The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the opposition NDC, for what it describes as the party’s evil ploy to organise its members to jeer President Akufo-Addo during the Global Citizens concert.

According to the party, the “mean-spirited” treatment of President Akufo-Addo and the fact that the President’s appearance prompted loud and sustained boos and jeers from partisan NDC crowd at the global citizen event, crossed some “bright lines”.

“There was much consternation and even more navel-gazing Saturday night about patrons serenading Akufo-Addo with boos and chants of ‘away’ ‘away’ during the Global Citizen concert at the Independence Square… To put it more bluntly, it is pure evil and utter disgrace for the NDC to organize its supporters to go and shout down the President in the manner it happened.”
NPP

Contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Director of Communications of NPP, Ernest Kofi Owusu Bempah Bonsu, it revealed that some saw it as a rightful comeuppance for the President, while others saw it as a “disheartening confirmation of the polarization” of the society. Nonetheless, it indicated that there is a twist to this “disgusting enterprise”.

“As President Akufo-Addo begins to give his speech at the Global Citizen concert at Independence Square last night, the crowd’s mood appeared normal. Moments later, the boos emerged and as that kindling took light, chants of “away, away” echoed throughout the place.”
NPP

The NPP concerted that it is not unusual for the President to receive that kind of reception as in “normal sporting or entertainment events, fans boo”. It explained that not to accept some of aversion from the crowd is either “naïve or sanctimonious”.

NPP criticises partisan politics

However, the party highlighted that for the NDC to allow politics to take centre stage at such an event and “single out the President unfairly for political point scoring raises serious concerns”.

“Truly, politicians don’t expect to be popular all the time. Getting on with running the country is a job where you have to take difficult decisions a lot of the time. There’s nothing wrong if President Akufo-Addo goes to an event and receives cold reception. That’s a normal occurrence.”
NPP

The question of political civility, the party stated, is a common debate topic in the country’s political economy, to the extent that responses almost feel predetermined. It however, expressed worry over the apparent “relatively predictable moment” given the venue and a global event of that magnitude.

“Never before in the history of this country has a President, who by the way, has done more than any other President in recent times, and for all demographics been treated so unfair and disrespected. It’s very difficult to imagine that the political opposition to Akufo-Addo does not recognise the fact that this choreographed hogwash they put up has the potency to bite them…”
NPP

The NPP underscored that the Ghanaian partisan politics that became the national status quo since the dawn of the fourth republic needs fine-tuning. This, it explained, is because the political rhetoric and behaviour considered acceptable are on a “sliding scale”.