Opinions of Saturday, 24 October 2020

Columnist: Justice Offei

Ideological fanaticism must give way to facts and figures on the ground

Newton-Offei Justice Abeeku is the author of this article Newton-Offei Justice Abeeku is the author of this article

Yesterday alone, the US recorded over new 83,000 Covid-19 infections, with president Trump still holding huge campaign rallies with total disregard to safety protocols, and also, defying every scientific warning.

On the other hand, all Asian Pacific States that had leaders who listened to scientific advice and directed their citizens on what to do, have had the virus effectively caged and lives have begun returning to normal.

In New Zealand, for example, their Prime Minister, Jacinda Arden has managed the pandemic so effectively that, all activities have returned to normal, with a rugby match having over 45,000 spectators in attendance last week.

And for her excellent performance, Jacinda Arden was reelected by New Zealanders by nearly 60% of valid votes cast, in general elections a forthright ago. Indeed, a leader deserves a continuation based on palpable deliverables and not a mirage of ideological emotionalism.

Even in Ghana, a State that falls within the category of Least Developed Countries (LLC), has been able to manage the pandemic to the admiration of the global watchers. Our president, with the limited resources, has steered the nation through the Covid-19 storm with tact, intellect, patriotism and sleeplessness.

It is for this reason that some of us hold the uncompromising belief that, America, the global hegemonic superpower, both economic and military might, has been woeful in handling the pandemic and therefore President Trump does not deserve a second term.

America, with its population forming only 5% of the world's population, now has the sad record of having a whopping 20% of total global Covid-19 infections.

With an established image of American exceptionalism exhibited through unparalleled Statecraft in global geopolitics, America should, rather, have set a much better example at home, to have served as a fulcrum on which it's traditional global leadership role would have been displayed.

Can you imagine what would happen in Ghana, if Nana Addo disbanded the Covid-19 emergency response team, take over the regular Covid-19 briefings, turned it into a partisan political commickery and heap insults on accomplished scientists of our land?

But this is precisely what Trump is doing by disbanding the White House Covid-19 team of well-accomplished infectious disease experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Debora Birx, etc., and replaced them with Dr. Scot Atlas, a radiologist, whose filed of expertise has absolutely nothing to do with infectious diseases.

And as expected, Dr. Atlas is just churning theories that are in total conflict with the truth in the field of infectious diseases. As a matter of fact, every pronouncement of this man has been the opposite of what the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) comes up with.

Indeed, this is just like Nana Addo firing Dr Ansah Asare and replacing him with Nana Kweku Bonsam: how is that possible in the most powerful nation on earth? So when these two leaders do not cross paths, delivery-wise, then what is the basis of linking their electoral fortunes, just on the account of ideological emotionalism?

So the debate about Trump's electoral survival, therefore, must not be viewed through the prism of ideological inclination since whether Left or Right; Red or Blue; Realist or Liberalist; Conservative or Progressive etc.

The core mandate of political power is ensuring the key inalienable rights, which are LIFE, LIBERTY AND PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS of electorates are protected at all times.

Trump contracted the virus, and he had top-notch medical care which is not available to these Americans he has been made to converge at his campaign rallies, where all Covid-19 safety protocols are chucked out of the window.

Effectively, the president of America is being reckless with the safety of his people whom, in the presidential oath of office, is mandated to protect.

In light of this, we in Ghana should rather focus on the performance of our president; reward his good works, and stop the erroneous ideological linkage and baseless electoral fortunes calculation of what happens in America as always reflecting what happens in Ghana.

Incontestibly, Nana Addo's conduct, and performance cannot be compared with Trump's so the needless ideological wet-dreams must give way to the tangible and incontrovertible facts and figures on the ground, because, that unalloyed ideological fanaticism is neither academic nor intellectual.

NANA ADDO WILL WIN The SECOND TERM OF OFFICE ON HIS RECORD: TRUMP SHOULD FIGHT HIS OWN BATTLE ON HIS.

FINALLY, WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO NOT KNOW IS THE FACT THAT TRUMP ACTUALLY WAS A DEMOCRAT WHO DECIDED TO CROSS CARPET AT SOME POINT, AND THEREFORE, THAT MIGHT BE THE REASON FOR SOME OF HIS UNCONVENTIONAL POLITICAL ANTICS.