ILLITERACY And IGNORANCE: NDC Supporters Want President Mahama To Pardon Montie 3 For The Mere Fact That They Are NDC

The thought process of the ordinary Ghanaian must be so fascinating to delve into. Most of us know very little about the world, yet venture to make pronouncements far above our knowledge realm with the utmost confidence, as if what we are saying is the most reasonable and factual statement in the world.
It’s an affliction that cuts all across the society, from the elderly to the young, the rich to the poor, the literate to the illiterate. It’s why our politics is carried out at a kindergaten level, where slogans and tribal instincts are more important than policies and facts.
You can find it all over the reaction to this case of the jailed panelists and show host of Montie Fm, who have infamously been dubbed the ‘Montie 3’. Very few people are making impassioned legal or even moral arguments for their release, just political ones. Nowhere is that more illustrated than in the NDC.
Immediately after the verdict, the party condemned it in strong language. The lawyers of the jailed have revealed they would seek a Presidential pardon, and now party supporters have joined in the call. Except in their case, they aren’t making any nuanced argument for their release apart from the fact that they support the same party.
A throng of them have gathered at the party’s headquarters in Accra, calling on the President to release their colleagues. According to them, being the most powerful person in the land, his supporters cannot be jailed for standing up for him. The logic here being that if you are supporting the NDC and the President, whatever you do should be excused.
One of the supporters told Starr News (emphasis mine)…
“Those who sit at the court are not above the law, the President can turn a man into woman. We can’t campaign for a party and be jailed, the president should do something. We agree what they did is wrong but they have apologised and so many people have begged on their behalf,”
There’s the sentiment right there, which seems to be driving the entire march. They are apparently threatening to withhold votes from the NDC if the contemnors aren’t punished. Accountability is not important so long as you have the right party credentials.
The sad thing is, I’m not so sure NPP supporters wouldn’t be doing the same thing if they were in this situation. The problem is an anti-intellectual society that deemphasises the importance of an education – not the amassing degrees kind of education but taking the time to educate yourselves on matters of the world kind. It’s a society where one man’s ignorance is often worth more than another ones’ knowledge, and these are the results.
“If they don’t want to go to jail, they should release Mugabe” Another supporter told Starr. “Nana Akufo-Addo has already said if he comes he is going to jail most of them so if they don’t release them, no vote for them. We will not campaign for NDC and they will lose and go to jail.”
Now I know I just spent an entire article disparaging these folks, but if the goal is to get John Mahama out of office, that I can gladly get behind. In my humble opinion, we haven’t had a worse President managing our nation’s state of affairs since Ignatius Kutu Achaempong.