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Opinions of Tuesday, 21 August 2018

Columnist: Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

Why are the NPP’s communicators silent?

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Folks, my "imagination" is still active, giving me what I need to pour out so my mind and heart can have more room for other thoughts to feed into the discourse on Ghana's challenges of development. I will be blunt as usual.

In an earlier post, I wondered why Malik Kweku Baako and the gang of self-acclaimed ventriloquists of the NPP in the media have gone underground and aren't that much trumpeting anything to prop up Team Akufo-Addo, now in power and seeing reality to know that all that glitters (as seen in opposition) is not gold (as is evident in reality about the management of national affairs).

Now, let me bring in the NPP's own paid noise-makers. I acknowledge right-away that the resident village boy (Abronye DC or Kwame Baffoe) operating from the Brong-Ahafo Region has thrown in the towel and vowed never to defend the NPP and its government in public discourse.

According to him, a lot of water has passed under the bridge for him to learn the bitter lesson (This village boy was part of the cabal that set in trail the campaign of vicious lies against Team Mahama regarding so-called government vehicles "stolen" by functionaries of the Mahama administration).

The Task Force colonized the media scene and splashed sensational opinions to prove their own case of massive corruption against Team Mahama and seized numerous vehicles that were later to be returned to their rightful owners and tons of apologies rendered by them for their miscalculation and mis-step). In the end, none of the operatives of the Mahama administration was found culpable for theft of official vehicles or anything verging on corruption.

Vehicles that they seized were returned to their rightful owners. Even, self-fulfilling artistes like John Dumelo were targeted and disgraced for nothing... just because they supported Mahama.

Okay. What really piques my interest to write this opinion piece is the fact that the hordes of the NPP's communicators that stuck their necks out to say and do just anything for Akufo-Addo's good have vanished. We don't hear of them anymore. They aren't up and about on the mediascape to defend the government, even when public anger swells at its inability to solve existential problems. And when questions are asked about what exactly the vote for change has brought to Ghana!!

The stark fact is that Akufo-Addo hasn't lessened the burden on Ghanaians in spite of all his loud boasts. All that it has remained fixated on is the implementation of the free SHS policy, which is itself in a terrible tail-spin and is now to be dismembered into a wayward double-track system that the originators themselves don't know how to tackle. And it is to begin in the next two weeks. Jeopardy... more danger... terrible times ahead for those hoodwinked into supporting this Quixotic venture that has no beginning, middle, or end to make the difference!!

Ghanaians complained about lack of job opportunities under Mahama and bought into Akufo-Addo's promise to open up avenues. This fixation on free SHS education or the knee-jerk measures on NACOB can't solve such a big problem. It is clear that the NPP's communicators know more about such problems than Akufo-Addo and Bawumia do. A huge tragedy here.

Let's return to base. It is clear that the NPP's camp of communicators to sing Akufo-Addo's praise is in total disarray. We don't hear them any more. Why so? Things are knocking things at this stage when governance has been reduced to pettiness by Akufo-Addo.

Capital development/projects is suffering. Banks are collapsing. Living standards are appalling.

All happening in less than 2 years of Akufo-Addo's grip on power. What is that? One would expect that having spent more than 40 years setting his eyes on the Presidency, he would have had everything wrapped up to give Ghanaians a better approach to governance to shame the Mahama administration that the NPP machinery over-exerted itself on denigrating.

There is every reason to say that Team Akufo-Addo has unexpectedly (seeing things from the angle of its own supporters) failed miserably to make the difference. Seeing things from the angle of the NDC and the camp of John Mahama, it is nothing strange or not to be expected. It is the logical culmination of everything that puts pride ahead of the fall. But it isn't so; it isn't happening. Mahama had warned them but they turned that warning into a political chess to be played with spawns in the NDC camp now hob-nobbing with them to their own political demise (I have the3 Rawlingses in mind here). Let's cut the chase now to focus on what the NPP camp fears to be told. Why aren't the NPP's paid communicators anymore on air to defend what Akufo-Addo has done or failed to do since assuming the reins of office? Are they feeling the pinch too and advising themselves not to continue to be willing tools to be used for dirty politics? At least, Abronye DC has set the pace. And Kennedy Agyapong has stepped in too.

As the Akans say, "A good thing sells itself". No need for anybody to marshall forces, spending money, to sell that good thing. That is, if that good thing is, indeed, the good thing that it claims to be. In a buyers' market, such a good thing will stand tall and attract high bidders. It should be so in our kind of politics too.

The NPP portrayed Team Mahama as a low-quality material to be thrown out of the market, which the voters at Election 2016 bought into. In power, it isn't justifying its inclusion. So, why would anybody defend it on airwaves only to end up being branded as a traitor and beaten up? (Go and find out from Abronye DC and Co.)

I am waiting patiently to hear from the disgruntled and disappointed NPP communicators so I can make my next move. I shall return…