Easy Ken, Easy

The New Publisher was particularly excited when Kennedy Ohene Agyapong; a maverick politician and successful businessman who represents the Assin Central Constituency in Parliament confirmed he would contest the 2024 flag-bearer position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) but the paper is worried about the apparent unresolved emotions of this winnable-candidate and the public drama into which the human flaw often lands  him.

Kennedy has guts,   influence, a handsome amount of money for campaign  and the ability to raise some more. He has street-credibility and a cult following plus the requisite political posture to sway popular votes his way. He has mastered retail politics.

However, Kennedy’s biggest demon would be his undiplomatic and unconventional outbursts when he has a point to make. Many times over the years, he had gotten it very wrong and has a lot of apology to make in that regard. Several gods needs pacification.

The point must be well made that the gods are not to be blamed if they refuse pacification from Ken. This refusal would not be because they are unforgiving, but because Ken does not seem to have truly repented as his new brand would want to portray him.

In politics, it is  often a belief in one’s invulnerability that brings about one’s own demise  and that is the slippery slope  Kennedy Agyapong finds himself as  his very strength could end up being his weakness.

His hallmark of speaking truth to power without fear or favour irrespective of which political party is in power is a rare positive trait among his peers. Some see that character as arrogance. Some see it as speaking bitter truth. Those who see him as a truth speaker are in the majority.

Ken,  however, may be pushing his luck too far when  his core NPP followers hear him saying  repeatedly  and in public that if he is dared he would reveal secrets that would completely destroy the potential electoral victory of the very party he belongs and seeks to represent.

When Ken speaks this way, the discerning mind would start to wonder what sort of gloomy information he is keeping to himself and why. In any case, to know of a crime or a wrong doing but refuse to report it, expose same or take action to stop it makes one equally guilty.

The electorate crave for Ken’s authenticity and the way he speaks the truth even when and if his voice shakes. He  must however take it easy and learn how to be spontaneous without being reckless.

His recent outbursts makes him sound paranoid as though the Akufo-Addo led government is overly scared of his candidature to an extent that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been unleashed  to destroy him and his businesses.

What evidence is there to prove the veracity of such a claim?

Barely a year or so ago, a section of the media tagged Ken’s wife as corrupt and mentioned a few government contracts which they alleged she had benefited from unfairly.

Quickly, Ken jumped to her defense and told the world of how clean the wife was and how she has an allergy for corruption and corruption related activities.

But here we are, Ken gets angry again over what he describes as a Government-sponsored GRA harassment and in his characteristic unresolved emotions and outbursts, tells the world that his wife is corrupt because she had prevented a whistle-blower from mentioning the name of a hospital where stealing of public funds took place.

The tongue is indeed a small member of the human body yet capable of sinking a whole ship.

Easy Ken, easy….