Former Minister of State for Tertiary Education, Prof. Kwesi Yankah, recently shared a light-hearted account of his experience during a special Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting.
According to Modern Ghana on Monday, October 7, 2024, The meeting, which focused on the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) call for a forensic audit of the voters’ register, featured Dr. Omane Boamah, the NDC’s Director of Elections.
Prof. Yankah humorously remarked that Boamah’s use of complex vocabulary left him reaching for a dictionary.
During the IPAC meeting, representatives from various political parties were present, including Akua Donkor, the founder and flagbearer of the Ghana Freedom Party.
Donkor’s straightforward speech in Twi provided a striking contrast to Dr. Boamah’s elaborate terminology, illustrating the diverse communication styles within Ghanaian politics.
However, Dr. Boamah stated, “Fixing the leakage is missing, and this is at the heart of our altruistic demand for a forensic audit… This is why we are saying we need to adopt a dichotomous approach.”
Prof. Yankah quipped about the intricacies of Boamah’s language, saying, “After all this ‘dichotomous’ approach and ‘altruistic demands,’ what if on 7th January 2025, Ghana swears in as the sixth president of the 4th Republic, ‘Her Excellency President Akua Donkor?’”
Prof. Yankah also took the opportunity to commend Akua Donkor’s resilience in the political arena despite her limited formal education.
During her passionate address, she defended the Electoral Commission and criticized the NDC for its treatment of EC Chair Jean Mensah, stating, “The NDC has not stopped harassing her… She is a special person, and I congratulate her. But why the constant harassment?”
The former minister emphasized the significance of Donkor’s contributions, pointing out that some social media critics belittled her use of Twi.
He argued that Donkor embodies a large segment of Ghanaians who may not be fluent in English but are nonetheless active participants in political discourse.
“Akua Donkor indeed represents a huge category of ‘non-literate’ Ghanaians who are constantly intimidated and terrorized by a small percentage of English-speaking elite who mistake English as a sign of wisdom, and the African language as a mark of inferiority,” Prof. Yankah wrote.