Chairman Wontumi must change!

In no sense vacillating, I admire certain aspects of the life of Chairman Wontumi, but I strongly feel that one mammoth weakness that drags him into the pit is the manner he speaks about issues of national interest, and even more egregiously, his decision to launch a vitriolic attack on Professor Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the running mate of President John Dramani Mahama (JDM), in a video making social media sun and stars today.

In the unfortunate video, the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman flagrantly compromises his integrity by sitting comfortably, attacking the professor’s personality – and more repugnantly, comparing her with other women. In doing so, I feel he has committed the most inexcusable political blunder of his life to have impetuously, if not fatuously, attacked the scrumptiously learned and intellectually astute running mate of JDM.

Perhaps his shameful outbursts procreate from the heretical and execrable imprint of the NDC-NPP Abhorrent Attacks. The “You-Do-Me-I-Do-You” Syndrome, which indelibly typifies our political landscape, which has also left an incandescent stain on the NPP-NDC fabric, is what is being referred to. This thought stems from the fact that no NPP member has come out boldly to condemn Chairman Wontumi’s attack on Professor Jane. All they nonchalantly claim is the nauseating smell of the rotten food of: “They do it to us so Wontumi is only retaliating”.

Is that what multi-party democracy is about? For how long will we continue to do that? Are we really the beacon of democracy in Africa? Democracy is far better than insults – it is not about insulting people. Let us wake up and smell the coffee, people! Of course, Professor Jane, like every human being, is imperfect. The best way to go is to chastise her for what she did. Divorce her personality from her job. For instance, during her tutelage as the Minister of Education, there was no correlation between the number of months taught by teachers in SHSs and the salary arrears received. Some people taught for over two years yet were given just three months’ salary arrears. And if I am not mistaking, there was a shortage of chalk in some schools in Ghana. Leave her personality out of it.

You see, Chairman Wontumi has unequivocally demonstrated on innumerable occasions that he is pathologically a bad communicator. He conveniently and cynically goes against the grain to exhibit crass disrespect to people he does not see eye to eye with, as well as a grandiose disregard for the feelings of people who hold him dear.

Is this really what the ruling party wants? If the answer to this question is “No”, then Chairman Wontumi must be advised. It does not necessarily pay to speak all the time. One does not need to speak at all times to be a good politician. And those who urge and support him must be made aware that they are inextricably linked to his politically visceral outbursts. If the NPP is really serious about making some of us appreciate their: “The Alternative is Scary” proclamation, then Chairman Wontumi (and his likes) must turn over a new leaf. If not, the ruling party will be as scary as the alternative, if not scarier.

Kwabena Aboagye-Gyan

(kwabena25@hotmail.com)