The piece by Ghanaweb’s principal blabbermouth made interesting and revealing reading, (Blabbermouth Rawlings and an FOI Act, Ghanaweb, 2008-07-26). A long time ago, we decided we would not contribute to the serial articles of the chief blabbermouth because for one, the blabbermouth would not descend into the Ghanaweb trenches under the recognized moniker to contribute useful discourse. In the few instance where the blabbermouth was in the trenches, this blabbermouth made statements that teachers of his sons (Nana Kwame III and Osofo Sintim, he says) would not recommend or tolerate an inch, unless of course the biggest Ghanaweb blabbermouth does home schooling for his two children. But that would be ridiculous on so many grounds! If so, it might explain why the blabbermouth has time to pen so many pointless articles that are always met with derision, invectives, and even vociferous calls for him to go back to Ghana after being out of the country so many years. We have been there – but this blabbermouth may actually need a map (Google aerial photo, perhaps) to find the way to the house of his neutral Akyem kinfolks.

Unlike Nana Amma Obenewaa, we do not believe that Ghanaweb’s chief blabbermouth, though a scholar, (he tells us he has multiple degrees) is an intellectual, and a useful one at that. We base our assessment on his record on Ghanaweb and reported activities. This blabbermouth is notorious for neglecting to discuss policy, choosing instead to thrive on trivialities and useless discourse. He sounds neurotic and is at once pathological – happy at blaming “…an Accra newspaper” for having been “…unceremoniously bounced off…on the purely political account of (his) ardent support for the candidacy of…Akufo-Addo…” There is no intellectualization there (given that he admits every thing is connected to everything). This busybody is absolutely unable to separate his emotions from the collection of disparate ideas in his head. In the present circumstance, the blabbermouth even neglected to explain what his idol says and intends to do with the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill even though half of his piece and title said, “FOI Act.” (Perhaps, if Akufo-Addo was not so busy yapping about his abilities in bed, he would have found some quality time to straighten this blabbermouth out, as the Accra newspaper did for his own good).

Thus, there is no point in having a discourse with this blabbermouth simply because he has college degrees/diplomas in English, literature, and/or African Studies. And unlike Nana Amma Obenewaa, we do not think that Nana Akufo-Addo is a distinguished lawyer who has trained brilliant lawyers, (Joe Ghartey), or Ghana-centered lawyers, at that. If we did, we’d be involved in a 3-way self-message of egos, pointless rantings, and nyper defenses. Even that good cop, bad cop picture, as identified by Bernard Tetteh recently, is not pretty or useful enough. As it has now become clear to many people in Ghana, there are probably numerous “lawyers” who never qualified through valid and reliable processes that were in place when they “applied” to be lawyers. But we digress!

Typically, the insult-laden rejoinders from Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. are poorly constructed/delivered critiques such as the rejoinder to the Daniel Pryce piece about why “Names” do, or do not matter. Recently, there was another rejoinder by this same blabbermouth to the piece by Wonyonsi about Ghanaweb as an electronic social community. That piece by Wonyonsi was of great service, sociologically, to Ghanaweb because it sought to capture Ghanaweb as a place and community in time, focusing on some of the more prolific contributors, including the chief blabbermouth himself. Twenty-five years from today, we think that Woyonsi’s piece would be a more useful “accreted” information, than the 30 odd pieces written by this blabbermouth in the past year. At that time, what would “big” Nana Kwame III and Osofo Sintim say when they read all of his foolish renditions and what others thought of his delusional essays?

The chief blabbermouth has been cranking out pointless articles with little redeeming value except perhaps to massage his gigantic ego, lodged at that corner of New York. Every time, Dr. Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. manages to waste our time blowing his horn, such as when he told us he “also earned not two, but three undergraduate degrees from the City College of New York (summa cum laude) in English, Communications and global African Studies, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in African and African-American Literature, History and Culture from Temple University…” Goodness grief, it is very difficult to tell whether all those degrees are assisting our chief blabbermouth in making a good living - providing him employment opportunities as one would expect of a “scholar and academic” in the USA with all those degrees, such as those from Temple University. My sense is this blabbermouth is probably at the bottom of the list of student-achievers mentored by renowned Prof Molefi Asante of Temple University, if Prof Asante indeed supervised the dissertation of our the principal blabbermouth.

What garbage!

But when this blabbermouth, after 2 years of sitting on the fence and reckless activity, suddenly jumps onto the FOI bandwagon and attempts to degenerate this good fight and the good people on the ground in Ghana (who are strongly fighting the good fight for a strong FOI bill), we must stand up and be counted. We must say enough is enough. We will not let this blabbermouth attempt to de-rail the FOI bill simply because he is infatuated with another individual who in the past had a chance to do something on that front but failed miserably because he also did not have the intellect or Ghana-centeredness to do right by Ghana. That is no reason why Ghanaians have to wait 20 years for the FOI bill, or even one more year so Nana Akufo-Addo can become president of Ghana, for that matter. Take your garbage and nonsense away, Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, if you cannot say a decent or useful thing about the FOI bill! What sorry excuse for a teacher of journalism in the US, particularly one from Temple University’s Department of African-American Studies program! ITEM: When this blabbermouth who claims to be a teacher of journalism belittles the importance of the FOI bill for Nkrumah’s Ghana, a foundation that will actually facilitate the work of Ghanaian journalists who are worth their salt, we must say “Not on this FOI Business, Sucker”! When this big blabbermouth belittles a mechanism that will empower Ghanaian journalists and so many individuals inside and outside Ghana to add to Ghana’s democracy capital, we cannot help but respond. We must lend our voice once again for swift passage of the FOI bill. Pass the FOI bill right now! Other wise, tell us why you are scared and worried to death!

We must all stand up and lend our voices to the unitary voice of “Nana Oye Lithur, Prof. Kwame Karikari, Daniel Batidam, Douglas Korsah-Brown, Kojo Asante, Charles Ayamdoo, Akoto Ampaw, Francis Ameyibor and Samuel Annan.” We must say “Thank You” for the good fight. We must say thank you for making lemonade from the NPP lemons despite all the resources they have controlled. We must in unison ask of the Kufour-Akufo-Addo NPP government to pass the FOI bill without any further delays. We must, together with one voice, inform them that the FOI bill is coming, that they must strongly finish what they started or it will be done for them, and they will be biggest losers.

WHAT WE’VE SAID IN PAST RE THE FOI BILL: In closing, we reproduce 3 statements we have made with respect to the FOI bill during the past year. Please read these statements and do some research on this important item:

1. “…(T)he question for Mr. Akufo-Addo and the NPP is why Ghana has to wait until he is elected president before the NPP will pass the FOI bill for Ghana. Didn’t Nana Addo practically recruit Joe to that position? Why must it be so difficult for them to act on a FOI for Ghana in 2008? And has Ghana not seen this ruse before? Don’t Ghanaians remember how ‘Zero Tolerance for Corruption’ was fast-tracked into ‘Corruption is Perception’ by these same people?...We are smarter!...” (Pass the FOI (not RTI) Bill Now, NPP/Nana Akufo-Addo!), (Prof Lungu, Ghanaweb, 2008-07-08)).

2. “…Of all the statements reported in the “New Charter” article, what strikes Prof Lungu as especially depressing is the attempt by President Kufour and Mrs. Chinery-Hesse to make an end-run around the FOIB by positioning a Trojan Horse in the form of the so-called “Central Complaints Unit” under “the Office of the President” to receive complaints from the public “when services provided by the agencies were not satisfactory.”…What about information, the right of the people to…(receive and to…send)…information to/from their government in whatever manner they choose…?” (Freedom of Information Bill Morphed into a Charter Association by the Executive (Prof Lungu, Ghanaweb, 2008-01-17)).

3. “…The Ghana (FOI) Bill law is a crucial ‘good government’ mechanism that ought to be approached with all the Ghana-centeredness it deserves, and the people want. Politicians and the ‘drafters’ should recognize that there is a significant cost to the darkness in the government, and to the delay in passage of the FOIB law. The current draft does not identify one central executive agency designated to oversee the functioning of the Ghana FOIB. This is a fetal flaw…a departure from the universal principles of FOIB laws….This is absolutely one area where there is no need for invention by any Ghanaian or advisor: just Ghana-centered and critical in all aspects related to promoting access to public/government information…Pass the Ghana FOIB bill….” (Right to Information Bill & Politics in Ghana, (Prof Lungu, Ghanaweb, 2007-09-10)).

TO THE CHIEF BLABBERMOUTH: We say give us a break, captain blabbermouth Okoampa-Ahoofe! Don't be silly, sir, the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill is a necessary requirement for Ghana’ nascent democracy. Give us something more useful, Dr. Dr. “three-undergraduate-degrees-from-City-College-Okoampa-Ahoofe! Remove your neurotic and pathological behavior from the Freedom of Information bill, if you think Ghanaians must wait even a day longer.

Take away your garbage, sir, chief blabbermouth!

NOTES:

1. Visit www.GhanaHero.com. Listen, read, watch, and reflect!

2. Send email with your name and email address for your free copy of “FOIB – Are You Pickable?” Find our contact information at www.GhanaHero.com. We do not want to receive junk mail. (We hope Ghanaweb does its part in helping to cut down spam).

3. www.GhanaHero.com – We are Ghana-centered to the core! We are Ghana-Proud!

© Prof Lungu, 26th July 2008

Tokyo, Japan