Tirades without grace (2)

The political developments which followed President Mahama’s tirade of a few days ago have been unable to dwarf it, try as propaganda engineers did in that direction.

The backlash was so bad that some of the developments, cooked of course, to veneer it failed to do so.

It is unsurprising that the thoughts of the president would continue to attract public opprobrium days after his tantrums.

It was un-presidential and largely deficient in logic. He perhaps needs an anger management regimen so that as we approach the campaign season, he would be able to countenance the many charges of incompetence that would be levelled against him by those he calls opponents.

His averseness to being described incompetent has been noted by his opponents who, it appears, would continue to hammer on that spot.

As though possessed, his Trade Fair performance on the soapbox with the intermittent “tsoboi” was unlike a man who touted himself as a “young man” and cultured in his previous engagements with Ghanaians.

Today he is a full-fledged president with a different idea about politics – only former presidents can criticise him not others who have never neared the Osu Castle or the Flagstaff House.

If culinary criticism is the preserve of former chefs, consumers of food will have no business complaining about poorly prepared dishes.

So taken aback were they that some Ghanaians argued among themselves over whether the president was inebriated or not, when he took issues with those who criticise him. Since he is not a teetotaller, we are unable to defend him on this score.

The most vilified politician or president? Perhaps this is arguable. His main opponent, the man he regards as his most formidable challenger, has endured more invectives without blinking an eye. What makes him unable to do same so that he can come out as a real leader who can stand the temperature of the kitchen, regardless of the Celsius reading?

We observed his attempt at mimicking Dr Mahamudu Bawumia when the gentleman tackles the deficiencies in the management of the economy and finds it abhorring and morally uncanny.

It would have made more sense had the president punched holes in the issues raised by Dr Bawumia regarding the poor management of the economy than the populist show on the soapbox.

The expected unsolicited support for the man (Bawumia), whose many fans describe him as the prophet of economics, said it all about the countrywide aversion to the president’s efforts.

Dr Bawumia appears to be a thorn in the skin of the president. The economist would continue to be a theme of his (president’s) soapbox displays in the coming days. Just yesterday he was reported to have wondered why Dr Bawumia as an economist would have qualms over government raising revenue. “Is it a sin to raise revenue?” he asked Dr Bawumia rhetorically obviously.

Perhaps with adequate sources of revenue to government and improvement in collection of same, the quantum of loans should have been below the current tally.