“Exit Abuga Pele, Enter Dr. Opuni”. This is a familiar phrase if you are fond of plays. I cannot understand what drove me to open this article in such fashion. Did they not say that as a man thinketh so is he? Ghana’s story is being written like a Shakespearean fiction set on a 238,535 km square and everyday a paragraph is added.
What in the world will drive relatives of Dr. Opuni to hold a press conference clad in red to huff and puff that their kinsman is not guilty. Well if Dr. Lawrence Tetteh can insult a singer in public with uncouth language and justify it with biblical quotations then it is possible. Couldn’t family members rather have encouraged Dr. Opuni to go to court and clear his name if he honestly believes he is not guilty? I think they conceived that idea but pure sycophancy overrode common sense.
I thought politicians will come to terms that ‘bussing’ unemployed youth to chant songs in support of politicians on trial does absolutely nothing than to add another drama to the fiction we are writing and create an impression in the minds of the accused person and party supporters that they are being ‘witch’ hunted.
Did we hear some of the supporters who recently stormed the court to support Dr. Opuni? It will interest you to know that some of them know nothing about the man and confessed being asked to join a bus to support an NDC ‘big man’ for a pittance. Wait a minute, let me predict the next scene of the political drama we are about to witness; Party big wigs will show up in court a few times in solidarity and yes, they did, T-shirts will be printed with ‘Free Dr. Opuni’ written on it, monies will be disbursed to foot soldiers who will go and shout their voice hoarse, some young men will be compelled to attend because their breakfast and lunch will elude them if they don’t show up.
After a while when the sponsor is tired of giving out money, the numbers will reduce and Dr. Opuni will be attending court with a few loyal family and friends. The airwaves will be saturated with some pocket lawyers and commentators for the radio version of the trial. Some of them will pretend not to discuss the merits of the case but will end up prejudicing severely. The trial Judge will get angry and warn journalist to report accurately. The anger will be extended to the lawyers in the trial and the Bar Association will issue a statement reminding lawyers to be circumspect. Those politicians who will come down with verbal diarrhoea may be cited for contempt. Folks is this not too familiar?
Fast forward, a date will be set for ruling on submission of no case. At this point, I am not qualified to predict the outcome only to say that Ghana indeed is in a state of oxymoron awaiting thought provoking ideas and attitudinal change to rescue it from the present quagmire. If you have seen a thatched or mud house in Ghana with an air-condition hanging at the rear, you will understand that Ghana indeed can foster without aid. Don’t go too far… there are a lot of houses in Nima with such grotesque constructions.
Need I say more?
By Thomas Adotei Pappoe|3news.com|Ghana
The author is a journalist working with Media General, owners of TV3, 3FM, Onua FM, Connect FM Akoma FM, Adesa 3news.com and Adesa Productions.