Opinions of Wednesday, 6 January 2010

Columnist: Aihoon, Augustus

Betty Mould Iddrisu: Why This Huhudious Posturing?

Sometimes because of one's education, age, social standing, profession, job placement, etc; you are tempted to put them in the class of the 'success stories of our race'. However, our common humanity seems to suggest that 'caution' must precede any such assessment irrespective of the 'huhudious' names one brandishes.

And so is Betty Mould Iddrisu. You may have your own view of her- but to me- she is a complete disappointment, a bore and a pitiful sight. Why does she have to be so blazingly 'machoistic' to demonstrate that she is up to the task of an Attorney General? Who is she trying to please? What a shame?

She goes about threatening past officials of 'prosecuting them or maybe persecuting them'. She speaks as if she were some 'drunken god or goddess' or some of the popular 'low-class-dictators of Africa or maybe one of their wives’. Her speeches are like soup without salt- ‘tablabaa’ (fanti) .

She does not even feel ashamed to be presiding over a system, she had used every opportunity afforded her before her party assumed the reigns of government, to denigrate in such terms as Kangaroo Courts. And so is she getting her Kangaroos to do her irreverent bidding presently?

She was at her pitiful best at the Teachers' Hall during the June 4 celebration. I could not believe that a 'woman of such renown' could descend into the gutters- not to help clean it up- but to add to the dangerous fifth that threatens to harm us all.

Madam, any human being who relishes in the punishment of real or perceived criminals, is to say the least a sadist. This is especially so if that person finds herself or himself in your position. Our LORD Jesus Christ- threw a challenge to a crowd that was filled with the same spirit that is moving you to throw your weight about- "Let him/her that has no sin; cast the first stone". Maybe the difference between that crowd and you- is that, they understood Jesus very well, honestly fell convicted, threw away their stones; and before Jesus could lift up his head- quickly retreated and vanished from the scene. As human beings we could all fall foul of the law. Although criminals must be punished at all cost- enlightened people do so- with lots of empathy and sympathy- like a ‘good mother or father, punishing a child who has offended the rules’. This is why even Prisons are seen more essentially as Reformatories, than any other thing.

It is irresponsible for people like you to call your colleagues who were prosecuted and lawfully convicted as 'saints who were only witch-hunted, politically tried, politically convicted and politically imprisoned'. Then turn around and do same with such huhudious posturing! May the God of heaven or Allah- have mercy upon you. The wise and enlightened of our race know and do better than this. Yours is the basest of human drives- hypocrisy; vindictiveness; gangsterizm; we-against-them; do-me-I-do-you, etc. Education should lift us above this shallow ground- not so, madam?

By all means do your job- but please retain some of the little dignity that remains in your account presently. With the kind of ‘reputation’ you are supposed to have earned- that even qualified you to be penciled for a Vice-Presidential position of our dear country- people like you, are supposed to be, paragons of virtues, wherever they find themselves. They are supposed to help the ‘hot-heads’ found in all human institutions to calm down. I think wise persons like Mrs. Mary Grant and Justice Annan did that for your party.

"A good name is better than riches" (so says the good book)! Do not allow yourself to be reduced to a mere tool in the hands of your political masters. I think your age, education, training and maybe religion (if you have one) should place you above this.

Augustus Aihoon