I'll continue to rain insults - Tony Aidoo

It has been part of politics, especially in our part of the world. Politicians rely on it to express misgivings about their opponents. Many a time, how one takes and understands it would depend on which side of the bridge one belongs to.

I am talking about what has commonly been referred to as the politics of insults. It is instances where politicians hurl insulting words and vituperations at each other, especially their opponents and subordinates, as a means of expressing their divergent views on issues.

Politicians in Ghana have had a fair share of this from which the infamous “cocoa ase kurasinii”, “taxi drivers are also people” J. H. Mensah’s “wabodam” have all been evidenced.

Many people have expressed their disappointments at these developments but often times; these have been met with some more insults and or half-baked apologies.

President John Evans Atta Mills has deplored these politics of insults many times. In a tone of desperation, he once lamented, “My brothers and sisters when you switch on our TVs, or our radio, you will think that Ghana is at war. Many of us are engaged in politics of insults…[but] insults will not help us to produce…water, insults will not create jobs, insults will not bring about the peace and harmony that we need to develop,” questioning, ““are we going to spend our time hurling insults at one another while we leave the development of [the] country unattended to?".

One of such vibrant politicians who have been touted as being foul-mouthed is the Head of the Evaluation and Oversight Unit at the Presidency, Dr. Tony Aidoo.

Dr. Tony Aidoo many a time has come under scathing attacks for having opened his mouth too wide without giving concern to those at the receiving end. But the man who has just been elected member of the 11-member African Union (AU) Advisory Board on Corruption seems to be unperturbed.

In an exclusive interview with Xfm 95.1, a privately owned commercial radio in Accra, Dr. Tony Aidoo remains indifferent. He says “I rain insults- if they would want to call it insults, because they called for it. They have over the years, since 1992 subjected our party and every living persona to insults…”

“Look, whatever they say about me will not dissuade me from defending the NDC against their penchant of fabrication of falsehood against the NDC and I will respond to them in every language that they would choose”.

Taking us down memory lane, Dr. Aidoo reveals that what has contributed to this moral decadence among politicians is because “the so-called moral society of Ghana” has looked on almost helplessly as these insults have increasingly taken roots.

“The first time I was accused of being insulting was in a provocative reaction to Mr. J.H. Mensah’s usage of the word “wabodam” to his own peers at the Council of State. The so-called moral society of Ghana, sat unconcerned… They did not think that J.H. Mensah’s usage of the word “wabodam” was not acceptable, until I decided, to the extent that the moral society thinks it is an acceptable word, then J.H. Mensah must have it as his middle name”.

Dr. Aidoo decried the hypocrisy when it comes to issues as these bursting out rather passionately, “what kind of hypocritical society do we have; do we have a standard; do we have a national value system?