Joshua Akamba Is A Disgrace To Public Discourse

Some party officials of the largest opposition political party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have for some time now reduced public political discourse to a child's play. They sway off the substantive matters, pretending to be doing good to their party at the expense of national interest and pride. Nonetheless, in their quest to doing good to their political party, they end up exhibiting some amount of naivety, parochialism and unsound arguments.

In one of the many instances which we may know, Rtd. Captain Joshua Akamba, the National Organizer of the largest opposition political party in Ghana, the NDC, betrayed conscience, intellect and nationalism to define himself as an enemy of the state.

Responding to some questions on Angel FM of the Angel Broadcasting Cooperation and Fox FM respectively on Monday, April 8, all in Kumasi, Joshua Akamba outrightly exposed some amount of ungrounded and misguided untruth. Let me however state that it's not entirely surprising for him to have made such comments owing to the fact that he belongs to the largest propagandist political party in the Republic of Ghana.

Mr. Akamba, in all attempts to condemn, make mockery and put forth a justification against the press conference organized by the able General Secretary of the ruling NPP, ended up arguing that, government, led by H.E Nana Addo Dankwa Abudani Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia has over their three years in government collapsed Ghanaian own businesses. Notably, he mentioned the closure of MenzGold, Galamsey and some Banks. Pathetically, despite his argument that government has been unfair for the closure of especially MenzGold and the ban on illegal mining hitherto known as galamsey, he also agrees that the aforementioned were both illegal. Isn't this contradictory and betrayal of public discourse?

Mr. Akamba, further posited that "even though MenzGold may have operated as a ponzy scheme, it wasnt right for government and/or the Bank of Ghana, Minerals Commission, et al to clamp down on their operations in such hasteful style". He argued that his party knew MenzGold had no legal basis to operate yet they needed to keep watch over a time before they could strike. Simply put, the NDC under President John Mahama was watering the illegal MenzGold to grow into an adult before they could strike. Wow! This cannot be a serious political party to be given room to govern a state like Ghana.

On illegal mining or better put, galamsey, Mr. Akamba once again expressed dishonourable sense of humour, relegating himself only to be ridiculed by well meaning and discerning Ghanaians. Let me put on record that, any person who in one way or the other makes any kind of attempt to defend the galamsey menace is a nation wrecker. It's either that person is the devil himself or shares blood with the devil. Galamsey literally means illegal mining. The question is; Do we have to support or defend or try to justify the positives of something which is illegal? For Mr. Akamba to publicly defend galamsey and to blame the Nana Addo led government for banning same is ill in motive, shameless and must be condemned.

If the NDC associates itself to such comments which sought to defend unlawful practices such as illegal mining then Ghanaians must be worried that such a party parades itself as the next best alternative in the governance of this nation. Let me end by sharing disappointment in Mr. Joshua Akamba, a man who should have known better yet betrayed good public discourse. He's only worth to lead the NDC as a national organizer. The dishonourable Akamba and other officers of the NDC like Sammy Gyamfi who have constantly sold falsehood and palpable defiance of intellectual discourse would need some political education. Henceforth, we shall give unto Caesar what's due Caesar.

Reindolf Amankwa

Member, CTI-Middle Belt