President’s Two-Faced Apology

President Akufo-Addo

Recently, the president, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo ate the humble pie and rendered unqualified apology to our visually impaired brothers and sisters after the president goofed big time with a statement that triggered the anger of the Ghana Blind Society.

The president told the world that his opponents were behaving like blind and dumb persons because they (opposition) could not see anything good his government was doing for Ghanaians.

When some commentators took the president to the cleaners and condemned him for making such an unfortunate comment, some of his appointees and party communicators came up with some poorly designed defence.

Some argued that like the all die be die mantra or the Simpa Panyin refrain, Nana Addo did not originate them and therefore he cannot be wrong for using the blind and dumb expression.

In their minds, big or small, those expressions have existed long ago even before Nana Addo was born and that they have been used time and over again by many Ghanaians.

Cleverly, however, the president took to his Facebook wall and quickly rendered an apology which eventually watered the grounds and settled the dust.

Following his apology, I would have wished that I did not waste time, space and energy to write this article but I simply could not withstand the temptation because I am a citizen.

I went to Facebook to read his apology as a spectator but the nature of the apology resonated in me the spirit of the president’s admonition that we should be citizens and not spectators.

Being in the citizen spirit, I carefully analysed the president’s apology and quickly realised that he rather added more injuries to the harm already inflicted.

In his apology, the president categorically mentioned that using the “blind and dumb” phrase to describe a situation has become a political metaphor.

He categorically stated; “I apologise for any unintended slight from the political metaphor”. So I ask, why is the apology?

I am more than curious to know exactly where the president offered the apology in the statement or perhaps he apologised without showing remorse?

It is a fact that the president only danced around his politically incorrect statement and ended up justifying why he used it.

I must admit that there are a lot of politically incorrect statements in our various dialects that our leaders ignorantly keep referring to with impunity.

One of such is the unacceptable use of the phrase, “as short as a dwarf”, a politically incorrect statement that is often used to describe short or diminutive persons and I can recall that the president was once told that he could never become president because he is short in height.

Hypocritically, the president did not view the statement as a political metaphor but took a strong exception to it and recently told a meeting outside the country that “people said I could not become president because I am short”.

Mr president, may I humbly ask why you seem so peeved with a politically incorrect statement that does not attack your ability to fight corruption, provide maximum security for your people but your natural height?

Do you not get a sense of feeling that that expression has existed years even before you were born and that it has become a political metaphor?

Or maybe you see everything wrong with it and that in your scheme of affairs, this politically incorrect statement just like the blind and dumb does not qualify to be a political metaphor?

I believed that your apology was going to bring an end to the use of politically incorrect statements in our political discourse but your decision to justify it in the same apology note to the people you offended, made your apology a two-faced one. Period.

If you care to know, Mr president, I would like to remind you that we live in a country where some of our most educated still do not feel or see that living with disability is not inability.

I can confidently say to you that some persons living with disabilities are still rejected from visiting certain palaces in this country in this advanced era where certain cultural practices have become obsolete.

Also, several thousands of them are not employed even when they are more competent and qualify for certain positions simply because past governments and your present one have wickedly failed to among other things, make the playing field level for them.

As if these inhuman treatments are not enough, other thousands are often rejected by families of people they desire to marry no matter how strong is the affection the women or men they intend to marry is.

Yes, this is the type of country we have and live in and I will personally not be surprised that you would not hesitate to disown any of your beautiful daughters who would decide to go out with a person living with disability.

Your branding of a highly unfortunate comment as a political metaphor tells it all and sends a stronger warning signal to your beautiful daughters and any person living with disability to stay off them.

A human right activist as you are, I humbly request that you never look mean on persons living with disabilities, denigrate them and use political metaphors that only make them useless in the sights of uncivilised people.

Chiefs are hailing you into their palaces today because you could see clearly and walk freely but kindly note that the same people would reject you from shaking hands with them in case you should become a disabled tomorrow.

Meanwhile, processes leading to one becoming a disabled person is not sold on the shelves at Melcom, Koala, Shoprite, ANC Mall or Makola market.

It could be you tomorrow so you can put this in your pipe and smoke.

I am a true citizen.