EDITORIAL: Let´s Watch These Insulting Innuendoes

A CURSORY READING OF GYE NYAME CONCORD front page lead story would tell any reader that the statement to the effect that the former President of this nation has nothing in his head to offer this nation is not the best. Especially in an election year or period.
As a newspaper which has castigated people like Dr Tony Aidoo, and even former President Jerry John Rawlings, over statements we view as insulting or uncomplimentary of our national heroes or to the offices they once held, we deem it also fit and necessary to criticise the National Youth Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Mr. Isaac Asiamah, for his latest outburst.
This is because the statement has the potential of poisoning the electoral atmosphere and upping the political temperature by compelling others to resort to equally unnecessary descriptions of people with whom they disagree politically with.
We condemn Asiamah's description, especially because as a leader of the youth of his party and someone aiming to enter Parliament, we do not think that he has set a better example by his statement. It is a sad statement that he who should be setting better examples not only by conduct alone but by speech as well for the youth of his party to follow, has resorted to berating people he has problems with.
We think that even if he feels this strongly about the persona called Jerry John Rawlings, he should take into consideration the office he once occupied and berate him in more culturally acceptable terms. After all that has also been the problem we have had when the former President himself goes wayward and pour aspersions on the sitting President over their political differences.
Anyway, we hope politicians like the youth leader would be mindful of what they say in our present, highly charged election atmosphere.
One may, however, ask: if the GYE NYAME CONCORD has a problem with what the young politician said, why then did we use it and give it a front page banner treatment?
Simple answer! We do not deem it a responsibility or duty on this particular newspaper to guard or watch over the verbal diarrhoea of politicians irrespective of how offensive they may sound.
We think that the public must have a role to play in judging such statements and that by so doing send a message to our politicians to watch what they say and how they say it.
So to all politicians, irrespective of whatever party they come from, we say they must realise the need to watch what they say. They must learn to watch the insults, insulting innuendoes and edify the language they use on their opponents.
They must know that such statements are capable of leading to unwanted scenarios and the earlier they recognised that in as much as this nation would have to grow and learn to accommodate such extremely dissenting views or insulting innuendoes, we are not there yet.
Circumspection is therefore the best part of valour in this regard.