Nana Akufo-Addo Is Not A ‘Follow-Follow’ Man!!

It is interesting sitting back and watching persons in desperate situations clutching at straws! In this case, Baba Jamal, Dep. Min. for Information, throwing the gauntlet to the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, to make a statement, like the president has done, on the financial aid threat made by the British Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron threatened to with hold financial aid to countries that impinge on the Human Rights of Gays/Lesbians, specifically Uganda and Ghana.

It is a sad commentary recalling the shallowness of perception, view point and performance of the ‘Team B’ ministers under the Mills run NDC. For once, or more generously, on a most rear occasion, Pres. Mills has taken a stand, albeit populist! Going by the cultural makeup of Ghanaians, it was a dead on safe bet for him to seemingly stand up to David Cameron by repeating his mantra ‘ Yen dzi yen fi3 asem’ or rather ‘Cameron, dzi wu fi3 aeem’! Of course, this was a rare opportunity for Pres Mills to strike a common pose with the electorate, and he lapped it up with relish. His henchmen, with nothing else to brag about in terms of achievement, do not want this euphoric moment to pass by, and thus, the daily discussion this is generating on the airwaves.

Whilst not trying to rain on their parade, it needs to be pointed out the fundamental issues that the NDC propagandists are missing in all this brouhaha.

First of all, in international diplomatic liaisons, being slighted does not necessarily warrant a ‘bull in a China shop’ type reaction. Diplomatic disagreements have their means of resolution. For instance, the Foreign Minister, or if necessary, the President, could summon the British High Commissioner to the Castle for a stern ticking off message to be passed on to the British Prime Minister about the effrontery. After all, we are not talking about an insignificant partner here where the endeavor to maintain cordial relations does not matter. Cameron - and I must add, I disagree with the man and his right wing style of politics – had the effrontery to attempt to blackmail recipient countries of his country’s largess into subsuming their cultures to those of say, the United Kingdom, failing which, the aid cycle would be halted. That said, the reaction of the aggrieved countries should be measured and still leave no doubt as to how sentiments and sensibilities might have been stirred and inflamed. The answer is not the unrefined and undiplomatic response the president issued. To then expect Nana Akufo-Addo - a man brought up to appreciate the intricacies of international diplomatic shenanigans, especially after having held the Foreign Ministry portfolio for years culminating in Chairing the United Nations General Assembly – to naively follow suit in a populist rather than follow diplomatic protocol, is not only naive, but a cheap opportunistic attempt by the NDC and the likes of Baba Jamal in particular. Nana is not a ‘follow-follow man’!

Secondly, any casual observer of British politics since the right wing Conservative Party scrapped into power in a coalition with the Lib-Dems, would note that this threat by Cameron was an undisguised trap that Pres Mills has fallen into. In his April 2011 budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne in the midst of heinous cuts on spending, actually increased the monies for International Development aid. This was met with anger by xenophobes and such like. Therefore, having with gritted teeth made this gesture towards maintaining ex-Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s dedication and support for the Third World, Uganda’s very public mis-treatment of Gays, coupled with some very public utterances by some Ghanaian Ministers on this matter, presented Cameron with the opportunity to accomplish two things. Being no fool, Cameron knows for sure the attitude of Africans in general towards homosexuality. Therefore, with this inciteful statement, he knew he would either achieve the unlikely succumbing of needy African nations into granting homosexual rights, or, indeed with hold British cash to those countries, and save cash for the British as a result! Winner on either front!

Therefore, to the politically savvy operator, which Nana Akufo-Addo undoubtedly is, Cameron needs to be played at his own game, and that is not in an empty bullish fashion, but along the corridors of No.10 Downing Street. So, for example, Nana Akufo-Addo will be attending the International Democrats Union [IDU] Party Leaders meeting here in London where David Cameron will be hosting. This will normally be the opportunity for leaders like Nana to impress upon Cameron, how he and the nation of Ghana felt about his pronouncement, and possibly extract a retraction or an apology, and I believe Nana will! This is a ‘jaw jaw’ world, not a ‘war war’ world, especially where the war of words is against a far stronger foe. Cameron’s blackmail is certainly condemnably underhanded, but for a person whose political makeup is, ‘might is right’, arrogant Cameron thinks he can get away with it. The matter, I conclude, is not whether Cameron can get away with such clap trap, but rather how to respond to him, and that is where there is a world of difference between the NDC and the NPP’s Nana Akufo-Addo. Negotiations and extracting compromises is the reality in international relations rather than populist but ultimately empty war of words!

By: Richard Dombo Diedong