But in a swift rebuttal, Dr. Seth K.A. Horsu and Afari Jones, speaking for Dr. David Sunu, explained that it was not about the President’s physiology or his manly virility, but his non-performance as executive head of state and leader of his party.
Dr. Sunu was the man who organised a TEIN conference sometime ago at the Teachers’ Hall in Accra, a platform which Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah used to lambast President Mills as being vindictive and callous for not caring for former President Jerry John Rawlings, after fire gutted his house on Valentine’s Day last year.
Such a reference to the President, using the word “impotent”, has always generated controversies in the past but with the FONKAR/GAMES war of words raging now, it has attracted a worrying impetus.
In a press release containing the reaction under review, friends of Dr Sunu complained plaintively about what for them is a gross misinterpretation of comments by Dr. David Sunu at the Nana Konadu 2012 campaign launch on May 4, 2011.
“While making a speech at the programme, Dr. David Sunu used the phrase ‘impotent’ to describe the NDC party leadership; clearly knowing that ‘impotent’ simply meant ‘ineffective’ or ‘weak’. He intended to speak to the fact that the style and quality of leadership of the NDC party is far from desirable.”
“Having served at the youth front of the NDC, specifically TEIN, Dr. David Sunu came face-to-face with the frustrations of the youth. He championed many proposals using several strategies to improve the structures and resolve the challenges at the youth front, but with little concern from the party leadership. The result is that there is currently a large section of NDC youth who have served the party with their strength and yet are presently the worst hit by the challenges of life, with little hope of an ameliorative measure to soon arrive from our party in government,” the statement said.
They blamed the media and people close to the president as well as his appointees for the twist. “It is sad that the media, as well as some appointees of President Mills, have completely taken the comments out of context and sought to give it meanings that were not intended,” they explained.
Had there been an effective leadership, they pointed out, the current situation would not have been the case.
His reference, therefore, to the President as an ineffective party leader, was not ill-intentioned, but to draw the attention of the party leader and all lovers of the party, to the inadequacy of the leadership that the President was offering to the party, the two persons elaborated.
“Nonetheless, the general discomfort expressed by a few party members– either because of the possible misinterpretations of the word ‘impotent’ due to our socio-cultural environment, or the emotions it evoked– has been acknowledged and considered. Dr. David Sunu would therefore wish to withdraw that specific adjective. He however maintains his position that the NDC is suffering from an ineffective party leadership under President Mills,” the statement stressed.
Such references using the word “potency” have always evoked controversies, especially among the President’s minders.
Mr. Asemfofro, a known NDC activist and serial caller, put up a spirited radio fight over a year ago to parry what for him was a wrong reference to the President as being impotent.
He attracted a lot of attention and prompted laughter among listeners when he used his mastery of the Akan language to state that contrary to their erroneous impression, the President is a man by all standards, sexual potency et al and did not merit such derogatory references.
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