Talk-Talk: ‘Nsem Keka'

Who said what, when, where, why and how remain fundamental pillars when it comes to news reporting in journalism. The 5W’s and H are journalists’ ammo. Thus if or when you miss all of them, which rarely happen, it means that you’ve totally misfired (wo’ato p3t3 tuo...).

Timbuktu isn’t aware. But Sokoto has gotten the message. She’s been tickled to death by her sister’s conduct. Accra has done it again. Call it a déjà vu. It’s a feeling of familiarity. Just when you think you’ve had a respite it comes right back—you face your nemesis. So I think it’s a travesty for anyone to forget the days every story was doctored or coloured. The days everything black was painted white and everything white was painted black.

How could you forget those days, Kwaku Ananse?
C’mon let me take you down N1 via highway ‘12. Maybe a few clues would help: Remember Delta Airline got mobbed in June? The crowd was incredibly insane. How about the midday trotting or jogging at KIA? Kwaku don’t pretend you still haven’t gotten the clue.

Anyway, this is Ghana, in case you’ve no idea of your location yet. They may leave your food untouched. They may cause no harm to your pet. They may even not steal your money or crucify you, if you’re lucky. But never try them with your case (Nya Asem Hw3). They’ll shred you like a piece of paper or grind you like pepper. In plain language you’ll be mauled!

Where would ‘talk-talk’ land Ghanaians?

Ghanaians love their politics but it appears the West African nation is pushing the game to the extreme. The smog from politics is become so oppressive, it seems to have beclouded the conscience of the very elites in our society—the aristocrats. It hasn’t spared the grassroots. It’s poisoned the minds of the foot soldiers and it’s gradually tearing families apart. Unbelievably, it’s even turned those in the inky fraternity (the fourth estate) into toadies.

How did we get here?
I think I know why we’ve found ourselves in this cesspool. Our governments past and present haven’t been transparent or accountable to the citizenry when it comes to information sharing. Why should the people know the health status of a president or vice president? Of course that seems to be the typical argument. But the question is: Why not, who pays the president’s medical bills, utility bills, fuel bills, hotel bills etc.? The Ghanaian taxpayers’ money does all that.

Even though governments may think such polarised posture help them to bulldoze their way, that doesn’t appear to be the case all the time. Indeed, there’s price to pay for being stingy or economical with information. Yes, whenever you starve the people with information they manufacture their own. They’d find ways and means to put out their own version of the story-- negative or positive. Ultimately, such situation produces fertile ground for rumor mill .And the mongers would go all out like disciples of the Gospel to peddle falsehood. Sometimes they may not be the originators of such rumors, they’re either sponsored or hired by public office holders—parliamentarians, government officials, and the aristocrats to do the hatchet job.

The deliberate mischief
Never under estimate them. The architects know how to push the right buttons and they play the mischief game often to the tilt. For example, they’d pronounce you dead even when you aren’t dead. They’d say you’ve stroke or have paralysis when you’re up standing on your commanding feet, they’d say you’ve diabetes, you’ve collapsed or in coma. Ask them who said what and you’ll find out the story has no source. Don’t forget, it’s all calculated to achieve one thing,--make their opponent (s) look bad, unfit, uncut, unhealthy and unqualified to hold himself in office.

In 2012 around April /May rumor swirled that President John Mills of blessed memory had died. The rumor spread like wild fire. In fact there was similar death rumor about the president in 2008. Where did both come from? Then opposition NPP was fingered. Was there a shred or an iota of truth in those rumors? It was untrue President Mills wasn’t dead. But his health condition had deteriorated. As matter of fact President Mills was ‘terribly sick’ according to his own brother.

However, the presidency (the NDC government) couldn’t manage the information well. Castle at the time denied that the president was sick-- resorted to PR gimmicks and as usual they got the spin doctors to spin the wheel. Unfortunately in July 21 2012 Ghana witnessed the death of her first sitting president. President John Mills Died!

What’s so political of being sick?
Dr. Cadman Atta Mills’ brother of the late President Mills rhetorically asked the question when he appeared on Bola Rays’ talk show programme on Star FM last year 2017. Dr. Mills said his brother wasn’t treated well by the presidency.

“And what really got me furious was they said he was going to the US for routine medical checkup. My brother is a human being he is not well. I want him to go and take the time necessary. The fact of your being president doesn’t mean you don’t get sick. And what’s so political of being sick?

“Fiifi…was somebody who was very open. Very honest. He would sit down with you and tell you the gory detail what his prognosis was. He’s not somebody who would hide things. But for some reason they decided that politically…it was not allowable for the people to know that he was sick,’ said Dr. Cadman Mills, the former president’s brother.

Why Should I revisit or remind Ghanaians of the loss of their beloved president? Well, it bears repeat, because as a people we tend to behave like the proverbial ostrich. We incline to forget things so quickly. Somehow I believe some of our politicians think politics is a clown game. And they can play the so-called tit-for-tat game without regard to its negative effects.

Six years on, we’re back at it rather than moving on. On Friday 19 January 2018 Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia was taken ill. According to reports Dr. Bawumia was advised by his doctors to seek medical treatment in the United Kingdom. Shortly after the vice president’s departure rumor spread that he’d been paralysed by stroke. Some said he’d diabetes. There was also rumor that he would months at the hospital because of the seriousness of his ailment. Were there any truths in that rumor?

No, none of them turned out to be authentic .Following the rumor the presidency issued a statement that indeed Dr. Bawumia had been taken ill and had undergone medical tests in the UK. Why did they have to wait for the spin doctors to play their game? I’ve no idea. Nevertheless, I think the presidency did far better given the way the NDC government handled president Mils’ situation in 2012.

At least the Flagstaff House admitted the veep was sick. Plus he was seeking medical treatment abroad. That said I also believe the announcement by the information minister Mustapha Hamid nearly blighted the whole issue. Who would fly someone to the UK just to ensure that he was kept away from visitors who may disturb his rest and recuperation period?

In the wake of the storm the NDC minority called for full disclosure on the health status of the vice president. And as expected the Majority leader in Parliament Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, however described the minority’s call as ‘hypocritical and preposterous’.

Well, after 12 days in the UK the Vice President returned home on Thursday February 1 2018 via British Airways to a rousing welcome at 8pm. And I must say he was as fit as a fiddle. H didn’t have jog or jump to prove that. In June 2012 President Mills also arrived from the US via Delta Airlines to a huge crowd amid cheers. And they made him jog or trot!

“I was very angry with him when he came back and was seen jogging,” Dr. Cadman Mills revealed.

Here’s my advice to all politicians of any side of the political divide. Please let’s not toy with the lives of our presidents when they’re unwell. It does the nation and its people no good. Dr. Mills gave us a taste of that during that interview in 2017.

He said: “I went to China. I came back and I couldn’t recognise my brother. I’ve to be very honest. He wasn’t even coherent. He was very visibly sick. And I’ve never seen him like that before. And I said we’ve to evacuate him immediately. We’ve to go to the US and have him looked at. That’s when they started telling me well you know elections are going to be soon and politically... That was the first and the only time I was disrespectful of the presidency. And I told them my peace of mind.”

But it’s all politics fault. Politics has caused all this. Today, right thinking people have refused to think right when we’re politicking. You know even President Akufo-Addo received some backlash. Why should the president travel to South Africa? Was it sensible for him to attend Masekela’s funeral at the time his vice president was in the hospital?

And to set the records straight the vice president was not in hospital at the time Mr. Akufo-Addo travelled to SA. Prior to that there’d been a video on the social media of the veep and his wife walking in the streets of London. Point number two the president didn’t go to South Africa to party. He was in SA to attend the funeral of a friend and a brother, which in my view was fitting and prudent.

And who do you blame for all this. I think it’s none other than our governments-- the past and present. I blame politicians too. I also think our culture plays a role in this. Until a decade or so ago, it was a taboo to announce the death of a king, especially among the Akans in Ghana. When a king dies you’ll never know until months or for some a year. That gremlin was somehow broken in 1997 when Asantehene Otumfuo Opoku Ware died. Within hour s of his death BBC broke the news to the world.

Well, let’s remind ourselves, we asked for democracy about 30 years ago and we have it. Transparency is one of its hallmarks so let’s try to come clean. I think it’s a great disservice to tell a whole nation that their president is going for vacation when for instance his journey to the sepulcher is as close as the nose and mouth.