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Only Akufo-Addo can bastardize
himself
By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Folks, it is clear that President Mahama’s reaction to the
“useless insults” hurled at him by his political opponents
has set off a verbal bomb. He has succeeded in jolting them
into making all kinds of comments to lead us in several
directions. And they are already expending energy on a
campaign of equalization as if they cannot separate the wood
from the forest.
Kweku Baako, Jr., the Managing Editor of the New Crusading
Guide newspaper and a known NPP ventriloquist, is reported
to have said that the NPP’s Akufo-Addo is the most
bastardized, the most vilified Ghanaian politician in the
country’s recent political history.
“…They’ve bastardised the man, vilified him, assassinated
his character, all without providing an iota of evidence,”
Mr Baako said. According to him, even though Akufo-Addo has
not been president before, he has taken more flak from his
opponents than any other politician in Ghana. (See
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Baako-Akufo-Addo-is-most-bastardised-Ghanaian-politician-394737).
In going this way, Kweku Baako has added a different
complexion to the matter; and we will examine that aspect to
prove that no one but (William) Nana Addo Dankwa (Danquah)
Akufo-Addo has bastardized himself and turned up his
underbelly to be poked open for the effluent in him to flow
out into the open for public scrutiny and consequent
disapprobation for all that it is. I do so with a clean
conscience wrought by my knowledge of who Akufo-Addo is and
why he is what Baako says he is in the public sphere.
First, I want to interrogate the operational word
“bastardized” as used by Baako in his assertions. I don’t
know which of the many meanings of the word influenced
Baako’s thinking to make him portray Akufo-Addo as such; but
I know that the most widely accepted reflected (strongest)
meaning of the word is “to reduce from a higher to a lower
level” (to debase, generally). It takes its source from the
root word “bastard” (which itself has many meanings, some of
which are “spurious” or “false”; “of an inferior or
non-typical kind, size, or form”; “an offensive or
disagreeable person”; and the common one, “an illegitimate
child”.
Okay for the definition to create the context. Which of
these meanings informed Baako’s assertion regarding his
characterization of Akufo-Addo is his own cup of tea; but I
assume that he is interested in the broad meaning of the
verb (“bastardize”) to suggest that Akufo-Addo has been
“maligned”, “disparaged” or “vilified”. If that is the
framework, then, I agree with him without question.
But framing my analysis around a major foundational question
should help us prepare for what I will argue about to prove
that no one but Akufo-Addo has succeeded in bastardizing
himself. The question is: Why is Akufo-Addo bastardized? Is
it because he has been chosen for a special vengeance by
those vilifying him? What is that vengeance?
Folks, I now launch my project to unpack Baako’s assertions.
Obviously, Akufo-Addo is on people’s lips for whatever he is
and what he has portrayed about himself to warrant his being
talked about for good or bad. As Baako saw things, the bad
aspects far outweigh the good ones; at least, if his claims
are anything to go by.
So, why vilify Akufo-Addo? The truth is that the man is the
cause of his own bastardization, clearly because of what he
has been all these 70 something years. Let’s be honest
enough to take a tour through his life to expose the
landmarks.
Much of what we know about Akufo-Addo is already in the
public domain. His origin and privileged position as the son
of a highly accomplished lawyer and titular President of
Ghana (Edward Akufo-Addo) are known. His own exploits in the
legal field are there for all to see, even if huge question
marks still hang over how he became a lawyer without any
certificate from the Middle Temple but was called alone to
the Ghana Bar on a Saturday to be enrolled by the General
Legal Council in 1973. A long story here.
We have records on Akufo-Addo’s
ventures in national politics, beginning as the MP for the
Abuakwa North(?) constituency, rising to hold Ministerial
portfolios as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice
and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Kufuor. His ambition
to become Ghana’s President and the challenges facing him in
his own party in the period preceding his choice as the
flagbearer for Elections 2008, 2012, and 2016 is known too.
In choosing to do national politics to the extent that he
has reached so far, Akufo-Addo has left ugly traces behind.
His public posturing and pronouncements have generally
portrayed him in controversial ways that have wrought what
Baako sees as his being bastardized.
Folks, it will be redundant to itemize all that Akufo-Addo
is because much is already out there about him. To his
admirers, he is “gold”; but those who see him as worse than
brass know why. In truth, the outcome of Elections 2008 and
2012 should tell every conscionable observer that Akufo-Addo
failed in his bid to become Ghana’s President because his
personal liabilities of character far outweighed whatever
his glib tongue and pretentions political antics could
dredge up. He failed to appeal to the electorate and lost
the bid.
Even then, he won’t change his dark spots to make the
difference. What is known about him that continues to
detract from his worth includes the general perception that
he is arrogant, not to mention the aspects that touch on
immorality and drug abuse. Much of what harms his personal
image comes from him. Thus, whatever he does or says is
quickly placed within the context that he himself has
created for the people. Changing that context has been his
most difficult task.
Added to the negative streak of character as stated above,
happenings in the NPP of late have added more to his
baggage. Thus, additional negative/pejorative instances
verging on his being vindictive, divisive, intolerant, and
overly desperate for political power have combined to darken
his image. No one seeing him in this negative light will be
cajoled by any façade or smokescreen he sets up to advance
his political quests.
The deceptive or manipulative campaign stunts (e.g., joining
commuters on tro-tro buses from Kwame Nkrumah Circle to
Labadi/Osu in Accra; visiting deprived communities in parts
of the country and eating food with the people; or mixing up
with members of just any kind of religious sect for worship)
don’t do him good. They cast him in a bad light as a
pretender who is descending from his high horse to rub
shoulders with the common people only in pursuit of their
mandate to accomplish his childhood ambition of becoming
Ghana’s President at all costs.
Added to these hiccups are the inflammatory pronouncements
made by Akufo-Addo, especially those regarding “Yen Akanfuo”
and “All-die-be-die”. In a single swing of his tongue,
Akufo-Addo destroyed his own public image by making such
explosive comments. It is his own making.
Additionally, his refusal to condemn equally dangerous
pronouncements from stalwarts of the NPP such as Kennedy
Agyapong and Yaw Osafo-Marfo has reinforced the negative
opinions about him that he supports the stance of those
pitting Akans against other ethnic groups. In fact, this
particular aspect of happenings does Akufo-Addo no good at
all. I wonder if he doesn’t know it and why he can’t undo
the harm.
Let’s turn to Akufo-Addo’s pronouncements that portray him
as a violent person. His refusal to accept the outcome of
Elections 2008 and 2012 had nasty repercussions, the most
disturbing ones being the street demonstrations and
vandalism that his followers resorted to. What happened
after the results had been announced confirmed people’s
perception of him as a violent man who would sacrifice
everything and everybody in pursuit of his political
ambitions. We are even not talking about the 8 months of his
petition hearing by the Supreme Court that underscored his
agenda to make Ghana ungovernable for President Mahama.
Folks, turning the searchlight on internal happenings of the
NPP as Akufo-Addo leads the party to Election 2016 will
confirm why he should be seen as the most bastardized
politician. We will not bore you by recounting all the
happenings; but the general impression is that he is
manipulating the situation to snuff out those opposed to
him. What happened to Alan Kyerematen to turn him into a
“mumu” and to emasculate other vocal critics (Dr.
Nyaho-Tamakloe, Kwame Pianim, Dr. Wereko-Brobby, Dr. Konadu
Apraku) is incontestable. What we see happening to Afoko and
will happen to Sammy Crabbe (and Kwabena Agyepong if the
real power brokers of the NPP will allow it) is glaringly
the brainchild of Akufo-Addo. No matter how he distances
himself from those happenings, it will be difficult to free
him as having no hand in the rumpus.
So, folks, do you see how Akufo-Addo comes across? He has
laid the foundation for whatever is being built to make the
Kweku Baakos present him as the most bastardized politician
in recent times. The ultimate question is: Out of the
thousands of Ghanaian politicians walking the political
stage for public goodwill, why is Akufo-Addo
pinpointed/targeted for vilification? And who are those
vilifying him? Of course, his political opponents will. But
now, he has succeeded in raising a constituency of vilifiers
within his own party to worsen his woes. So, na who cause
am?
He may claim to be neither corrupt nor corruptible; but
there is more to character than that claim. And it is the
positive streaks of character that woo the electorate not
any flight into fantasy or self-adulation. Neither will
recourse to ventriloquists of Kweku Baako’s type solve any
problem for Akufo-Addo. Choosing violence in the pursuit of
the demand for a renewal of the voters register will
accompany him to Election 2016. Who will lionize someone
advocating violence to achieve his political ambitions?
Folks, there is still a lot more to say in response to Kweku
Baako’s claim; but I will pause here to say that in all that
has been happening, I don’t think that anybody is imagining
anything negative to splash on Akufo-Addo. Whatever has
become of him in the public sphere has come from him. If he
turns a new leaf to change his dark spots, something
positive may happen to his public image. Until then, it is
the same old story. No one but Akufo-Addo has bastardized
himself!
I shall return…
• E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com
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to continue the conversation
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