Opinions of Thursday, 1 November 2007

Columnist: Manu, Bernard Afreh

Kofi Annan, Not That Great - A Rejoinder

I read Etse Sikanku?s ill-informed and ill-conceived write-up posted on the web in which he hurled invectives and was shamelessly spewing mindless drivel at the inimitable Bosumuru Kofi Annan. Indeed it was a jaw dropping experience and decided to call a snub of it, but could not contain my stance after bared-faced lies that had riddled that article came jumping out at me.

Much as we have been taught in saner climes to respect opinions of persons on the other swing of subject matters, silence ceases to be golden when such brazenly exhibit their patent lies.

This reprobate in a bid to earn the unenviable PhD (Pull-him-downism) presented that thesis which gravely ran foul of the parameters of logic and intellectualism and one sorely a poor attempt at sophistry.

First, who the hell is this INCORRIGIBLE arm-chair critic? Concrete facts emanating reveal how, after it dawned on this jug head he could make no good of his grades begged to be a gofer in a down-town scavenging house. Clever as he is, he enrolled at a clown-training centre nearby and that apparently defines why he exhibited a ghastly sense of humour by labelling the peerless diplomat a failed one.

This scum is obviously detached from reality and perhaps explain why he is so oblivious of happenings around him even in the States. The modus operandi of this arm-critic is well known- contributing nothing positive but always at hand to throw jealous darts at successful people. But he got wrong when he did it against Bosumuru. The firecrackers veered and crashed on his helpless head, leaving him punch-drunk.

We hear he even shamed his fellow sociopaths when he made Bosumuru the butt of his hallucinatory squawks. They offered to lecture him on how Annan received plaudits from even hard-headed critics for a good UN work done. Not satisfied after running from the burning deck, this imbecile threw one silly punch at the integrity of our leaders. He saw them as nothing but a bunch of corrupt leaders. But are we to believe him? No! The fact that some depraved souls have wormed into office does not brand all African leaders as corrupt. This sleazy writer with scant regard for substance is yet to know Julius Nyerere left office with only a house built from a loan and surely the names: Azikwe, Mandela, and Kufuor et al do not also ring bells in his dysfunctional ears.

Etse, Knowledge is divine, and so, I advise you don?t turn a deaf ear to your crying books. Shamefully dust them up and delve into proper schooling even if your underdeveloped brains strain to assimilate, perhaps it could turn to be your saving grace. It is your fault you have turned into a journalistic ?albino? and it would be of no use to blame your alma-mater for they lowered the bar of admission to allow for your entry. It pushes one to start wondering why a chick with such an affliction of juvenile delinquency and exuberance would want to fly without sprouting wings.

In his usual predilection of betraying the truth, this ingrate mounted a sermon of preaching vile doctrines (which seemed logic only on his head) that fingered Annan a part of the food-for-oil scandal as if to assassinate the character of Annan. Discerning minds would also agree that were wrinkles in his arguments of seeing no reason why a red-carpet treatment was given to our idol. What beats our imagination is how this pea-headed writer took his gibberish talk to lofty heights and danced naked before the intelligent people of Ghana.

Before we proceed, let?s take an excursion into facts that finally debunk the figment of the hack writer?s imagination. It is no contradicting the fact that Annan rose through the ranks to become Secretary-General with the backing of France and USA but was NEVER neither the yes man nor a puppet of his backers. Though he spoke softly, his words were loudest heard when ?big nations? came under his radar. He stood strongly against Britain and American?s invasion of Iraq. It must be noted that Bosumuru took leadership of an otherwise comatose and near bankrupt organization in 1997. The USA had almost $1.5b of dues to offset and therefore he had to travel to Washington to seek support from Congress. Annan was NEVER A FAILED DIPLOMAT! As the conscience of the international community, he brought on board ?the responsibility to protect?- a program to protect civilians caught in cross-fire and as victims of atrocity crimes. His ?Global Compact? launched in 1999 has become the world?s largest effort to promote social responsibility. Calling HIV/AIDS epidemic his ?personal priority?, he established the ?Global Fund? to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and which received $1.5b in eight months. Annan?s attributes and strides were so glaring that it were justly honoured by an appreciative audience when he won the Nobel Peace Prize.

As if to raze down the colossus he built with gallons of sweat, he was framed up in a food-for-oil scandal. But thank God, providence came to his aid when an Independent investigative panel chaired by American and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker cleared him of any involvement in the mess thereby forcing Senator Norm Clement to eat the humble pie after he had called for Bosumuru?s head.

Annan was only the Under-Secretary General for the Department of Peacekeeping but here you have this critic telling the world as though Bosumuru caused the over 800,000 deaths in Rwanda. You also see him exposing his arrogance in ignorance when he felt the peerless one should have resigned after the 9/11 attacks? How sad! Crushing ignorance!

Bosumuru is so saturated with accomplishments that it need not be amplified by even a hundred decibles.

Need we tell this critic that no vigorous campaign of calumny can diminish Annan?s enviable records? Is he so impervious to learning that he simply cannot accept that Bosumuru wrote his name in gold and that no amount of sulphuric acid squirted can deface it? It is no news sitting at the top of the psychiatrist?s black list suits him down to the ground. But am only concerned about the ordeal he goes through daily receiving anti-mescaline injections.

Poor him! His heart pounds his ribs! Paroxysm set on him! when I handed over his article to resurrected literary icon, William Shakespeare. The academia read it and saw it as ?tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying nothing?.

It is irrefutable Annan is a paragon of Greatness and whether that is what triggers his hallucinatory remarks, we careless.

Etse, it is the last warning! Next, you write a critical essay, make sure it is against gods with clay feet or you end up as microdot at the footnote of history. I rest my case.

Bernard Afreh Manu, nobunegga@yahoo.com Economics Dept. KNUST.

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