Opinions of Thursday, 6 February 2020

Columnist: Elyon Badu Acheampong

Kyei Mensah Bonsu (K. M. B) – The liar, the arrogant, the uncultured and the ungrateful

Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Majority Leader in Parliament Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, Majority Leader in Parliament

Yes, you have apologized, and this what you said and I quote “my response was high-pitched, and if I have the same opportunity I obviously wouldn’t go the way I went yesterday.

Besides, Dr. Amoako Tuffuor is older than me and in our Akan setting, you can never win a case with an elderly person”. With all the serious things you said, how can you within 24hrs with the fluency of your outburst turn around and apologize.

So you are not a man of your words, or you can lie at will, or you can be so ignorant about what goes on in the party, and people who have helped the party, or after exhibiting simplicity of mind and then arguably be influenced by some other people’s opinions, you turn around to apologize.

Or some people manipulate your mind with ease because deep down, you are not a thinker.

It’s a pity but understandably so, Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor, a true statesman and a lover of his party has decided to put brakes on the controversy, but some of us can never do this because, it touches our present and our future and therefore, we have to fight for our rights and like Kyei Mensah Bonsu, we tell him what we want to tell him and the next day, we apologize.

In this article, I’m going to dissect issues politically and academically:

1. You (K. M. B)said “he doesn’t have any relevance in this party” – To speak on this, Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor has a lot of gathered relevance in this party more than Kyei Mensah Bonsu could ever imagine or achieve. Respectfully Mr. Majority Leader, his efforts together with that of the remaining 20 founding members are what you and your fellow NPP parliamentarians, plus the entire party are thriving on today to enjoy the “goodies” reeling in from the time of President Kuffuor through to President Nana Addo today. When Dr Tuffuor was a founding member, you were a student at that time picking up ideas and political direction when you were constantly visiting his night club and restaurant with your other colleagues. At that time, he gave your group a car, didn’t he?

2. You said “whenever there is an election, he (Dr. Tuffuor) spirits himself into Ashanti Region and pretends that he’s in control over the region” – The very first question I will ask you Sir is, why do think people in the Ashanti Region and other parts of the country call him (Dr. Amoako Tuffuor) “The Maestro or The General, or Capo de Tuti, or The Master Planner and Thinker”? This clearly shows that you must learn some details about him and admit the fact yourself that he is very much relevant in the party., Most people know this, how come you don’t? Of course we know that you don’t spend anytime moving around campaigning for the party and giving yourself to the party. You sounded too arrogant and proud in your submission just that you are feeling too arrogant and proud to admit it, or could it be described as jealousy? Accept this fact and learn to appreciate your elders. Too much pride will only kill your life and political career in advance.

3. You asked “what does he do for the party” – Brilliant question Sir, now that you have asked out of your ignorance, I will furnish you with the proper details:

- Dr. Amoako Tuffuor is first of all a Founding Member of the NPP.

- He is a National Council Member who has been spending the last over 25years with his respectable colleagues trying to ensure that the party survives.

- He again is a member of the Council of Elders for the party and thus has been from day 1.

- He served as the Ashanti Regional Disciplinary Committee Chairman for quite a number of years.

- He formed the NANA FOR PRESIDENT (NAFOP) Group of Taxi Drivers which contributed greatly to the victory of the Party in the 2016 Elections
He formed the Young Elephants Movement since 1996 that also played significant roles in all our national Elections.

- He thought clearly and created “Watch the Box Program” that contributed and brought J.A Kuffour and the NPP to power, and he taught a lot of volunteers how to protect the ballot box from being snatched or stolen by the NDC in many polling stations

- He together with Agyasei of Ashanti Region, immediate past Vice Chairman, realized that many people didn’t know how to vote correctly, and took it upon themselves to train people across the length and breadth of the country as to how to vote. They did this by printing millions of sample ballot papers. He funded this program all by himself. When E.C had balloted and they knew where Nana Addo’s name would appear, they again printed dummy ballot papers with that indication and went around the country to teach and show people so that they wouldn’t miss it on the day of elections when the E.C gave out its original ballot papers.

- He supported and funded private security programs to protect NPPs interest in the periods towards the elections and on the elections day.

- He single handedly sponsored a student movement called “STUDENTS FOR NANA – STUNNAD” all round the country to educate the masses on the need to vote for the NPP and trust in their policies; and helped some to know how to collate and move results to headquarters, which helped the process of speeding the collation, especially the white paper

- He worked tirelessly with the first Chairman of the party Da Rocha, whom I am tempted to believe you don’t know his relevance either, to write the first ever constitution of the party.

- Last but not least as the list may take us days to write, he is still supporting and funding the party at the grassroots level in many activities across the country

4. You asked “what does he do for the government” – I want to believe you asked this question for asking sake, but I don’t think I can allow it slide, you must be answered:

- Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor is an Advisor to the President of the day, H.E Nana Akuffo Addo. And I strongly believe you know what that alone means.

- Dr. Amoako Tuffuor was a member of the committee set up by the President in the establishment the 6 New Regions in Ghana, and ensured the 6 new regions President promised became a reality.

- That notwithstanding, he still was part of the committee that ensured that the 6 new regions had their appropriate regional capitals.

- Through his relentless efforts, he created and spearheaded the Ghana School Feeding Program, which has become a major feat and legacy for the NPP as a party and a government. He still continues to offer free advice and support to this sector on how to handle affairs relating to that and its improvement.

- He has single handedly trained numerous ministers in this current administration, as well as many of the CEOs, Board Chairmen etc. these people know themselves and are living testimonies to Dr. Amoako Tuffuor’s love and selflessness for the party. The list goes on and on and on… you should be very mindful of the questions you pose Hon. Minster for Parliamentary affairs.

5. Do you know the significance of Tuffuor vrs Attorney General? He worked closely with the President of the day with due respect, as his lawyer and established a strong legacy in Ghana’s democracy. Since you didn’t know his relevance, I will encourage you to learn the court case and see how it boosted our democracy up to today and beyond.

6. In your apology, you asked that he should engage the party behind closed doors to discuss issues, I want to ask Honorable and leave him with this question as I will be preparing my next article, “don’t you think you could have as well gone behind closed doors to approach Dr. Amoako Tuffuor on the said issues other than your public infantile outburst?” A question for your conscience…


More to follow.