Opinions of Wednesday, 17 July 2024
Columnist: Rockson Adofo
Kumawood is a group of Ghanaian actors and actresses, celebrities, so to speak, if I am not mistaken.
The members of this group like any other ordinary Ghanaian, have the right to join any political group, form a political party, or declare their unwavering support for any political party of their choosing.
However, their declaration of support and canvassing for NDC presidential candidate Mr. John Dramani Mahama with the assigned reason has become a major concern to me.
I understand some of the members of Kumawood have come out openly to declare that their support for Mr. Mahama and NDC is because they expect him to donate SUVs and 8 cars to them as individuals.
They claim that during the presidency of Mr. Mahama from the demise of late President Professor Fiifi Evans Atta Mills until January 7, 2017, he donated some cars, among them an SUV 8, to some members of Kumawood, traditional chiefs and queens, and some public figures, especially journalists and radio programme presenters supporting him.
Former President Mahama is on record as having given free, expensive cars to the groups mentioned above, using state funds.
Nobody was able to question him about why he was misusing public funds whimsically.
As he got away with mismanaging the state coffers as though the money was his, earned from the sweat of his toil, and could be used anyhow, the Kumawood were of the expectation that he would repeat the same if he won the election in 2024, hence their declaration of unflinching support for him.
Some members of Kumawood are alleged to have said they want him to win the election so that he could give free cars to those of them that were given none during his presidency, as mentioned above.
If it is for them to be given free expensive cars because they are supporting John Mahama but not for any other reason, then I say they are selfish, parochial-minded, and without the collective interests of Ghanaians and the nation at heart.
It is through these selfish individualistic pursuits as a people that Africans in general, and Ghanaians in particular, are suffering, lagging a million years behind our white contemporaries in terms of socio-politico-economic advancement.
How could some members of Kumawood make such irresponsible statements and still expect intelligent Ghanaians to continue to hold them in high esteem as their idols?
They don’t seek the collective interests of the nation, but their selfish interests. Could they not have assigned any better reason, although deceitful, when informing the nation why they have openly thrown their weight behind Mr. John Mahama rather than their expectation to be awarded cars individually? Should I say they are sick in their head or mind?
Like a father, like a son. As their father, John Mahama, is, so are they.
I call on all discerning Ghanaians to be wary of these celebrities they call their idols and look up to them for direction. Don’t continue to follow them blindly. Don’t follow their selfish political persuasions for if you do, you will be digging your own economic grave. They will prosper and you will sink into the economic abyss.
Ghanaian masses, I call on you to support the presidential candidate and political party that have the nation’s collective interests at heart. At least, you are witnesses to the benefit of the free Senior High School to many in the country.
If it were John Mahama, he would have used the money going into the free SHS to purchase cars to distribute to some individuals of his choice at the expense of the poor masses.
While the Kumawood and the so-called celebrities declare support for John Mahama, I call on the teeming ordinary Ghanaians to support Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, a fountain overflowing with wisdom, ideas, and policies for the collective betterment of all Ghanaians.