Politics of Thursday, 9 September 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-09-09Blame your English teacher if you don't understand Mahama's 'do or die' comment - Asiedu Nketia
NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia
• Former President Mahama has said the next general elections will be a do or die affair, therefore, his party members need to be vigilant at the polls
• This got several reactions from the public
• Asiedu Nketia has asked naysayers to blame their English teachers for causing more harm than good to them
General
Read full articleSecretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has taken a swipe at critics tongue lashing John Dramani Mahama for saying election 2024 will be a do or die affair.
According to Asiedu Nketia, there's nothing problematic about the comment Mahama passed because it was an idiomatic expression.
He furthered that those who have an issue with the do or die comment should blame their English tutors and not Mahama.
He also suggested that they look up the meaning of 'do or die' in the dictionary if they do not understand.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, September 8, 2021, Asiedu Nketia said, “What has Mahama done wrong? I think people want to disrupt us from the good things we are doing. When we say ‘do or die’ assignment, it means you must use all your energies to do something, I don’t see how this is problematic unless for those who do not understand or fail to understand the obvious. He was communicating in English language and in the English language, there are idiomatic expressions. Whoever does not understand it, may look it up in the dictionary. It is the Queen’s language."
“We don’t think this should be something people should be worried about at all. So if no one is interested in destroying the results, why should that statement scare anybody? I don’t see why people should make a fuss about this thing at all. I am so surprised about this hypocrisy. People are trying to make mountain out of a molehill. If someone has issues with this, he should go and blame his English teacher, he should not be worrying us”, he added.
Former president, John Dramani Mahama during his ‘Thank You’ tour in the Bono Region on Tuesday asked his party members to be vigilant during the next general elections.
He said, "The 2020 elections were rigged for the NPP. We have however accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court for the sake of peace. However, come 2024, the NDC will be extra vigilant at the polling stations because that is where the elections are won...So at the polling station [in the next election], it will be do or die. I am not saying all die be die. I’m saying it will be ‘do or die’ because the right thing must be done.”
This courted several controversies from the public. While some are commending him, others are condemning him and asking him to retract and apologise.
Speaking on Moonlite FM in Sunyani, John Dramani Mahama said he still stands by his words and won't retract.