Words: Are the winners still hurt?
Listening to some National Democratic Congress (NDC) members one surmises a lot of hurt.
It started with the acceptance speech of President-elect, John Dramani Mahama.
He began well with the scriptures, thanking the Almighty God for his help, “To paraphrase the Psalmist, I also give thanks to God for preparing a table before me in the presence of my ‘enemies’. And for anointing my head with oil and making my cup overflow”.
But then, he refers to the difficulties Ghanaians faced, making allusions to the arrogance of the past government.
For the arrogance, disrespect of Ghanaians and total disregard for their voices, there was a united resolve to boot the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government out. Alluding to their arrogance, when they had lost and were in shock, was not magnanimous.
Members
Then there are some members (and even leaders), of the winning party, who are already calling for the blood of their “perceived enemies”.
On an Accra FM station over the weekend, that had Kwame Asare Obeng (A-Plus) as one of the speakers, had other speakers calling for an investigation into the administration of the government, when the new one was sworn into office, and those found culpable of corruption to be put in cages to remind all that corruption and other malfeasance would not be tolerated.
Joyce Bawa Mogtary, special aide to President-elect Mahama, was on a television programme and asked for the resignation of the Electoral Commission Chairperson, Jean Mensa.
According to her, the EC chair showed incompetence and partisanship, during the election process.
The question is, would the NDC have won by such a large margin if she had been so incompetent and partisan?
One would retort that the win was due to the vigilance of NDC members, however, that would not have mattered if she was so inclined to frustrate the party at the polls.
Point
The point is, you have won, can you not be magnanimous in words and actions?
By this, I am not proposing for those engaging in corrupt and illegal behaviour to be let off the hook. Yes, they must be tried and appropriate sanctions must be given.
But can we be humane enough, particularly those with power now, in all these processes, bearing in mind the words of President-elect Mahama, that Abaa a wɔde bɔɔ Takyi, ɛno ara na wɔde bɔ Baah (the stick used on Tachie will be the same used on Baah).
This is not time for bitterness, after all, what are you bitter about?
Are you bitter about the fact the government ruled with such arrogance, or in that in the malfeasance you were not part?
Or is the thinking that the excesses of the past government justifies the most inhumane treatment?
We are all human and their acts must fill us with pity, for they exhibited their most base nature, to their own detriment.
Let us know that words are powerful. Able to create, recreate, destroy and even kill, and the Bible is replete with examples.
That is why the testimony of the President-elect in his acceptance speech after he was announced winner of the presidential election is heartwarming.
“I also give thanks to God for preparing a table before me in the presence of my ‘enemies’. And for anointing my head with oil and making my cup overflow”.
That should set the tone for resetting Ghana; that should remind all of God’s goodness and mercy in giving second chances and opportunities for creating the Ghana we all pine for.
The rancour and vindictiveness must cease, and the winning party must lead with this!
We need to learn to be charitable with winning and set the country on a peaceful course, not a cycle of vindictiveness.
Writer’s E-mail: caroline.boateng@graphic.com.gh