President Nana Akufo-Addo
“State coffers are not for victorious political parties. I promise to protect the public purse” – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.
I’ve always hoped this day would come. I’ve on many occasions prayed to the Bearded Old Man above to make me see this day. But trust me when I say I never knew it would come so soon. I never knew I would see this beautiful day. The day that the Short man and the most vilified politician in the country would hold high the sword of office. That beautiful day when the Elephant would walk majestically back to its natural habitat, the bush.
It is a day that would forever be etched in my memory. The joy most of my compatriots felt was evidently shown by the infectious smiles on their faces. Thousands travelled from various towns and villages to the Independence Square to be part of the investiture of the so-called Short Man. Without a doubt, it is the most celebrated presidential inauguration in the history of this country.
It is very difficult for me to shed tears, be they tears of pain or joy. But I shed tears that fateful Saturday. I just cannot describe the feeling I had when I saw the Short Man lift high the golden sword, which symbolizes the authority of office of the president of the Republic. All I saw was tears moving sneakily from my eyes and moving down my cheek. Yes, I shed tears; and I’m not ashamed to say so!
Here is a man who has lived a very principled and dignified life. Even his harshest critics and political opponents know that he is a man of integrity. Yet blinded by partisanship and robbed of good conscience, all manner of vices were ascribed to him. He was called all manner of names. Some even decided to play God and gave damning verdict about the man. They said he could never and would never ever become a president in this country.
As I watched his investiture, I told myself that was the moment some people thought could never happen in this country. Omane Boamah was bold enough to be at the investiture but the broken eggs on his face were very visible. As I shed tears, I wondered if the likes of Kwaku Anyidoho were watching the investiture of the Short Man in the beautiful kente cloth. It was indeed a beautiful spectacle to behold!
The President’s speech was inspiring, to say the least. It is arguably the most inspiring inaugural speech I’ve ever heard. And trust me when I tell you that I’ve heard all the inaugural speeches under the Fourth Republic.
I was most inspired by two key points in the speech. The first is the vow to protect the public purse as quoted at the beginning of this piece. That is very refreshing considering numerous “create, loot and share” schemes we witnessed under the erstwhile Ogwanfunu government.
His call on his compatriots to wake up and redefine what he calls “The new Ghanaian” is also stimulating. Indeed, we cannot continue doing the same things and expect a different outcome. We can only get different outcomes when we do things differently, as the President had espoused.
I’ve heard and read from many of my compatriots who are willing and ready to heed the President’s call. But not our friends from the Zu-za family. They saw nothing good in the inspiring speech. What they saw from the 19-page speech was a so-called plagiarized line.
Funny, isn’t it? Who told them that is how they can warm their way back into the hearts of the electorate? The electorate is anxiously waiting to see how the new government would fulfill its promises, which would in turn help ease their suffering. As for the noise about plagiarism, it only sounds like ‘pito’ music in our ears.
Whether plagiarism or not, the Short Man is now the President of the Republic and the Great Elephant is back into the bush. I’ve had the occasion to criticize the title of Arthur K’s book, “Chasing the Elephant into the Bush”. I still maintain the stance that a true member of the Kukrudu family should have titled it, “Chasing the Elephant from the Bush”.
After wandering in unfamiliar environment for eight years, the Elephant has finally found its way back into the bush. With the greedy hunters and poachers now chased away from the bush, the Great Elephant can have the peace of mind to cater for its children.
As the Great Elephant walks majestically back into the bush, its children are concerned about one thing only: How their lot would be improved by the return of their mother. Only a fool would think otherwise.
See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!
