Would Bawumia Have Disrespected The Prez This Way Had He Personally Been Present?

Managing Editor of the Accra Daily Mail, Alhaji Haruna Attah has expressed displeasure with the remarks made by the NPP's 2012 Vice Presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, during the one year memorial lecture after the demise of the late Vice President Aliu Mahama. Speaking in an interview with Radio Gold, Haruna Attah was of a strong view that Dr. Bawumia's statements were a complete betrayal of the purpose of the lecture. According to him, Dr. Bawumia disrespected the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, who sent a representative to the occasion. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on Wednesday night, accused the ruling NDC Government of "borrowing the equivalent of $20 billion in just the last five years." He also described the Socialist Democratic ideals of the ruling party as "Akonfem Socialism" given to the minority rich through corruptible means at the detriment of the ordinary Ghanaian. "What is worrying is that they tell us that this is only the first gear! Can you see or feel that $20 billion dollars has been pumped into this economy in the last five years? Where are the projects to show for the $20 billion? Just imagine the transformational effect if every region were given $2 billion for development projects,” Dr Bawumia said. But to the Accra Daily Mail editor, he walked out during the lecture by Dr. Bawumia to exhibit his aversion for the comments he (Dr. Bawumia) made on the platform. To him, he (Dr. Bawumia) was expected to deliver a speech that would unite the nation but failed and instead, made very "partisan political attack at the wrong place." “I didn’t want my name to be associated with the trend the man’s lecture was taking because that wasn’t what we had planned or we had in mind. So, mine was not to honour that partisan political position that was being expressed there. I had gone there as someone who knew the late Aliu Mahama very well and possibly, possibly, played a small part in even in his acceptance to run with the then candidate Kufour…Especially, since the President sent a representative; one of his staffers, Dr. Apaak, was there. He came and read a nice modifying statement from the President. So, I think all of these things combined should have just told Dr. Bawumia that his partisan political attack was at the wrong place.” Haruna Attah, who was part of the organizers of the lecture to celebrate the memorial service of the late Vice President, told the radio station that he felt much "betrayed as it were for having worked and come so far with a nice programme which was supported by many people. Incidentally, including the State; so we should be circumspect when we get the opportunity to express ourselves… “I also felt that there was a lot of disrespect shown towards the President of the land because he sent a representative in the person of Dr. Apaak who was sitting on the high table. So, are we to say that if the President, himself, had honoured the invitation and had come there; this kind of political attack would have taken place?”

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana