OPANA Creates Another Cesspool

Is this the ugliest or that's yet to come?

If you label or call a whole ethnic group, of which a sitting president hails from as "Akyem Sakawa Mafias" that's a fine mess and it's messier than a cesspool.

But even as ugly as it is, there are some folks that have gleefully endorsed that egregious comment.

And guess who made it and why?

I said Opana, right? Fmr. President John Mahama has created another cesspool ahead of the 2020 December presidential poll. His latest comment smells like the 2016 one, when he said Ghanaians have a 'short memory'. Maybe he was right.

Or was it his own figment of imagination?

Indeed the electorate taught him a lesson, as he sorely lost that election.

So, how'd he move from this--" I pray nothing untoward happens to him," a couple of months ago, to this one that looks like a monster and smells like miasma? Again, how does this one that sought to denigrate a whole ethnic group equalise ' a statement that described fmr. President John Mills as Professor do little? I think that argument is untenable.

Question is:: Must we justify any 'Sin' because one of our own has committed it?

Indeed that's too low, and it must be condemned in no uncertain terms. I've been wondering did anyone see it coming? Because I think it snuck us all,, except the saints at Akatamanso. They appear to be glorifying the egregious remark made by their flagbearer. In fact, it seems we were all fooled by his earlier pronouncement when the 'preacher' had preached and spoken against politics of insults and stressed the 2020 campaign must be issue-based devoid of incendiary remarks.

The deafening silence

Of course, a visibly upset Mr. Akufo-Addo couldn't wrap his head around the deafening silence over President Mahama's 'comment by well-meaning Ghanaians. The President registered his dissatisfaction when he met with Catholic Bishops at the Jubilee House in Accra.

Mr. Mahama had shared an article written by Bolgatanga Central MP, Isaac Adongo who described Agyapa Royalties deal as a deal hatched by ‘Akyem Sakawa Mafias’ for some individuals in government.

And that didn't sit well with the President

“Archbishop, this name-calling seems to be a feature of Ghanaian public life. But sometimes, when things come out, we'd hope that you’ll comment on them.

The comment made by my opponent, “Akyem Sakawa people,” I have not heard any public figure, independent person, yourselves, comment on it," Mr. Akufo-Addo said.

It is completely unacceptable. If I were to get up to make comments about Northerners or Gonjas, you can imagine the uproar that would be in the country.

Presidential candidate, a former President of Ghana, you can call a group of Ghanaians “sakawa people”, and it involves the group for which the sitting President comes, and that statement goes without comment, and at the same time we hear all these statements, let's all try and bring the politics of insults to an end,” the President lamented.

I really don't know how the eminent Bishops reacted to the President's complaint. What would they say to him? ' Fama Nyame,' or gyae ma enka" . That's atypical and it's well. After all, the battle is the Lord’s isn't it?

The endorsers

On the contrary, some NDC executives hold the view that the president has no right to complain. Sammy Gyamfi is one of them.

The national communications officer of the largest opposition party in Ghana has put a few questions to Mr. Akufo-Addo.: "Can President Akufo Addo remind himself of his description of “ECOWAS Citizens” in reference to a particular ethnic group and the deliberate misuse of state security agencies against that ethnic group during the recent6 voter registration exercise? Was he not in this country when the NPP MP for Adansi-Asokwa, K.T Hammond described Ewes as Togolese?"

So President Akufo Addo has not heard about the state-sponsored ethnocentric harassment against Ewes and northerners at Banda, Ketu South, Ahafo Ano North among others, during the recent voter registration exercise?”

By Gordon Offin-Amaniampong