The final week of October, 2022 will be remembered for two contrasting voices which cut across the nation bringing out, disbelief and in the case of the last voice, the assurance that separation of powers in our democracy has now arrived.
First, to open up the week was the Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panyin II, Paramount Chief of Akyem Abuakwa. Obviously not happy at all about the way H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was been verbally lashed by some Ghanaians, the chief decided to come out with an advice, reminding Ghanaians that in our sacred culture, elders are not to be insulted.
He then went on to tell us that those who insult the president are villagers, witchesand wizards.
With his first statement, if Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panyin were in court, the lawyer at the other side would have pleaded that Nana is not credible witness. Is Osagyefuo actually advising Ghanaians to respect elders, when he had on at least two occasions, insulted Asantehene and the entire Asanteman, by physically attacking the king’s representatives at funerals.
With his misconduct towards a traditional leader who is much higher than him, he surely impacted into the youth that it was okay to insult elders, so what is he saying now?
The Asantehene traditional leader and king for that matter, whose jurisdiction is an empire of seventy paramountcies, that expands from Ashanti region into at least two regions and into two sovereign countries in West Africa. Some of these paramountcies are more powerful and more resourceful than Akyem Abuakwa, which is Nana Amotia’s jurisdiction. And yet he decided to disrespect this great overlord of this internationally acclaimed kingdom. And today, Okyenhene is entreating us to respect our elders. What has changed?
I am not in anyway in support of people who insult others, much more the elders. But I cannot imagine Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panyin who is guilty of such misconduct to come to entreat us to respect elders and never to insult them. We need someone better to advise on how to relate with our elders.
His second utterance that those who insult the president are villagers, witches and wizards is an insult to the good people of Ghana. And again, I will not suggest anyone insults the president of the republic, however in politics, comes insults. People who cannot qualify to dust your shoes can come out with utterances that will bring down your reputation in the most demeaning manner.
Mr Odoi Sykes, a strong UP person and an NPP National chairman who led the party to win the 2000 General Elections was alleged to have said that it was until he joined politics that he released he was a hunchback.Of course, Mr Sykes is not a hunchback, but he was insulted as being one.
For Nana Amotia to describe people who rudely insult the president, as villagers, witches or wizards which is a very derogatory statement in Ghana, by his misconducts against the Asantehene and Asanteman, he places himself in the same class of people, who insult by heart.
The best thing he should have done was to appeal to people not to insult the president, but to insult back, is not the best, and as a chief, he should be aware.
The other voice which resounded through the foundations and pillars of this country was when eighty plus out of the one hundred and thirty-seven NPPMembers of Parliament came out with a statement that made a lot of Ghanaians to wonder whether this is truly Ghana.
For the first time in this Fourth Republic, MPs from the ruling party have stood up against their president and even went further to serve notice that they will not do business with government unless the president does their wish and that is to remove and replace his finance minister and the minister state of finance.
In an era when Ghanaians are calling for a total overhauling or complete replacement of the 1992 Constitution, we have some Members of the House, dismantling parts which make the president have a hold on Parliament.
These MPs went to interact with their constituents during their recess and they were told the truth. It was their constituents who put them in the House and so they felt they owed them allegiance and should do their biddings. So, they served notice to the president that the good people of Ghana did not like the way the economy was being run and they strongly desired that the finance minister and the minister of state of finance should be replaced as soon as yesterday.
Two loud voices from respectable sources, one from a chief who is saying,only villagers, witches and wizards will condemn the president and another voice which came out to condemn the president about the way his finance minister and minister of state of finance were mismanaging the economy and demanding that he replaces them or they will not do business with him.
By Osagyefuo Amotia Ofori Panyin’s standard, the MPs are villagers, witches and wizards and by the MPs standards the likes of Osagyefuo Amotia cannot manage the affairs of his own people.
In all these, Ghana has become a sweet and enjoyable place, in the midst of such economic hardship. God has indeed blessed this homeland of ours.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
