“Judge not, thou shalt not be judged.”

Permit me to use the Socratic paradox “I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.” (Ipse se scire nihil id unum sciat).

I cannot pretend to be a Constitutional Lawyer because I know a few Articles of the 1992 Constitution by rote, and I know that Article 3 reinforces multi-partyism by providing that “(1) Parliament shall have no power to enact a law establishing a one-party state.”

Thus, when the National Democratic Congress decided to go on 'Unity Walk', I doffed my hat to them, because we need that party to ensure that multi-partyism flourishes. Furthermore, the person they are projecting as leader, John Dramani Mahama, is a quondam friend (my friend before), so I could talk to him on personal lines. But for politics, he would be a very nice gentleman, not given to hurting any fellow human being. The last Unity Walk in Kumasi on 28th April, 2018 was sufficiently hyped.

John Mahama is a communicator, and he chooses his words carefully, and makes the work of his script-writers very easy. These remarkable attributes aside, I could not easily understand why he derided the Akufo-Addo government for clamping down on illegal mining, and chose to extol 'galamseyers' to high heavens.

One of the placards read: “Concerned small-scale Miners welcome the honest John Mahama”. So, the eight years of NDC supported these galamseyers, and would give them a place when they come again to power? Oh, Heavens! Would anyone in Ghana now endorse 'galamsey'? I cannot imagine that a former head of state would talk as he did. They had used the military before, and it was not successful, so no one should use them? The logic? The harm the 'galamsey' had done to his country's water bodies and forest reserves is immeasurable, and the former head of state should, in his own interest, zip his lip instead of going into the gutter with such talk – hoping to win the votes of the galamseyers. Yes, of course, there are many voters in the group who could be attracted by such declamation. Of course, the NPP does not simply wish to take food from the mouths of the galamseyers, but there is the need for ensuring that sanity prevails in the mining sector.

Comes in Asiedu Nketia. He reminds one of Agya Koope. In those days in our village, there was this knock-kneed, non-descript elderly fellow, who enjoyed the game of 'epe-to': two people would engage in 'insult-game.' Agya Koope was an expert, and you would love to listen to him! He would start: “As for me, everybody knows that I am not handsome, that my wife deserted me long ago; that the palm wine I tap does not yield profits so I sleep on the verandah… BUT you (then he starts to harangue the opponent): You think you are handsome, you whom flies follow all the time… and when you sleep saliva oozes from your mouth…” Agya Koope would eventually be the winner. So, our mothers used to draw us away whenever Agya Koope was in flight with an opponent. The question is where on earth did the President say he was going to legalise homosexuality? When did Nana Addo say “men will marry men, and women will marry women?”

Fact is, Theresa May, The British Prime Minister has expressed deep 'regret' over the legacy of violence and discrimination left behind by anti-gay laws, bestowed on the Commonwealth countries by the United Kingdom. She noted: “I am all too aware that these laws were often put in place by my own country. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. As the United Kingdom's Prime Minister, I deeply regret both the fact that such laws were introduced and the legacy of discrimination, violence and death that persists today. As a family of nations, we must respect one another's cultures and traditions but we must do so in a manner consistent with our common value of equality – a value that is clearly stated in the Commonwealth Charter. Nobody should face discrimination or persecution because of who they are or who they love, and the UK stands ready to help any Commonwealth member wanting to reform the outdated legislation that makes such discrimination possible.”

Our laws were fashioned out of British laws. Section 104 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 90) stipulates: “Whoever has unnatural carnal knowledge (a) of any person of the age of sixteen years or over without his consent shall be guilty of a first degree felony and shall be liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term not less than five years and not more than twenty-five years or (b) any person of sixteen years or over with his consent is guilty of a misdemeanor. (2) Unnatural carnal knowledge is sexual intercourse with a person in an unnatural manner or with an animal.”

But we still have our cultural beliefs to protect. What is it? British laws made 'panyarring' (seizure of persons until the repayment of a debt) and 'pawning' (pledging a family member as a collateral to settle a family debt) illegal. Even slavery was declared illegal by these same colonialists. I admire Robert Mugabe the Zimbabwean President – not for his long stay in power, but for his attitude toward homosexuality: “(Those who indulge in it are) … worse than pigs and dogs… Those who do it, we will say… are wayward. It is just madness, insanity… Obama came to Africa saying Africa must allow gay marriages… God destroyed the Earth because of these sins. Weddings are for a man and a woman … I will ask Obama to marry me.” And when a gay couple were jailed for a year, Mugabe said he would get them released if they gave birth to a child.

You may remember the biblical Sodom and Gomorrah which suffered divine retribution (of fire and brim stone) for the inhabitants' crime against nature, including anal and oral sex, homosexuality or bestiality. Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt for turning her face to see how the city was burning. Believe it or not – and there are 'doubting Thomases' – the world is moving toward self-destruction by these wayward behaviours championed by so-called human rights activists.

Matthew 7:15-17 exhorts believers (not infidels): “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves, Ye shall know them by their fruits… every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a bad tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” What do these words teach us? That the 'sheep' must always be alert for such predators. Be as wise as serpents, and look out for wolves who come dressed like sheep. Be vigilant and be careful not to dismiss these words as mere propaganda from nincompoops. They (the liars) know when to hit hard. They know how to put paper over their faults and point accusing fingers at the government. Then the NPP will do in-fighting. They would not take care of the grassroots, the communicators are groaning, but the NPP would expect them to follow the party like sheep. The leaders may not see the warning signs, and ignore any advice as the phantasmagoria of a fevered brain.

If the NDC will 'create, loot and share', at least, there is 'sharing' among themselves and others close to them. You will love them. What about those from the NPP? Hard-fisted; no commonality of purpose, it appears. I am not a judge, and can never be one, so let me not judge and suffer judgment myself.

africanusoa@gmail.com

Africanus Owusu – Ansah