Having fun in public office!

The Author, Dr. Kofi Dankyi Beeko, MD.
FOR DECADES it was not a joking matter, to try and be 'funny', when you were dealing with personalities in politics (Public Office). A couple of years before Dr. Nkrumah's Convention People's Party (CPP)-led regime was swept away, he had a loyal DC (District Commissioner), as they were then called, in one of the big regions of the country.

The DC was known to have had difficulties 'getting his acts in English together,' when it came to giving addresses in public, and in English. The encounter, which got famous in the early sixties, was this:  The DC in question had visited a public school in his district, where the students were reported to have 'gone on strike' for many days, and demolished a lot of fixtures belonging to the school, hence the government.

He had that day the biggest difficulty with English, and the students wouldn't let him alone.  In the depth of his frustration, the following happened:

'I am your DC,' started the politician.
The 'much gone rowdy boys' countered; 'Do you think for heaven's sake that we have to take everything you say dogmatically, because you are the DC?'

'Look, whether we are cats or DOGS, we are in power.' The politician concluded emphatically. Well, he wasn't too long thereafter in office, because Nkrumah saw in an unrelated matter, reason enough to remove this District Commissioner, before his, (Nkrumah's) own end came.

There is a favourite festival (Carnival) celebrated in a couple of cities in Germany, but especially so in Mainz, Cologne, with Duesseldorf, swimming in the fun as well, and satellite cities join the fun.

Perhaps, the best comparison should be 'Carnival in Rio.'

Starting from the period when Christmas decorations are removed around the middle till end of January, and carries on till about middle of February. It culminates into one 'Special Monday', talked about as 'der 'Rosenmontag', literally, the 'Monday of Roses.' That day, no politician or even Majors of cities, have 'anywhere to go.' There is no limit to which they may be teased. Scandals, if any, may be drawn into the jokes. Not even the head of state has a hideout. My first time to witness it was with the 1st West German Chancellor, the late Konrad Adenauer, who had the prosperous West German State under his tutelage for fourteen years, post-World War II.

He was an elderly man who did not speak much English in a country very pro-America, and it was said children learned English even before they were born. The Chancellor would be portrayed as 'a not so smart elderly man' who could not be so much in charge because of that. I observed him on television one occasion when he was himself sharing the joke, ridiculing him, himself.

The one-time longest serving Chancellor, Helmut Kohl, was big, and tall. He was talked of as being a very good cook as well, and an expert in making a special dish with the entrails of swine. His wife (RIP), was about one-third the size of her husband. In Germany the huge size of the body is associated with 'not being so much start,' even if as a joke.

If Konrad Adenuaer was bad in English, Helmut Kohl was even worse. At an EU meeting in Paris, where Mrs. Thatcher was Chairperson, three heads of state appeared late for one afternoon section.  One excused himself with the Iron Lady.  He said, 'Mrs. Thatcher, I am sorry, I am late.'  He was excused. Next came the late Francois Mitterand, former French President of blessed memory. He said, 'Mrs. Thatcher, sorry for being late too.' He was excused. A second head of state came in, and excused himself. Then in walked the big German, the richest of the member-nations of the EU.  Listen to what he said:   'Mrs. Iron Lady, I am sorry I am late three.'  Well, someone was late 'too.'  Does it matter when someone else was late three? This has been a joke you would be fed with for many years at parties where chief executives, business men, and politicians are having fun.

Helmut Kohl was portrayed privately as 'not so smart,' but he served the longest term of seventeen years, since the World War II. Sadly, he left a scandal behind – [It was with electioneering money-pushing]. Not only Germany! Bill Clinton had the scandal everybody knew about in the entire world, Monica Lewinski.

The Arab News English Daily ran a cartoon in which Clinton had just stolen a kiss with Paula Jones, and was eyeing Monica, who was doing her national service at the White House. Then his long-term Secretary of State, Mrs. Madleen Ulbright eyes Mr. President, and questions, 'How about me?'

The presentation would turn into an encyclopedia if we were to swoop over to England and start with Sir Spencer Winston Churchill, two-time and World War II ace British Prime Minister.

The American President of 1933-45, the only one to have served that long, was Franklin Delano Roosevelt. He was half-way down paralyzed, after Poliomyelitis, when he was already an adult. Would you believe 60-percent of Americans did not know their president was wheel-chair-bound?

At the time, news-spread was not like today. We see a lot, and quickly, even in Africa, which is so behind in most things. Politicians (people in Public life) offer their communities an awful lot. They may get assassinated, and they may get gossiped about.

But, it is also true that they do get a lot too. Who has forgotten the ex-gratia saga not so long ago.  In quintessence, society would benefit a lot when people in public life, especially politicians, would raise their threshold for sensitivity to gossips and irrelevant talk a little bit higher.

These are dropouts of democratisation, and like the American and European examples, they are likely to get worse, the deeper the democracy gets. In times past, not many people would hear of such an utterance 'supposedly against the man in the highest office of the land,'

He would be dealt with the way things got done those days. It is true that bad utterances against men and women in office, instead of harming them, tend to favour them instead. Clinton's approval rating in the wake of the Monica Lewinski scandal was a whopping 67%. Perhaps, the best pieces of advice in situations like that should come from Ronald Reagan, who developed the philosophy that, 'you give issues meant against you credence when you react.'

He said nothing about rumours about him, against him, and about his administration. He ran as the oldest man in that office in America, 'two long terms.' Then listen to Konrad Adenauer on issues he thought should not pre-occupy him. 'What would it benefit me the gossips of yesterday?'  That should the best way to conclude issues such as these.

In some parts of the world, some animals are 'rated sacred.'  In religions such as Buddhism or Shintoism, creatures like monkeys and the reindeer are sacred animals. Do you hurt anybody if you have time to liken him/her to such an animal?

I feel our engagement to bring our continent to the level that others are (India, China, Korea, etc), should lift us to stand taller than the seemingly permanent bickering.

What is it?  It is sad, if it's for POWER only! Let's have more of carnivals, and take it easy!