Former President John Mahama
Former President John Mahama is vacillating and dangerously so. Even before his aversion to the referendum and subsequent campaign against it, he was in favour of the alteration of the relevant portion of the Constitution.
Enter the President’s decision to put the whole process on hold, indefinitely and the former head of state is at his diabolic best hitting back at his successor, without provocation, for taking the action he did.
The symptoms of political desperation are varied; the former president’s action is one.
Former President John Mahama has queried President Akufo-Addo for, as he said, denying Ghanaians the opportunity to state their positions on the aborted referendum.
It was interesting how he found in the subject a footnote for his campaign ranting. And now this sudden volte-face laden with mischief. An attempt such as this unbecoming behaviour in a bid to spoil the broth is incommensurate with the status of a leading politician, a former president obsessed with a return to the highest office of the land.
This reminds us about a portion of his memoir ‘My First Coup d’ État’ which points at what his inability to take decisions. If he had tarried a while before releasing the publication, he would have had more stuff for it because more entries continue to be credited to his life. The vacillation and political mischief can fill a chapter. He may consider another publication whose heading we may suggest, thus ‘A Case Study In Political Mischief.’
When vacillation becomes a feature of a person, he can pass for one suffering from a mental condition. This is an attribute worthy of dissection by Ghanaians who once voted for our dear former president.
It has been a few days since the decision of the President was announced by himself through a broadcast to the nation. His decision was informed by, as he said, the lack of consensus on the subject.
That the former president would turn round to criticize the incumbent President instead of lauding him for listening to the people, including him, smacks of dishonesty ? we are constrained to state.
A president should be one who can take decisions, implement them and stand by them. When such a dignified personality stands out as one who vacillates and therefore quick to change his position as does mercury in a thermometer, his standing in society should not an envious one.
So soon the former president is in love with the referendum and would have rather his successor did not announce a suspension. This is what mischievous politics can do.