We live in the part of the world where people easily take offence anytime the word ‘foolish’ is used in describing their perceived folly, rightly or wrongly. But two of the world’s greatest books, Bible and Qur’an, do not mince words in telling the ‘fool’ who exactly he is. I will therefore take a cue from the two books and call a spade by its real name.
​Both books have described a fool in many ways. Per some of the descriptions, almost all of us can be aptly described as fools because we have at one time or the other engaged in foolish acts. But it depends on the kind of fool and whose fool you are.
An interesting spectacle played out in my neighborhood some years ago. An overzealous pastor and his members usually inundated the ears of the whole community with their daily all-night service. One night, an angry resident went to the church to confront them, which led to heated verbal exchanges. The angry resident asked, “You fools, don’t you know that your neighbours need to have a peaceful rest?” The pastor calmly replied, “We are fools for Christ’s sake; whose fool, are you?” The man quietly turned and walked away. But it is worth noting that the daily noise did stop, with the exception of Friday nights.​
​So I ask; are you the kind of fool who will never learn from his folly; the kind that will adhere strictly to religious doctrine to please his Maker; or the kind that will engage in all manner of machinations for the sake of political power?
​The fools under my microscopic lens today are of a peculiar kind. Not only do they repeat their folly, but do so with no shame as well. They are also the political kind and do not mind doing anything to win political power.
We were all in this country during the 2020 campaign and we saw what happened. Zu-za’s main campaign message was the seeming corruption in the then Nana Dee government. They sang the corruption chorus so well that they began to believe their own tale. But the voters doubted Zu-za’s chorus as they (Zu-za) were worse than those they were accusing.
Another chorus from the Zu-za camp was the bizarre claim that they started the Free SHS policy. Once again, the voters refused to believe the Kwaku Ananse tale because we all saw how they demonized the policy in their campaign adverts. The resultant effect was that the voters made Mr. Dead-Goat’s resurrection attempt a futile one.
​One would expect the events of 2020 and the outcome to teach Zu-za a lesson. But what we are witnessing on the political front amply proves the saying that the fool never learns from his folly.
Zu-za members are repeating the corruption chorus to discredit their main opponent when the Umbrella is guiltier than the Elephant in that regard. Of course, Nana Dee’s appointees are not angels, but Zu-za’s accusation is akin to an overused kettle calling a fairly used pot black.
Another folly of theirs is the claim that the completed Kumasi International Airport should be credited to President Ogwanfunu. Nothing could be further from the truth. How can a project signed in 2018 be credited to a man who had left office on January 6, 2017? Only ignoramuses will believe this cock and bull story.
Just like the Okada legalization promise, which attracted a lot of discussion in the 2020 election campaign, Mr. Ogwanfunu is out again with the promise of introducing a 24-hour economy. But the question he deliberately ignored was how he was going to make the 24-hour economy a reality.
Any political analyst worth his salt could easily decipher Mr. Ogwanfunu’s political strategy. He knows many of his compatriots are unlettered, and the lettered ones too do not understand economic issues so well. So, he is introducing the 24-hour economy debate with the hope that some unlettered and semi-literate ones would be hoodwinked into swallowing it hook, line and sinker.
Just like the Okada promise, this too is bound to fail in achieving the political objective he so desires. He is still deluding himself into believing that his compatriots have ‘short memories’. But those of us with long memories will not shirk our responsibility of reminding our folks of the risks associated with the resurrection of the ‘Dead-goat’.
Yes, things are not so rosy today; neither were they during President Ogwanfunu’s reign. We just cannot forget the devastating effects of ‘dumsor’, which we had to endure for the whole four years of his reign. I, personally, cannot forget how I had to study at night under very severe atmospheric heat and with the aid of a torchlight for my master’s programme. I shudder to imagine the resurrection of Mr. Ogwanfunu.
It is interesting to note how Zu-za thinks victory in the 2024 polls is foregone conclusion. Yes, the Elephant’s popularity is currently at its lowest. But the Umbrella camp does not inspire hope in the youth because they are not proposing viable alternatives. That is the bitter truth!
It is pretty obvious that those under the eagle-headed Umbrella are repeating the mistake they made in the 2020 elections. Ironically, they are oblivious of the fact that they are repeating a folly that let them down in the last election. It is indeed a pity to see them tickle themselves and laugh!
Many may be surprised about Zu-za’s folly, but not yours truly. For Proverbs 26:11 has stated clearly that: “As a dog returns to its vomits, so a fool repeats his foolishness.”
​See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!