I have read with interest and amusement an article by one Michael J.K Bokor with the above title. Reading through the article immediately exposes the naïve and mischievous mind of the writer. Even though the writer tried hard to disguise his NDC credentials, it is crystal clear. So he, rather than Akufo-Addo is engaging in self-delusion. At least Akufo-Addo is bold enough to state his position: he is a true blue member of the Danquah-Busia tradition, who believes that every Ghanaian deserves to live in dignity. He believes that it is the duty of governments to create a society of opportunity for all to exercise their God-given talents for the creation of a property-owning democracy in which the rights and liberties of every individual is protected.
Akufo-Addo does not only believe in these truths to be sacred, but he has actually spent half of his adult years making sure that these beliefs come true in his life time. From age 33 to date, Akufo-Addo has been on the street, fighting for the expansion of the political space that allows people like Michael J.K Bokor to write such trash. Michael’s masters in the NDC actually swore that “over their dead bodies would the criminal libel law be expunged from the books.” On the contrary, the first thing that Akufo-Addo did as Attorney-General was to repeal the criminal libel law, which allows people like Michael to write such libelous material about Akufo-Addo.
What does Michael J.K Bokor mean by Akufo-Addo was condescending in his interaction with people at Abirem? That can only be a figment of Michael’s imagination. Because Michael and his NDC have constantly harped on the fact that Akufo-Addo is arrogant, they must constantly find a reason to validate their propaganda. SO when he starts a listening campaign to which our people are rallying, they panic and say “yes, he is interacting with our rural folk, but he is condescending.” Well, Ghanaians have heard this over and over again. Please NDC and Michael, come again. Akufo-Addo and Mills who is condescending? When Ghanaians were suffering and smarting under the persecution of consecutive military regimes, where were Michael’s masters? They that love the people ascended the ivory tower and left the people to their fate. It took the “condescending” Akufo-Addo to leave his lucrative law practice in Paris to come down to Ghana to stand by the side of the people and defend their rights and their honour.
Michael can pontificate all he wants on “promises” and “programmes.” Truth is that “I will drastically reduce fuel prices” is a promise. That is vintage Mills. He has not only reneged on this promise, even the fuel is not available to us anymore. Throughout the eight years that Akufo-Addo and the NPP were in power, we never for once experienced petrol or gas queues. Today, see the massive chaos that has engulfed the oil sector. Why? This is because the greedy bastards running the oil sector are only interested in lining their pockets.
But when Akufo-Addo says that “we shall make senior secondary school the exit point for basic education and it shall be free,” it is a specific programme meant to cure the deficiencies in the educational sector. I don’t care what Michael and his associates say. For me, it is a programme of action that will serve our young people. And more importantly, it is innovative. Akufo-Addo has shown himself as more innovative than Mills. For me, I am looking for a leader who is innovative. And Akufo-Addo is. Mills spent 25 years teaching in the University and the highest he ever got was Associate Professor. That shows an incompetent and lazy person. It takes four years of teaching and five published papers to move from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer. It takes an additional four years of teaching and seven additional publications to move from Senior Lecturer to Associate Professor. It takes an additional four years of teaching and seven more publications to become Full Professor. So in twelve years, Mills could have become a Full Professor. So when he spends 25 years in the University and manages only to become Associate Professor, it shows him as incompetent and lazy. I don’t want a lazy and incompetent person as my President.
Let us look at Akufo-Addo’s professional record. Straight from Law School, he spearheaded the famous case of Tuffuor Versus Attorney-General, which today is a landmark case that our law students study in law school. Check the Ghana Law Reports and see the landmark cases that bear Akufo-Addo’s name. In any case, we can give Akufo-Addo the benefit of doubt because he has not gotten the opportunity to serve at the helm of affairs in this country before. And by helm of affairs I mean either the Presidency or Vice Presidency or both. This is because those platforms are the ultimate execution platforms. Mills served first as Vice President (for four years) and now he is President. As Vice President, he was the head of the Economic Management Team that left us with over 40% inflation figures and over 40% interest rates. Today Mills claims to have achieved single digit inflation, but really what we have is single digit inflation with triple digit poverty. So of what use is the single digit inflation?
As for the rather silly tag of drugs, it will serve the interest of Michael and his masters to stop it because it simply does not wash. Why? Do they think we don’t know junkies when we see them? If the achievements of Akufo-Addo are the achievements of a junkie, then I will be a junkie any day. It is important that the NDC allows the campaign to be clean and devoid of personal attacks. If they insist on personal attacks, believe me we shall come for Mills’ jugular. They should make no jokes about it.
Email: sizwebansi71@gmail.com