Tuesday,
August 20, 2013
My good friends, you all know
that a bat is neither a bird nor an animal, even though it bears features of
either species. Hanging on trees with its head down, it sees only what it wants
to see. In politics, too, we have bats—those who cannot cling to one particular
political tradition with convictions that can stand the test of time. They go
where their bread will be buttered.
The “political bats” are out of
their nooks and crannies to be noticed for what they are—neither here nor there
politically. Not even transfixed in the middle but turning left and right,
depending on where the buttering of the bread is being done. Then, they pitch
camp there and sell their political birthright for pottage.
They have no political family to
claim their own and, like rolling stones gathering no moss, they swing with any
political pendulum for personal gains. They care very little about the
political tradition or how to establish any foothold therein. To them,
political allegiance is second to personal gains from politics.
Freddie Blay is a perfect example
of such “political bats” not to mention others parading the airwaves and
defending causes that conflict with their originally professed political
faiths. Take the Kwaku Baakos, Dr. Sekou Nkrumahs, lawyer Akoto Ampaws, and
many more as other examples.
Ask them what their political
persuasion is and they will profusely tell you that they are Nkrumahists. But
monitor how they conduct themselves and you will be left slack-jawed. They are
known for criss-crossing the political arena, appearing in their pro-Nkrumahist
garb yet shooting their mouths and betting their Cedis on defending everything
about the nemesis of Nkrumahism—the Danquah/Busia ideology. They will do all
they can to prop up the Danquah/Busia family, even if that is detrimental to
their self-acclaimed pro-Nkrumahist culture. Call them variegated politicians.
The real political bats!!
Freddie Blay’s particular
miscalculation has done him in and ended his political career. Nicknamed the
“Elembelle Mugabe”, he is now a pale shadow of himself, having tumbled from the
high echelon in Parliament to what he is today—a mere political bat crying for
recognition.
It is in the light of this woeful
public image that his latest utterance should be assessed:
“A
former first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Freddie Blay says Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo would have performed better as president than President John Mahama
has done in the last eight months.
According
to the former Member of Parliament, the mismanagement of the economy, increased
corruption in the country and the poor handling of vital national issues is
testament that President Mahama has already been a failure.
He,
however, added that if the Supreme Court rule in favour of the NPP in the
election petition case and Nana Addo is declared President on August 29, he
would obviously perform better and serve the nation well.”
Pathetic and disappointed Freddie
Blay! What is the basis for this claim? None! A demonstration of frustrated and
muddled thinking! Yes, absolutely yes!!
What is the yardstick for
measuring President Mahama’s performance at this point? And what has Akufo-Addo
up his sleeves, not to talk about what we have known him for all these years, to
make any difference that only Freddie Blay could see?
Need we backtrack on him? Human
rights activism, street demonstrations under the umbrella of the defunct
Alliance for Change? Or practical work, using sterling administrative acumen to
effect any drastic change in national life? Where? When?
We recall his abysmal performance
as the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, leading to the packing of the
Supreme Court by Kufuor in 2001 to pave the way for the Fast Track High Courts
(Are they still functioning, though?). Kufuor won’t tolerate his incompetence
and removed him, assigning him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where
scandals followed him. How about the much-talked-about diplomatic passports
that mysteriously vanished from his custody? How about allegations of those
passports falling into the wrong hands to be used for drug trafficking? Many
others, my good friends.
And what has he done ever since
to add value to himself except to keep himself in contention as the flagbearer
of the NPP?
As an MP for Abuakwa South for 12
years, what significant achievement did Akufo-Addo bring to his constituents to
positively change the lives of the people and for which he will be fondly
remembered? At least, if he had done anything significant, we can point to it
at that level to suggest that given the chance to be the President, he can do
better. His performance was abysmal, which accounts for why some in his own
constituency went for President Mahama despite their being intimidated before
the elections.
In his legal profession, he has
succeeded to a point; but beyond that narrow scope, what has he been able to do
as a politician to prove that he would have done better than President Mahama
over the past 8 months?
What administrative acumen does
Akufo-Addo have that President Mahama lacks? Mere militancy or pompous display
of the locally acquired foreign accent in English? Nothing to write home about
him. So, what is the justification for the huge but misplaced claim by Freddie
Blay?
Eventually, Freddie Blay and
others thinking narrowly like him need to know that before they draw parallels
between Akufo-Addo and President Mahama, they must know that one cannot just
enter the Presidency to perform and be judged as such without first winning the
Presidential elections. Akufo-Addo lost the 2012 elections and cannot be associated
with the Presidency nor will anybody even bother to find out whether he could
have outdone the incumbent John Mahama.
Seriously speaking, he doesn’t
have a dog’s chance of standing up to President Mahama. Apparently, in seeking
redress at the Supreme Court, he hasn’t even asked for the recounting of votes
nor has he challenged the results declared by the Electoral Commission to prove
that he was the preferred choice of the electorate. He turned to pink sheets
and hid behind Dr. Bawumia to remain in contention. No backdoor President will
be tolerated in Ghana!
Funnily, Akufo-Addo is asking
that over 4 million votes be annulled to open the sluice gates for him to enter
the political stables and actualize his claim to the Presidency as an
entitlement. Indeed, the annulment is even being asked to be based on
technicalities associated with pink sheets, not the quantum of votes counted at
each of the 26,002 polling stations.
Or on the basis of electoral
malpractices in terms of vote rigging or intimidation of his followers, which
might negatively affect voter turn-out. Nothing directly related to voting and
the counting of votes all over the country. Is this the kind of person to put
in charge of Ghana’s affairs? Not in the least.
Let the “political bats” cry all
they want; nothing will change to suit their parochial interests. And they will
be told so again on August 29 that elections are won at the polls, not at the
Supreme Court. I have spoken!!
I shall return…
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E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
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