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Moses Foh-Amoaning, Why The Political Talk?

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 Source: Anyidoho, Koku

It’s been quite a while since I put my mind to it to hit my keyboard and make my thoughts known as far as sports matters are concerned.

Indeed, I kinda decided to take my foot off the sports pedal for a while and just observe from a distance.

But once the thing is in my blood, there are times when I would not be able to resist the temptation to make public my thoughts and one such time is now.

I must say that I was more surprised than irked when I heard the GBA Boss, Moses Foh-Amoaning, make certain statements when, as is the norm, Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko, the newest world boxing champion Ghana can boast of, presented his belt to President Kufuor at the seat of government.

It was at that meeting that Moses saddened my heart with his politically laced tongue.

According to Moses, the country has not boasted of a world boxing champion for a while (which is true) and that it is because President Kufuor is a “lucky president” that is why Joseph Agbeko won for Ghana its newest world title.

Moses went on to say that with the “luck” of President Kufuor supposedly riding very high, he (Moses) was assuring the president that at least 3 more world boxing titles would rest on the shores of Ghana before January 07, 2009, when President Kufuor, would hand over to the next president of the Republic.

I have no problem if Moses is now a clairvoyant and so knows it for fact that 3 more world titles would be ours before the end of President Kufuor’s term but I ask; What on earth could have gotten into Moses, for him to have draped his tongue in so much blue, white, and red NPP colours?

I really don’t care if Moses Foh-Amoaning is a member of the NPP because it his right to decide which political party he wants to belong to just as this writer also has the right to belong to the NDC.

But when people occupy certain high public offices, it is only proper that such persons try as much as possible to live above petty and murky partisan considerations.

Why, is it the case that Joseph Agbeko was born, trained to be a boxer, and won the title within the almost 7 years that President Kufuor has been in charge of the affairs of the country such that it is the luck of the president that is making it possible for certain things to happen?

Did Joseph Agbeko not start off as a boxer long before President Kufuor was sworn-in as President of the Republic?

With Agbeko’s (25-1, 22 KOs) record, is Moses Foh-Amoaning saying that it all happened in a matter of 6+ years?

Was it not during the period of some other president that the talent of Agbeko was spotted?

And assuming that it is the good luck of presidents that wins titles for a nation, Moses should cast his mind back to the period of the PNDC/NDC governments and count the number of titles that the good luck of President Rawlings won for the country.

Barima Azumah Nelson, Ike “Bazooka” Quartey, Nana Yaw Konadu, Ebo Danquah, Alfred “Cobra” Kotey, did they not all win titles during the period of President Rawlings?

Going by the logic of Moses Foh-Amoaning it would very much be in place to pin the titles of the above-named persons on the good luck of President Rawlings wouldn’t it?

At Kuala Lumpur 98, did Raymond Narh not win a gold medal for Ghana with the likes of James Toney, Charles Adamu and Aloryi Moyoyo, winning bronze medals?

As governments that were really interested in developing boxing in Ghana, were Cuban trainers not on the payroll of the PNDC/NDC governments to train our amateur boxers?

And Moses cannot say that he does not know that when it comes to amateur boxing, Cuba produces the best in the world.

Can Moses Foh-Amoaning say that he does not remember how during the time of Hon. E.T. Mensah as Sports Minister, the likes of Raymond Narh, Anyetei Laryea, Joseph Agbeko, James Toney, Kpakpo Allotey and Joshua Okine were sponsored by the government for a training programme in Indianapolis in the United States?

So if out of that programme and others, Joseph Agbeko is now a world champion, why should Moses try to hang the glory of the young man on the supposed luck of one individual who maybe until the chap won the title, did not know that there existed any Ghanaian who responded to the name Joseph Agbeko.

When for almost a year, Agbeko had not engaged in any fight, what did Foh-Amoaning and his GBA do to help the guy?

So why all the unnecessary politicisation of the victory of Joseph Agbeko by the current GBA Boss?

Some of us don’t hide our political affiliation and when it comes to politics we speak our minds freely. We don’t hide behind any public office to do our politics.

So if Moses Foh-Amoaning wants to be an open politician, he should not hide behind any curtains; he should come out like the man he wants us to believe he is, and be part of the open political game.

Joseph “King Kong” Agbeko and his managers cum handlers have worked very hard to get to their current enviable height, and some of us are begging Moses Foh-Amoaning to leave the young man alone to savor his newfound status in life and not drag the young man down any foggy political road.

If it is about titles being won during the reign of presidents, President Kufuor’s so-called luck comes nowhere near the luck of other presidents so Moses Foh-Amoaning should please stop where he started before he ends up with serious rotten eggs and tomatoes on his face.

Sycophancy is killing Ghana and people like Moses Foh-Amaoaning must spare us their brand of it especially when it has to do with sports because sports is the only thing that tends to unify us as a people with a common sense of purpose.