Pleading for the former president

Former President John Mahama has been busy these past few weeks sharing his rather repugnant impressions about the Akufo-Addo government with the rest of the country.

It is a difficult task he has on his plate as he seeks to alter his rather unimpressive opinion among Ghanaians.

Under such circumstances, especially, when he is an embattled figure in his party, the task is Herculean requiring a mastery of communication skills he is supposed to have.

He studied the subject at the post-graduate level and so we would expect him to be mindful about the inherent pitfalls that dot the path of local politics. Unfortunately, he is not; his choice of targets rather exposing his flanks to rapid fire from his opponents whose dossiers on him do not need replenishment.

We are not too pleased with Ghanaians, especially the New Patriotic Party (NPP), for being too hard on the former President when they are returning his fires, and there have been many in recent times. We expect them to be a bit lenient with him on humanitarian grounds for, as a troubled politician, he is somewhat befuddled and needs direction which he does not get from his camp.

Here is a man who was given all the assurances of a victory at the last polls by those who were endowed with the wherewithal to change the verdict of the people yet this could not be. To expect this man to conduct himself normally is to be overambitious.

Dabbling into every subject that comes his way and not necessarily one which he is well versed in, opens his underbelly to attacks from NPP sharpshooters who do not hesitate a moment to consider the plight of the limping politician; their sustained fire tearing at him mercilessly.

We plead with Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia to tamper his responses with a modicum of humanity when the former President veers into the rather complex field of economics, an area he is deficient in.

Rather than respond to his uninformed attention-seeking jabs at government over what, in his opinion, is a challenged national currency, organizing some lessons by the Vice President would have been more productive. Economics, the macro segment, is beyond the ken of some persons – the former President being one.

The curves of demand and supply of convertible currencies especially, the dollar vis a vis the local cedi, present interesting seasonal variations which are jumped at when it suits frustrated politicians like the former President for want of an ingredient for polemics. While the former President regrettably finds himself in this bracket of the ignorant, we should not fire him too much lest we are categorized among the politically inhuman.

A few days ago, he jumped onto the hospital bed episode, mocking his successor for not, as it were, living up to the standard he claims to have set. Blimey! The standard of collapsing health-delivery system in which an enviable National Health Insurance Scheme – the pride of the nation – was on life-support should definitely earn the former President plaudits.

Sure, the former President did so well for the nursing profession that he stopped the allowances due nursing students. He was so obstinate about the decision that he did not mind even if that move was going to cost him the crucial pending election. It did cost him the polls anyway. What a man!