image of the opposition leader, Nana Akufo Addo.

Ironically, my maternal uncle has been spotted wearing the NDC’s Party T shirt and following the apple-polishing bandwagon.

Well, if he has made up his mind to vote for NDC Party in the forthcoming general election, then I will cease paying for his children school fees if for argument sake, NDC government is retained and failed to implement the free SHS.

Given that the NDC founder J. J. Rawlings, might not vote for Mahama and the NDC Party in the forthcoming general election, I am extremely baffled over my maternal uncle’s unbridled devoted attachment.

“Former President Jerry John Rawlings is not happy with elements in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are allegedly baying for his blood.

“He is surprised that recent attacks on him have been orchestrated by people within the NDC, the party he founded.

“The ex-President cited the recent petition presented by the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) leader, Henry Lartey to the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) asking them to investigate circumstances under which he (Mr Rawlings) reportedly received an amount of $5 million from the late Nigerian Head of State, General Sani Abacha, as gift in 1998.

“Mr Rawlings says his own people in the NDC are behind the ploy to sully his hard-won reputation” (See: ‘$5m Abacha cash, NDC chasing me-says Rawlings’; dailyguideafrica.com, 18/10/2016).

In fact, am not least surprised that some elements in the NDC Party could go to an extent of bringing the name of their party founder into disrepute. After all, hasn’t the party General Secretary Asiedu Nketsia, once called Rawlings a barking dog?

Besides, Haven’t the NDC’s boisterous brats who are not privy to their party’s history been upbraiding Rawlings all the time for expressing his grievances over the rot in his party?

Indeed, they have been castigating their founder Rawlings for expressing his disgust over the rot in his party. In fact, Rawlings had previously voiced out his opinion over the insulting behaviour of the NDC brats.

Take, for example, Rawlings had this to say during the NDC’s 2012 National Congress: “Mr. President, fellow Ghanaians it is said that we should not throw out the baby with the bath water, but what we do when some of the babies in the tub are babies with hard teeth, biting and spewing some very horrible invectives? Should they not be lowered out with the dirty water? After all one bad nut is all it takes to spoil the taste in your mouth.

“When we find ourselves at a wooden bridge with some planks rotten, do we wait to get new planks before removing the rotten ones or do we remove the rotten ones immediately” (JJ Rawlings, August 30, 2012).

Uncle, as a matter of fact, the founder of the NDC Party, who also happens to be the ‘Apostle’ of transparency, probity and accountability, is not happy with all the bribery and corruption cases that have tarnished the image of the party he cherishes so much. In fact, Rawlings has openly expressed his disgust over the sleaze and gargantuan corruptions in the current NDC administration.