Opinions of Monday, 18 July 2011
Columnist: Boateng, Chris Gyamfi
The NPP has been lambasting the Mills-led NDC government for making Ghanaians go hungry and therefore they’re embarking on a listening tour in an attempt to regain power in order to better the lot of the people. They’re however, oblivious of the fact that Ghanaians are not that mundane to easily forget their sordid and calumny eight year miserable rule where government officials look Ghanaians in the face and told them to go eat Kokonte if they were hungry.
There was an interesting spectacle last week where the defeated 2008 NPP presidential candidate Akuffo Addo was depicted in a picture eating with about four almost naked women.
Looking at the sumptuous meals (yam and stew) that Akuffo Addo enjoyed with his “hosts” in the Central Region last week, it’s obvious that the man has shot himself in the foot and further exposed the hollowness of his taunting and accusations that President Mills’ government had led Ghanaians into poverty and worsening the living conditions of the people who couldn’t afford to feed themselves. The portion and amount of yams heaped in the bowl for just about four people was an indicative that food is abundance in Ghana and that the NPP’s mantra that the people are hungry is tenuous and therefore should be dumped in the trash can where it rightly belongs. Poor people wallowing in poverty couldn’t have prepared such a meal for Akuffo Addo and his entourage to participate unless they are telling us that the food fell from the heavens like manna. There is every indication that Mills’ government is putting food on the dining tables of Ghanaians and that Akuffo Addo’s accusations are neither here nor there.
Indeed, Akuffo Addo’s demagoguery and populists’ inferior tactics seemed to have backfired as many Ghanaians expressed their abhorrence and demonstrated their disgusts to his hypocrisy and insulting behaviors, questioning as to whether he would have gone to the villages to dine with the folks if he wasn’t disgruntled and desperate enough to be become president. Ghanaians are also asking and rightly so that, would he go back to the villages to eat with them in the likely event he became the president or not (God forbid, though)? In fact, Mr. Addo exposed himself further by inexplicitly telling his “hosts” that he didn’t care a hoot about them because he wouldn’t have been drinking bottled water (voltic) if he really wanted to identify himself with the people who are not seen enjoying the same mineral water with him.
Readers may recall the same shenanigans this same man adopted in the heat of the 2008 campaign when he joined some tro-tro? Has he joined tro-tro again ever since? You see, the man considers Ghanaians to be gullible and that they will buy in to any communists' inferior tactics that he adopts in order to win their votes. Akuffo Addo must read from me today and the succinctly reminded that Ghanaian electorates are very discerning and sophisticated and therefore no amount of tricks will coax them to vote for him. He must therefore be his own man and stop those cheap propaganda, fake postures and antics and be real.
Akuffo Addo’s gimmicks in the Central Region last week brought out one other significant issue that he had always been associated with all along: womanizing; that the man identifies with women and that he always seems to find solace in the midst of women. The picture with his “hosts” depicts him in the company of all females who are virtually seen naked with their bras and top parts of their bodies showing. They could be passed for married women but where were their husbands? Does Akuffo Addo have something to say about their butts as he did make fun of his late cousin during her funeral? Did the women’s husbands approved with his meeting with them?
One interesting aspect of Akuffo Addo's so-called listening tour is the inconsistency and the double standards of the NPP; wasn't it the same NPP which ridiculed and sneered at the then candidate Mills in 08 when he embarked on his house-to-house campaign? What has changed now for Akuffo Addo to go the same way of Mills' but trying hard to rebrand that strategy? Is Akuffo Addo telling us that a presidential candidate of his caliber lacks the vision and programs for the people he aspires to lead? What is he going to listen? He has no business clamoring to be president if he can you develop his own models and initiatives to lead the country because the man seems to be suffering from dearth of ideas and is not goal oriented.
Be it as it may, it looks Akuffo Addo’s PR machinery is not doing a good job for him but just working to the advantage of the Mills’ administration they’re happy to cast aspersions on and accuse day-in-day-out but ending up vindicating him as there seems to be abundance of food for all, including hungry yelling NPP wolves.Thanks to the NDC government.
Chris Gyamfi Boateng, MS. Info
Philadelphia, Pa; USA