Just like his namesake in Orwell’s Animal Farm with his subterfuge, perfidy and intolerable disposition, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia makes it very difficult for himself to come across as a credible, likeable individual. He is also not helped by a natural misfortune – nothing to blame him for: His voice and manner of speaking. In his over-eagerness to spin lies and be nasty towards President Mahama, his voice adopts an edginess one associates with a schoolyard nuisance! And in fact that is what he is, even now in the adult playing field of politics.

I stopped listening to the young man when during the first anniversary of the death of late Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama a commemorative lecture was organized, he allowed bad judgement to make him sully the memory of a very nice man. For those who can recall the event, I walked out of the lecture at the Accra International Conference Centre and issued my personal disclaimer. But that is now history – dishonourable history…

It is my driver who often brings him up in conversation and unfailingly, he did again this time. My driver would often start along these lines: “What has the former President done to Dr. Bawumia?” He would then explain, again with a question: “Why is it that when they want to insult former President they make Dr. Bawumia do it?” Depending on my mood, I would ask for details, but generally, I would grunt or just proffer insanity and leave it there.
On Monday, May 4, we were driving to my doctor’s when visibly agitated he brought up Dr. Bawumia again and as usual, I did not encourage further discussion but checking my WhatsApp after clinic, I understood my driver’s disturbed temper.

One post after the other had something to say about Squealer’s totally out of order press statement in these very trying times of a global pandemic yoking and threatening mankind’s survival. To satisfy my curiosity, I decided to check on what the fellow actually said and oh my, why, why, why?! Did he think he was being smart with his Dumsor analogy or his rattling off with his “data”? He has been called to order enough on the social and other media by people who know better so I will not go there…

My contribution to this badly behaved young man’s slipshod sophistry is that he should be careful. He is destroying his own political future, for if he thinks that’s what would earn him the respect of the people who really matter in the NPP, he is mistaken, and must think again. They would not need any ethnic bigotry to shunt him aside, his own un-presidential proclivities would have done him in. He has so far done nothing great and over and above the ordinary to let the NPP ennoble him over quality and more experienced people like Alan Kyeremanten. And woe betide him to play the ethnic card when they show him the red card! His vice presidential stature has been so below average for anyone to consider him for anything higher.

If in doubt, he should check out the line-up of the Vice Presidents of the 4th Republic: Kow Nkensen Arkaah, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, John Dramani Mahama, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur. Bawumia pales so much against these giants as to make him an embarrassment. Ghanaians have not forgotten about the lies of 2016; adopting that same strategy four years later won’t wash. His crudeness, rudeness, bad manners and lack of refinement make the comparison to Squealer quite inaccurate, for as obnoxious as Squealer is, Bawumia is actually worse, He makes Squealer look good!

President Mahama has worked hard to earn the respect of his compatriots and the international community and no amount of Bawumlying can devalue that. What a pity, what a shame, the man cannot even discern the dishonour he is bringing to the Bawumia family name…Shame!

And finally, I will leave Dr. Bawumia with the wise words of the Kenyan scholar and best-known commentator on African governance, Professor Lumumba: “When somebody says they have done something and have to spend one hour explaining what they have done, then they have done nothing. When you have done something, you shut up, the things you have done will speak for themselves.”