Opinions of Tuesday, 18 December 2018

Columnist: Agya Kwaku Ogboro

This dog will not hang!

Dr Bawumia Dr Bawumia

If you are a keen observer of happenings on the political terrain in the country, the first person to come to mind after reading the heading will be no other than the first gentleman of the land, President Nana Dee. The heading was his response to the numerous mendacious stories being perpetrated by his vicious political opponents holding the eagle-headed Umbrella. Indeed, he has refused to be hanged!

Without a doubt, President Nana Dee is one of the most vilified, lampooned and tongue-lashed political figures to ever grace the shores of this country. They called him ‘womanizer’. Ironically, most of his accusers have seen the nakedness of more damsels than he will ever see in two life times.

When that failed, “Nana Addo is a drug addict” became their new chorus. They drummed it so hard into our ears that many of our compatriots began to believe it. And why not? A lie told over time may soon sound like the truth.

They did not stop there. “Nana is a warmonger” soon became their latest chorus. His “all die be die” outburst did not help his cause as it fuelled the perception that he was not a peace-loving leader. Zu-za therefore rode on the back of propaganda to win the 2012 polls. Their propaganda paid dividends since no peace-loving people will love to have a warmonger as president.

But his demeanour before, during and after the electoral petition hearing at the Supreme Court cleared the fogs in many people’s medullas. How he readily accepted the ruling, despite its controversial nature endeared him to many of his compatriots. The resultant effect was the massive votes that made him the latest occupant of the highest throne of the land.

Having failed to hang President Nana Dee, Zu-za has now shifted focus. Their new target is the indefatigable Dr Mahamudu Bawumia. That is understandable considering the devastating punches he gave them during the 2016 political fight.

There is no gainsaying that Dr Bawumia contributed significantly to Zu-za’s defeat in the last polls. Not only did he expose their lies and incompetence, he also predicted the consequences of their incompetence and preferred solutions. Even key members of the umbrella family could not help but appreciate his economic prowess.

He soon became the economic messiah the country was looking for. It was therefore not surprising that he and his party cruised to victory in the 2016 polls, handing out a very embarrassing defeat to the umbrella in the process.

Two years on, the economy with the wobbly legs has started gaining stability. Interest rates have gone down and the Usain Bolt-like speed of the dollar has reduced drastically. Yes, it is not a perfect situation, but it is far better than the messy economy President Ogwanfunu left behind.

Surprisingly, those under the umbrella have refused to see. As the Bible says in Mathew 13:13, “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Of course, they won’t appreciate the economic prowess of Dr Bawumia. How else will a hawk see the dance of a fowl?

A few months ago they were heard shouting from the rooftop that the dollar had hit the 5-Cedi mark, and was likely to hit the 6-Cedi mark by the end of the year. Today is exactly two weeks to the end of the year and the dollar is yet to hit the 5-Cedi mark. Their mendacious stories have once again been exposed.

To them, anything bad, real or perceived, is Dr Bawumia’s fault. A heavy downpour leading to severe flooding will be blamed on Bawumia. When the sun shines too bright and people complain of scorching heat, Zu-za will blame it on Bawumia. Even their inability to perform their conjugal obligations will be blamed on poor Bawumia.

But like his boss, Dr Bawumia is a very stubborn dog and cannot be hanged easily. He will fight and fiercely resist attempts to hang him. If they end up with puffy and bruised faces, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

Abusuapanin, just monitor the airwaves and you will find enough evidence to support the claim that Zu-za is desperately trying to give Dr Bawumia a bad name in order to hang him. But tell them that just like his boss, this dog too refuses to be hanged!

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!