If blind adulation was the sole criterion to judge a nation’s perspicuity, and maturity, then, Ghana would have outdistanced the British to becoming a political powerhouse in the continent in this twenty-first century.
The reality is, we are not, and no amount of sizzling political proposals from our wannabe political leaders will change my opinion about the emotional immaturity of some of our political actors. Do we ever, for a minute, take into account, the incalculable dangers to leaving our nation’s politics to our experimental politicians?
I take serious offense to the dishonorable Kennedy Agyapong’s loutish behavior on Joy FM’s current affairs programme, Newsfile last Saturday. The NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North in the Central Region, in a very familiar fashion rained vituperations on his colleague MP for Sene, Twumasi Appiah. According to him, Mr. Twumasi Appiah attends parliamentary committee meetings inebriated with Indian Hemp.
“I take an exception to what he said that I don’t even attend meetings. As a chairman as he is, even when we were discussing the budget how many times did he come with a clean face. You go and smoke your wee. .. He is a wee smoker, he goes out there, he doesn’t even do anything, please, please, I am not scared of that idiot,” Kennedy Agyepong said.
Would Kennedy Agyepong’s populist brand of political rhetorics and unguarded comments on radio go any way to enrich our public discourses?
This is the same guy who has continue to peddle lies about money being paid into a so-called “Castle Account” but have been unable to back his claim with substantial evidence . He has in the past threatened to wipe out the family of ex-president Rawlings, Kwesi Pratt, Alhaji Bature, Hon. Baba Jamal and many others. The breeding of the likes of Kenneth Agyapong in our nation’s political space also attests to the quiescent character of the Ghanaian voting public, and our predisposition to choosing impulsive politicians, whose reckless talk, if left unchecked, will one day reduce our nation’s democratic accomplishments to rubble. What true, and civilized, democracy would allow a member of parliament to misconduct himself in public without dispensing some form of consequence?
Kennedy Agyapong’s utterances and baseless rants highlight the weaknesses in our parliamentary democracy and bring into contempt the workings of the Legislature to which he belong. You get the sense that the privileges committee of parliament is only there to intimidate the general public but not to protect the image of parliament. Kennedy Agyapong has dented the image of parliament for far too long yet the privileges committee looks on unconcern. Is he the only tenant on the block?
Does the provision on free speech confer on our politicians the uninhibited privilege to express their unguarded and loutish views in public without being hauled over burning coals? If the preceding is what democracy is about, then we must rethink our brand of national politics, and re-socialize some of our political leaders to learn good manners.
While democracy offers us the window to communicate our views on any subject matter, it does not allow incendiary provocations. Ghana has too many poorly educated people as politicians and Kenedy Agyepong is one such dude. He lack patriotism, sense of service to the Republic of Ghana, and know very little about democratic principles and civic responsibilities. I pray for the day when all Ghanaians will examine critically who they vote for; less they vote for people with psychiatric problems, druggies and social misfit to lead them. What you get out of making such careless decisions are the likes of Kennedy Agyepong.
It’s sad that this idiot of a parliamentarian, who thinks that he is the only tenant on the block, has been allowed by the privileges committee to continue embarrassing the legislature.
Where are the so called civil society organizations who always take swipes at other officials who misconduct themselves in public?
I have never heard any of them ever criticizing this apology of an MP. My surprise really is why his constituents voted for him to represent them? Is there no intelligent and a responsible, humble and wiser person, who can represent the people of Assin North, with some dignity than this hollow headed and pigheaded chap? The likes of Kennedy Agyepong must be told categorically that his uncouth and infantile behavior is becoming unbecoming in the sense that, a sitting member of parliament worth his salt doesn't fight fire with fire or one incendiary statement with another; that's plain puerile.
While our democracy has accorded us the voice we never had before, it also demands from us the commitment to show magnanimity toward our opponents, and treat them with the dignity they deserve.
Let’s not allow the conceited to use the child’s words to create castles to keep our nation in darkness. We have had enough of Kennedy Agyepong’s tomfoolery. He should just clean up and learn.
I shall be back!
Emmanuel Dela Coffie
www.delacoffie.wordpress.com
