Letter to Ato Kwamena Dadzie: cobwebs vrs soot

Good dey Ato,
I presume you are fine just as I am? You would agree with me that no individual serves as the repository of wisdom. Permit me to draw your attention to some unpardonable statements and errors you made in your article titled “Atta Mills team, not so lean after all”.

As a young journalism student, I completely agree with the practice of keeping any incumbent Government on its toes and carrying out the best of scrutiny possible. I also subscribe to the school of thought that believes in free speech.Infact I have a spleen for the practice where there is freedom of speech but no freedom after speech.

You would agree with me also that, journalism is a CALLING not a PROFESSION.

Ato, I hope you know that the cardinal principle in journalism is reporting the “FACT” in a decorous and civilized manner. That's my basic problem with your article which is a clear departure from this principle and correctitude.

Embedded in your article is a litany of contradictions and reckless vituperations which in my estimation is a desperate effort of a wannabe.

Ato, I want you to know that, no individual has monopoly over foul language. I clearly deduced from your article that, you employed notoriety as a criterion for popularity.

One thing was obvious from your piece and that is, you just wanted to criticize and compare when you knew there was no basis for such a “voodoo” analysis.

I shudder greatly at your attempt to rubbish the need for deputy Ministers in the Mill's government.

More splenetic is your choice of words relating to the deputy ministers as needless and senseless. Infact that refers to the president because as you know he nominated them. Do you mean the president is senseless in nominating two deputies to some Ministries? Is senseless the most appropriate word to use in describing the presidents action?

I am particularly opprobrious of your reckless description of people who have individuated themselves in society.

Ato, you would again agree with me that, one of the basic things we learnt in journalism school is to put in inverted commas, seemingly harsh words we intend to use to describe a situation or a person in position of trust. This basic ethic in journalism was completely missing in your write up.

For a minute I thought you were in the state of insobriety. You would agree with me that everyone can engage in vitriolic critique but it takes the sagacious and tenacious individual to decouple himself from mendacity and rather engage in constructive critique.

Take sometime off and read other articles, there you would appreciate what I am saying. Infact other columnist use worst and more “crazy” words than you do but they put them well. Don't assume that our readers are not intelligent enough to detect these errors.

One of the contradictions of your article was where you lampooned the president for appointing two deputies to the information Ministry only to admit later that, the two guys ( I meanAblakwa and Agyenim Boateng) were “smart guys”.

If really they are smart, then I don't see the wastage here. Do you mean smart guys would deliver winding and senseless speeches as you intimated in your article?

Have you taken the trouble to ask them of their job description?

Ato were you in this country when Dr. Osei Akoto, former Deputy Minster of Finance was doing all the run-arounds in that Ministry? Infact he was virtually “running the show”. Was it senseless appointing him to that vital position?

What about the late Ferdinand Ayim who was not even a Deputy Minster but just a Special assistant. His hard works are still around for all to see. Was that also a senseless position? I am amazed at your flat and uninformed conclusion that Deputy Ministers were needless.

Also, you could not explain or give any particular instance or forum where a deputy minister delivered your so-called winding and senseless speech. That is grossly unfair.

You also could not say where and when H.E Attah Mills said he was going to have a 50-member team of Ministers. I suppose that is also most unfortunate. You would agree with me that, no oneperson sets a target for the president. He does so by the help of his advisers so if you have indigestion over his action, that's fine but it doesn't make the presidents action senseless.

Finally Ato, I believe that you don't have “COBWEBS” in your head as Mr.Anyidoho wants me to believe neither do I believe that Mr. Anyidoho's head is filled with “SOOT”.

This platform deserves better than soot and cobwebs infested heads, but should you both be unrepentant, I would call in the zoom lion guys to remove the cobwebs and the soot so we can have some serenity.

God bless us all.
Bye.
A friend: Nunya Akumey Affizie
[email protected]