Opinions of Saturday, 30 July 2011
Columnist: Opare, Kwasi Kumi
ne thing we know for sure is that Prez Mills is blind and deaf. He is blind to the faults, sins and follies of his appointees. He neither hears nor sees them when in their desperation to avoid dealing with issues they engage in vitriolic attacks against persons who do not share their political beliefs or conviction.However what is new is the hypocrisy of the Methodist Bishop when he visited the President at the Castle. On 23 March 2011, the Christian Council Ghana, called on the President to "sack" Kobby Acheampong then a deputy Minister of Tourism, over comments he made suggesting that NPP flagbearer was a mad man.Indeed he had earlier made comments suggesting that all those who lived in cocoa producing areas were primitive and that when they came to the cities it was required of them to "broaden their horizon" The President did indeed take action against this man(Kobby Acheampong) by promoting him from a position which was non-cabinet to a cabinet position, that of a Deputy Minister for Interior. Not long after Kobby Acheampong's attack on Nana Addo, another Minister under the Mills Administration described the NPP flagbearer as a "sexy old fool".She went on to defend this comment with the passion and launched an attack on another leading NPP member Ms.Ursula Owusu describing her as a "disgrace to womanhood,a sorrowful soul" and said she would go to the gutters with the lady so "both of them get dirty". The president didn't see or hear this neither did he think it merited even the slightest reprimand.
One would have thought that the Methodist Bishop like every Goodman of God would have reminded the President that his inaction in dealing with people who insult in his administration and rather his tactic approval of their comments, has made the trade very attractive to young people wishing to make political names for themselves.The Bishop should have reminded President Mills of papers like Enquirer,Lens, Democrat and Palaver dedicated wholly to insulting and attacking the persons of non-NDC people even those not interested in politics! The number of times each week these papers bring out screaming headlines insulting members of the NPP and other political parties. If the Bishop speaks in tongues, then according to the President's handyman, he is "a mad person" he should have reminded the President of this.The Bishop should have reiterated the call by the Christian Council to which he is a member for punitive measures betaken against Kobby Acheampong and his ilk.The Bishop should have reminded Mills of the standard Mills set in appointing ministers as per the founder and leader of his OWN party 'if you want to be a minister, insult Rawlings".
When these men of God mount the pulpit they are bold enough to mention names yet they suck up to the feet of people in power when they meet them.We expect them as leaders and custodians of morality to discharge their duties without fear or favor,affection or ill-will. If they fail in this mandate, the masses of Ghanaians would not forgive him.
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