Monday,
March 31, 2014
My
good friends, when I heard that the NEC of the NDC had appealed to President Mahama to reinstate Gabriel Barima, popularly known as "DCE
Tweaa", I quickly concluded that the major problems confronting Ghana in
this 4th Republic go beyond the incompetence displayed by the various
governments that have ruled the country since January 7, 1993 (when the 4th
Republic took off) to encompass gross indiscipline in the political parties.
No democracy that is designed to succeed has
room for the kind of indiscipline that shot Mr. Barima out of political office.
In this 4th Republic, particularly,
several instances of gross disrespect for the citizens have been displayed by
those put in political office by the citizens. In fact, the government
functionaries are guilty of disrespecting the citizens in many guises, insulting
their senses and sensibilities, but getting away unscathed because the existing
structures cannot be used to tame them.
Such is the problem confronting us, which is
why I unreservedly condemn the NEC of the NDC for even daring to call for the
reinstatement of Mr. Barima.
I hold in high disdain the NDC leaders'
needless interference in this matter and the preparations toward twisting arms
and placing themselves on a collision course with President Mahama.
Indeed, they have no justification at all for
urging the reinstatement of DCE Tweaa.
The circumstances are clear: This DCE Tweaa
showed absolute disregard for the very people over whom he had been presiding
as the direct representative of the President. No matter what might have
ruffled him to make the utterance for which he is now known and ridiculed—especially
when that utterance and its aftermath led to his being removed from office—he
went beyond bounds and came across as unfit for the political office that had
bloated his ego.
Had he simply asked the question(s) "Who
said Tweaa.... Are you my co-equal?" and ended the matter there, he
wouldn't have had as much to worry about as his sorry situation now proves.
Against all entreaties not to over-extend
matters, he stormed out of the function and undermined the integrity of the
local power brokers invited there. He exhibited so much incontinence as to
devalue the authority and integrity of President Mahama himself, which led to
his being taken to task.
He apologized for his lack of self-control and
was pardoned; but as if seeking to take undue advantage of that misdemeanour,
he stepped up his campaign of self-promotion, taking an undue advantage of the
public attention given him as "DCE Tweaa", which cost him his job.
As if unaware of the far-reaching negative
consequences of Mr. Barima's incontinence and the damaging of the
NDC/government's interests, these NDC leaders are turning round to ask that he
be reinstated, basing their call on "frustration":
"The National Executive Committee (NEC) of
the NDC in a statement issued on Sunday March 30, 2014, appealed to the
president to reconsider his decision to sack Mr. Barima.
The statement signed by the party’s General
Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said their investigations revealed that
Gabriel Barima acted out of frustration after some staff of the Mankranso
hospital started “heckling him using unprintable words directed at him
including, the word “tweaa”.
NEC also warned that if the decision to sack him
is not revoked, “it will dampen the enthusiasm of other DCEs in their attempt
to deal with indiscipline and corruption in their various areas of
jurisdiction”.
Absolute nonsense! Concentrated stupidity on
the part of the NDC's NEC to justify Mr. Barima's incontinence on the grounds
of frustration!!
If mere frustration can motivate him to be so
irresponsible and undisciplined in public, what else won't he do under other
circumstances?
And is he the only person who would ever been
"frustrated" in political office to warrant his arrant awkward
behaviour and gross disrespect for the chiefs and people of the area over which
he presided?
Considering how political opponents and all
manner of people are frustrating President Mahama's efforts, calling him names,
and even lambasting his ethnic group, what will happen if he also decides to
lose control of himself to behave in such an awkward manner?
It is troubling to hear them claim that the
dismissal of Mr. Barima “will dampen the enthusiasm of other DCEs in their attempt
to deal with indiscipline and corruption in their various areas of
jurisdiction”.
How disciplined are these DCEs themselves to
want to instill discipline in others? Several instances of their misconduct or
acts bordering on thievery and corruption abound, but they are not being dealt
with because of the lethargy in governance.
As Kofi Adams has already pointed out, putting
pressure on President Mahama to reinstate this DCE Tweaa will not add any value
to the NDC; instead, it will erode a lot from it.
If these NDC leaders have anything to offer
President Mahama, it should be in the form of sound advice to help his
government solve the problems that are gradually but steadily eroding public
confidence in it and threatening the party's viability for Election 2016.
This Asiedu-Nketiah and his group seem to have
too much time and too little to do. They shouldn't be allowed any foothold at
all because they will worsen problems instead of helping solve them.
Asiedu-Nketiah and other characters like this
DCE Tweaa make the NDC unpopular and should be told the truth.
I shall return…
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E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
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