The new africa

And JJ Wept: weep not JJ


This piece was written over a year ago,and i am dedicating it to JJ on his birthday: WHY RAWLINGS SHOULDN’T KEEP QUIET Wonders, they say, shall never end. Yes, wonders shall never end. Do you remember the period between 2001 and 2008 when the NPP was in power? When JJ was the unofficial spokesperson for the opposition NDC? Do you remember that between 2001 and 2008, the NDC kept telling us JJ was someone who always spoke his mind?

 Do you also remember some prominent members of the party would even go on air to explain what JJ meant by what came to be known as ‘boom speeches’? Ok, what has changed? What at all has changed so soon that the NDC now finds it unacceptable that the man is doing what they have always admired him for? Is it because the NDC is now in power? Has JJ suddenly ceased to be someone who doesn’t speak his mind? You see, the Holy Book admonishes us “judge not, that ye be judged, for with whatever measure you….” Yes, in Fante, this Biblical admonition is expressed as “abaa a wodze bo Takyi no, wodze bebo Baah dabi”. Yes, so the JJ who spoke his mind to Kuffour, is the same JJ speaking his mind to Mills. Simple! But seriously, looking at the party NDC, JJ is someone who can effectively speak his mind at this time, without fear or favour. Yes, he is the man who founded the party, and reserves every right to ensure that his party remains as strong as he wishes, that his party delivers to the good people of Ghana, who voted out the corrupt NPP and voted in the NDC.

 At least JJ has tasted life as an ex-President under the NPP, and is the best person to know how it feels like. Remember when Kwabena Adjepong announced that all courtesies extended to him had been withdrawn simply because he has refused to shut up? Remember his cars were retrieved from him? All protocols were cancelled, and JJ, the all powerful man that he was, had to carry his own luggage to and from the airport? Yes, so if by his immense contribution, the NDC is back in power, why shouldn’t he ensure that it remains in power for as long as it takes, so that he too will feel comfortable and be duly recognized as an ex-President? Have we forgotten that ‘nea otwa sa no nnim se n’ekyi akyea’? So someone must tell Uncle Atta.

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