By Margaret Jackson
February 15, 2013
Charity, they say begins at home. Therefore, many people expect that before you leave the comfort of your home and venture into somebody’s compound to throw in your cent by way of advice, you have already put your house in order. This is because experience has always been seen as the best teacher; therefore, those who have been able to walk the walk are better placed to do the talk.
Not long ago, the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs paid a courtesy call on President John Mahama at the Flagstaff House in Accra. During the visit, the Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, among other things called on all parties to accept the Supreme Court’s verdict on the 2012 Elections.
The comment by Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin has created uproar with some accusing the Okyehene of doing the bidding of the NPP. Naturally people will read meaning into anything connected with the 2012 Elections because the result is still being contested at the Supreme Court by the NPP.
But when you are the Okyehene and one of your own ‘citizens’ who happens to be Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is the one contesting the election results in court, and you go to the other party involved in the case and you entreat him to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court, it takes the whole issue to another crescendo. Many people will read meaning to it and they will not take kindly to such advice especially if you a member of the NDC.
This then brings us to the issue of charity beginning at home. Before the 2012 Elections were conducted all the Presidential Candidates trooped to Kumasi and under the auspices of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, pledged that they will abide by the outcome of the results. Before each of the candidates signed the Peace Accord, they were given the chance to make a statement. The comments Akufo-Addo made on that day left many people shaking their heads, because it clearly demonstrated that if Akufo-Addo does not win the elections at all cost, there was no way he would concede defeat. Events later proved what everybody thinking.
That was then. When Akufo-Addo lost the 2012 elections, we did not hear from the Okyehene saying anything to Akufo-Addo. Even when Akufo-Addo sent the issue to court, the Okyehene was virtually mute. Therefore, everybody expected that before the Okyehene travelled to Accra to entreat President Mahama to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court, he would have done his homework by talking first to Akufo-Addo. After all, it’s Akufo-Addo who sent the issue to court and not the other way round. And by talking to Akufo-Addo first, it would have demonstrated that charity indeed begins at home.
But the Okyehene failed to talk to Akufo-Addo and rather came to see President Mahama. Now that the Okyehene has thrust himself into the issue, one expects him to also pay a call on Akufo-Addo and enjoin him to make a similar pledge that he will accept the verdict of the Supreme Court no matter the outcome so that Ghanaians will take note. Even though it is Akufo-Addo who took the issue to court, to date nobody has heard him pledging to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court if he loses.
The silence by Akufo-Addo on what he will do about the outcome of the Supreme Court decision is deafening. Akufo-Addo has so far not spoken about it nor has he sent any of his surrogates to make that pledge on his behalf. We are dealing with someone who does not accept anything unless it goes his way.
It is therefore, important for the Okyehene to put Akufo-Addo on record by making him pledge to the whole country just like President Mahama has done. This is because Akufo-Addo can never be trusted. Many Ghanaians believe that if Akufo-Addo loses the Supreme Court case he will find another shabby reason to reject the verdict.
This is a man who in his heart believes that Ghanaians love him so much that he did not lose the two presidential elections that he contested in 2008 and 2012. That is why Akufo-Addo wants the votes of over 4.6 million Ghanaians to be thrown away to pave the way for him to be president.
Ghana wants to move forward. We want peace in order to develop; therefore Akufo-Addo should not be allowed to continue to turn the country into a widening gyre. Indeed the country’s falcon can hear the falconer; Things have not fallen apart; the centre is holding strong; Mere anarchy, therefore, will never be loosen upon Ghana. Please keep the faith, and keep talking about this article till you hear from me again.
magjackson80@yahoo.com http://majjacks80.blogspot.com
