Kobby Acheampong unworthy of ministerial job

President John Mills is a decent man. That is a fact. Even his critics struggle to smear him with anything untoward. But some of his ministers are dragging his name in the gutters-and one of them is Deputy Minister of Interior Kobby Acheampong. He does not merit the position he occupies but for the sake of party politics, he is enjoying from the taxpayers purse.

His conduct has been nothing but without respect. Rather than concentrate on his job of improving security in the country, he spends the least opportunity he gets to insult his political opponents, purely over ideology. The latest person he has insulted is New Patriotic Party presidential candidate Nana Akufo Addo, describing him as ‘fruit cake’ or a crazy person.

Somewhere last year he created a storm when he described members of the opposition from cocoa growing areas as ‘primitive. His foul mouth created serious uproar and when he was called to apologise he refused, insisting his comments were not in bad taste. Sadly, the government did not take any action against such a character whose expenses are taken care of by the ordinary masses.

Mr. Acheampong who was speaking to party supporters at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi said: “I wonder why the NPP selected Nana Addo as their flagbearer because the man is a fruitcake. We cannot do anything good with him,” he was quoted to have said, adding, “He keeps on going and going and I tell you give him two weeks, he will come up with something else.

It is rather unfortunate that Kobby Acheampong, a deputy minister of state, should be speaking as if he is sitting on a chamber pot in an open market. He may not like Nana Addo but does that mean he should rain insults at him? It is sad the direction Ghanaian politics has gone. It is no more issues based but insults and acrimony.

On my way to work this morning, as I see all the time, lots of people were carrying yellow gallons (formerly Kufour gallons but now Mills gallons) in search of water.

Water supply in the capital has not been flowing for months and every morning school children, parents, husbands etc have to carry gallons in search of water. People walk miles from their homes in search of a single gallon just to cater for their home chores. Some are lucky others are not.

The supply of water was one of the major themes for the campaign and the NDC promised to resolve the issue. So far nothing has been done in that respect, though we are often told ‘measures are still in the pipeline’ to make sure people enjoy water.

Rather than tell the party people about what is being done to resolve the issue, Kobby Acheampong finds it worthy to insult a man who can easily become a president of this country.

He may think Nana cannot be president but the electorates have become very discerning. How many people even in NDC thought Mills will be president? A lot of those party faithfuls who are today singing the president’s praises never believed he could even become president. But he won against every odd, including Nana Addo’s own arrogance. The victory was enough evidence that the ordinary voter has become very much sophisticated. Kobby Acheampong is full of arrogance, thanks to the position he occupies and instead of being humbled, he is talking ‘byheart.’

He went on to accuse the man of dressing improperly to a recently held thanksgiving service.

“Didn’t you see that Nana Addo appeared at the national thanksgiving ceremony at the Independence Square in Accra, the nation’s capital in an untidy manner?

Kobby’s foolishness and foul mouth was again directed at the NPP’s General Secretary Sir John whom he had earlier described as ‘villager.’ He said “As for Sir John, I will no longer refer to him as a typical villager from the cocoa-growing area but will rather call him a messy villager who is not ready to learn the rudiments of civility.”

It is unfortunate that a man who is asking for civility from his fellow politician will behave in a completely different manner.

It is important for the president to develop the thick balls and call Kobby Acheampong to order. He has become an embarrassment not only to government but Ghanaians.

The electorates want to hear positive plans about how jobs can be created, water supplied to every home, security improve and the construction of roads properly done and on time. this insult will not help anyone. President Mills should have the balls to call this guy to order or fire him else the impression out there that he is just a ceremonial head, according to the news out there, will continue to linger in the mind of many.

Not too long ago, party footsoldiers were all over the place grabbing virtually everything simply because the party failed to employ them. Most of them have created mayhem across the countryside, threatening to even kill deputy ministers. And we all know threatening somebody with death is criminal and yet Kobby Acheampong as the deputy minister of interior has not seen that.

If he thinks the insults will help his party stay in power, then I wish him the best of luck.