The New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has chosen his running mate. And the MP for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo), is the lucky one. I will say more about that choice and the behind-the-scenes dealings on a different platform soon. In this short piece, however, I intend to contribute to the prevailing debate about the dominant character trait that has trailed Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh’s political career for years. His name is almost synonymous with arrogance.

First, let me state that I have a problem with the general Ghanaian definition of arrogance. In Ghana, timidity is often mistaken for humility and elevated as a cardinal virtue of human character. So, what arrogance denotes is not the same as what it connotes in Ghana. Some people are tagged arrogant because they are assertive and forthright.

Second, I have not met NAPO in person, so my knowledge about his character is from his public utterances and what those who have encountered him say about him.

The closest I came to NAPO was sending him complimentary copies of three of my books in 2020 when he was still Ghana’s Minister for Education. A few days later, I received a letter acknowledging the gift and thanking me for it.

The first thought that came to mind was the general perception of his arrogance. He could simply have asked one of his aides to thank me for it, but he chose to send a letter. That gave me a different impression of him. You may not consider this as exceptional because others do it. However, one female minister of state did not even acknowledge receipt even though she received the books.

Is my encounter enough to say that those calling NAPO arrogant are all wrong?

No.

Is his perceived arrogance enough to say he should not hold a public office?

No.

Is it an issue we should even focus on and discuss?

Yes.

Many years ago, a particular presidential candidate refused to wear the robe of arrogance sewn by his political opponents. Some of us helped him to reject the tag and instead asked that we focus on the things that mattered.

Today, he is president and manifests that arrogance in many ways. The obvious ones we see are the videos of him commanding traditional rulers to stand and greet him. His handlers, who are supposed to remind him that he is the people’s servant, follow and encourage him. Has anybody ever thought that someone could be sitting because they have a health problem? In enlightened churches, pastors who ask the congregants to stand often precede it with a caveat that exempts those who may be unable to stand because of old age or ill health.

However distasteful Akufo-Addo’s public attitude is, it cannot be worse than his unseen manifestation of arrogance in his exercise of the absolute power we give to our presidents.

Today, if people say Napo is arrogant, let us shut them up because of political convenience. Dr. Bawumia has been more exposed than Napo. He has created more enemies and received more vicious attacks from the NPP and NDC than Napo. Why has nobody ever said Bawumia is arrogant?

That tag will not stick because Bawumia may fake a smile or impersonate a dance, but his humility is genuine. And that mud of propaganda will not stick even if it is mixed with a barrel of glue.

But how do you convince Ghanaians that Napo’s arrogance is a mere perception or misconception when we still remember how he recently responded to those asking for a timetable for the load shedding? In some countries where they take citizens seriously, he could have lost his ministerial job because power outages can be a matter of life and death.

Everybody has their weakness. Nobody is an angel. So when the tongues that overwhelmingly point out your weakness to you have tangible examples to back their claims, you don’t dismiss it. You work on it.

Some say we should pardon him because he is from the royal family, but that worsens the situation. First, his royalty is limited to the family or ethnic group over which that royalty presides. More importantly, royal training refines people, including how they speak, so we should have expected better from Napo. In our traditional settings, especially in royal houses, arrogance is a vice.

I would be the first to caution against falling for any man who comes bearing the visible signs of humility on their foreheads, wearing white, and posing for photos with their hands in front of them like pious Catholics queuing for the Holy Communion. Even if they speak with the softer version of Archbishop Palmer Buckle’s voice, it is not enough to give them power over those we perceive as arrogant. At the same time, we should not discount the haughtiness and insensitivity of the arrogant people in power.

If any candidate had come close to Matthew Opoku Prempeh in the compromised criteria and political permutation set for selecting the NPP running mate, he would not have been selected. And no sensible man would ignore a blot on their character that is conspicuous enough to block their competence.

However, as I have stated, the perception or reality of arrogance is not enough to disqualify him from being a running mate. A country that tolerates known thieves in office should be able to live with arrogance. But in the Fourth Republic, we have lived with humble thieves as leaders and have also witnessed arrogant thieves at the helm of affairs. And for the sake of our mental health, the humble ones may be preferable and bearable.

So Napo and his handlers should deal with the arrogance tag if he does not want to wear that cloak forever. It is a serious issue he must deal with.

It will make him a better human being.

And a better leader.

Written by Manasseh Azure Awuni
A Freelance Investigative Journalist

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