Is Kevin Ekow Taylor a Crook and a Thief?

The Ghanaian political activist, the self-styled social commentator and social media fanatic, hosting his own "With all due respect" programme on his social media channel or platform, Mr Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor, is being investigated in the public perception arena as to whether he is a crook and a thief or not. He sojourns in the United States of America. He copiously churns out factual and/or fabrications about some personalities in Ghana. He is such a vociferous character without respect for his political opponents but insults, defamation and thoughtless readiness to march them to the cleaners, if not to the gallows.

Kevin Taylor is alleged in some circles to have been hired by former President John Dramani Mahama on a hefty monthly salary agreement to character-assassinate Mr Mahama's political opponents in the NPP. This allegation is yet to be proven but from Kevin's thoughtless propensity to lie about, and to unleash his venomous attacks on Mr Mahama's political opponents, there is no doubt that this guy has had his palms greased with money somehow.

I have nothing wrong against anyone that takes a Ghanaian corrupt politician, corrupt and selfish traditional overlord, corrupt and unethical court judge, corrupt and shameless law enforcement agent, etc., to the cleaners, so as to get such myopic and insatiably greedy persons off their disgraceful and nation-ruining diet. However, to fabricate stories with the motive of bringing people down to serve your own selfish-interests is as dangerous as the baneful official corruption suffocating the economy of Ghana same and the current outbreak of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) that is lethally, cruelly taking many people into their graves so disgracefully and prematurely.

Kevin Taylor could well be a crook if hosting his programme is influenced by some money payments he receives from a dubious source to just tarnish the reputation of his hirer's opponent's name for political reasons. If he thinks to be enhancing the chances of his paymaster who may equally be corrupt or worse than those he attacks, then in my opinion as the no-nonsense son of Kumawu/Asiampa soil, Kevin Taylor is a crook.

Who is a crook? In the Cambridge dictionary, among other definitions, a crook is "a very dishonest person, especially a criminal or a cheat". Yes, Kevin Taylor is a dishonest person resolutely determined to fool many a Ghanaian by throwing dust into their eyes to go back to gleefully and warmly embrace former President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC party as the nation's saviour despite all the obvious gargantuan corruptions of all sorts as were masterminded and orchestrated by the NDC government under both the late President Professor Atta Mills and former Vice cum President, John Dramani Mahama. Kevin Taylor does not give a damn about Ghanaians as long as he selfishly greedily draws his alleged handsome monthly dollar-salary while lurking in his USA lair.

He who aids a thief to effect their thievery on people or on a nation is himself a thief. This is premised both on an Akan saying and a legal rule. An Akan proverb goes, "An elder who sits home and watches nonchalantly for children to eat puff adder (snake), is equally counted among puff adder eaters when counting people that eat snakes". Again, in the Ghana Criminal Code 1960 (Act 29), there is a section that talks about ACCOMPLICE. And, who is an accomplice from the legal point of view? Accomplice is defined in the legal dictionary as "one who intentionally and voluntarily participates with another in a crime by encouraging or assisting in the commission of the crime or by failing to prevent it though under a duty to do so e.g. the accomplice of the burglar; an accomplice in a robbery".

Who then is a thief? A thief is "a person who steals, especially secretly or without open force; one guilty of theft or larceny (the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another from his or her possession with intent to convert them to the taker's own use). In "the criminal law theft is defined as "the dishonest taking of property belonging to another person with the intention of depriving the owner permanently of its possession"

Therefore, if it is proven somehow that former President John Dramani Mahama and all those that Kevin Taylor works for hence craftily defending them by insulting their opponents had ever stolen from Ghana, depriving the nation of some funds or assets that could have been used for the collective benefits of Ghanaians, then Kevin Ekow Taylor is a thief. He is directly or indirectly by his actions encouraging them to keep what they have stolen if not to go ahead to steal more should they get any opportunity.

The Airbus scandal in which "an elected Ghana government official one" is involved has begun to be discussed in the United Kingdom. If it turns out that Mr John Dramani Mahama was the alleged elected Ghana government official one and that he took a share of the five million Euros bribe, then he is certainly a thief, having deprived Ghana of the use of the money for the common good of the citizenry. Subsequently, his biggest defenders, of whom Kevin Taylor is the principal loudmouth and a liar, will all be thieves.

Let it sink into the oblong skull and diseased grey matter of Kevin Taylor that it is honesty, selflessness, dynamism and dedication to duty that every Ghanaian needs to fighting our shamefully corrupt political leaders, abusive traditional overlords, and unethical court judges rather than propagating falsehoods with the motive of selfishly enriching yourself, the trait of many an opportunistic Ghanaian.

It is now up to every Ghanaian to judge Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor upon how those he vehemently defends turn out to be when honest investigations are conducted into their stewardship to mother Ghana and Ghanaians. The Airbus saga has been revived in the United Kingdom so let us wait and see how it turns out.

I have decided to use quoted definitions to draw home my points to get them understood by all of us. Can Kevin exonerate himself from any accusations of accomplice, hence a thief, to be levelled against him? Yes or No? And if yes, how? Should former President John Dramami Mahama be found guilty of, or involvement in, accepting bribe from the Airbus, either directly or indirectly through an intermediary, how will Kevin Tylor react?

Rockson Adofo

Sunday, 17 May 2020