Opinions of Tuesday, 11 August 2020

Columnist: Mustapha Hameed

I respect think tanks that have identified their unique areas and stick to it

File photo: IMANI Ghana file photo File photo: IMANI Ghana file photo

Mustapha Hameed writes;

When IMANI took the KelniGVG case to court citing all sort of things on why the deal is bad. The judge listened, analysed and in the end told them they’re engaged in “fanciful fears”.

Bright Simons, is just what his name says he is, amazingly bright. But both Bright and Imani Center for Policy & Education need to identify where their major policy strength lie and focus on it, they need to let the people know what is their forte so we can search to listen to them when matters of such come up.

You may be as Bright as the 1:30PM Ghana sun, but you can never know it all. No think tank knows it all, and so to turn yourselves into jacks of all trades and experts in everything under the sun from philosophy to engineering is not only preposterous, but deceitful. I respect think tanks that have identified their unique areas and stick to it, not the kinds that seek to portray superior knowledge in every matter, even more than the people that have worked in that particular area their entire lives.

I mean, what is Bright Simons’ business with registrations, I have been polling and registration agents since I started voting, but I cannot even for a fraction of a second, in my wildest of imagination think that because I have read about some theories in addition, I have overnight become an expert in electoral matters and qualified enough to speak on it from an expert perspective. That would be a lie, that would be decieving myself.

Staying up at night and reading over a subject or doing some internet searches reading the opinions of subject matter experts in that field wouldn’t make you an expert, forget how eloquent and articulate you are, expertise on areas goes beyond that. How do you even go challenging the estimates of people who’ve conducted registrations and have run elections all their lives because you read a McDonalds Queuing Theory somewhere. This is astonishingly funny!

Whatever models Bright run, whatever simulations he did, whatever theories he sought to follow clearly have nothing to do with Ghanaian elections.

The KelniGVG proved and affirmed that Ursula Owusu knew and knows her stuff, she was fiercely competent in such matters, of course with a formidable team behind her. This EC exercise also proves Jean Mensah to be on top of issues, backed by a team with years of experience. Perhaps Bright and IMANI should stay away from agencies headed by women if they want to protect their credibilities.

How a man like Franklin Cudjoe, with a background in Land Economy from KNUST became an expert in law, finance, economics, IT, Agric, Space Science, Engineering, and practically everything only bears eloquent testimony, that Ghanaian intelligentsia on our media is not just bogus, but non-existent. The real intellectuals and industry experts need to rise and be heard.

That said, I want to know if the Queuing Theory applies to Waakye joints, I’ve been here for 30 minutes and the guy ahead is buying about 8 packs!