I have often wondered if some of our politicians are indeed committed to the good of the nation or if they are more interested in inflating their egos and broadening their base of support with outrageous statements as the elections draw closer.
The bombast and rants come from both sides of the aisle. The major political parties are equally guilty of using language that is intended to incite violence. No one party has monopoly on the use of foul and violent language. Our politicians engaging in fear mongering to score political points reflects poorly on our growing democracy.
But one law maker has earned the dubious distinction of being loud, vengeful and violent. Just last week the MP for Assin North uttered statements that on their face, were as absurd as they were illogical.
The insufferable Kennedy Agyepong told his supporters that were the NPP to be cheated of victory in the upcoming elections if results indicated the party won fair and square, then there will chaos and violence.
To emphasize his point, Mr. Agyepong referenced Liberia and Sierra Leone and reminded his supporters that Ghana sure does not want to end up like those two nations. I was not shocked by Mr Agyepong’s utterances.
After all, this was not the first time he has recklessly ventured into this arena of throwing red meat to his supporters. In earlier statements, he expressed eerily similar sentiments and boldly declared his intentions to foment violence if things did not go his party’s way.
Like many Ghanaians I am dumbfounded that Mr. Agyepong makes such wild, provocative and outrageous statements and yet walks away scot-free. This man, whenever it suits his whims, threatens the nation’s security and cohesiveness and confronted with his absurdity, we all seem paralyzed, frozen and unable to mobilize and cut him down to size.
I know in 2012 he was picked up by the nation’s security agencies and grilled/questioned for hours for running his mouth. But he just got a slap on the wrist, which by and large, has emboldened him to embark on his latest foolishness.
His party elders have, not surprisingly, been silent; they have neither condemned his remarks nor made any efforts to rein him in. By their inaction, they are telling the nation that they wholeheartedly endorse the crass statements of Mr Agyepong.
Mr. Agyepong will be hugely disappointed come November when Ghanaians go to the polls; no matter who they elect to run the affairs of the nation, their selection will be respected by all. The results will not be met with violent resistance from any quarter.
Perhaps, in his ignorance, Mr. Agyepong does not know that Ghanaians are averse to violence in any form. We won’t allow our nation to go down that slippery slope of nation destruction.
The consequences will be too deep, harsh and unforgiving for all of us. And let us not forget one cardinal fact; recovery from a civil strife as the examples of Sierra Leone and Liberia clearly demonstrate takes generations and poor as we are, we can hardly afford to take up arms and begin systemically slaughtering each other.
