I am again compelled to come out to issue a public fatherly advice to my son, the suspended NPP General Secretary Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyapong. He is my son for the simple fact that he is the son of the late High Court Justice Agyapong who was my fellow Agona clansman but murdered in cold-blood by the then murderous military junta presided over the former President Jerry John Rawlings on 30 June 1982. The late Mr Kwame Nyame (Emmanuel Marfo) from Effiduase-Oyoko who inherited his father was more of a senior brother to me than a mere two inseparable friends. Was I not taken by the mother of Kwame as one of her sons with Kwame taken by Awo Serwaah as her’s? Therefore, by the Akan tradition and custom, I can declare without favour or fear that Kwabena Agyapong is my son.
It is said, “Spare the rod, and spoil the child”. In Proverbs 13:24, it says, “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them”. This is the reason why I moved publicly for Kwabena to be disciplined by the NPP leadership after he had incessantly obstinately ignored my admonitions to him to desist from what were his clearly obnoxious plots to sabotage the fortunes of NPP, the very party he was not only affiliated to but also, was its General Secretary.
However, an Akan proverb has it that, “When your child poops (defecates) or wee (urinates) on your lap, you do not cut the lap off but rather wipe off the defecation/urine” – “Se wo ba dwonso anaase ogya nenan gu wo sere so a ye pepa na yen ntwa nkwene”
This is why after a thorough reflection; I have decided to come back once again to offer him some very useful fatherly advice after teaching him a lesson according as advised in Proverb 13:24.
I do not know what his plans are and what he has been doing in silence or in secret after his rightful suspension from his post as the General Secretary of NPP. However, I do admire his silence and retreat from doing anything publicly silly to harm the party as it was contrarily the view of many a supporter of his and his perceived NDC secret paymasters and employers. I stand to be corrected if he was not working for the interests of NDC while he was the NPP General Secretary as by his stubborn behaviours and pursuits, I personally suspected him of having turned into NDC mole within NPP.
Anyway, my advice to him today, Monday 10 October 2016, is for him to behave and see himself as the biblical prodigal son. When the son realised his mistakes and how he had offended his father for demanding his share of his father’s properties in inheritance way in advance of the father dying, gone abroad to waste the money, and later finding life very unbearable, he decided to go back to the father. He went back, very remorsefully, to beg for forgiveness of sins and in so doing, he was warmly embraced by the father and accepted back into the family with what may be classified as pomp and pageantry.
What I want Kwabena to note here is that the offending son WENT BACK to, but was not RECALLED by, the father. The father did not go to him but he went to the father after realising the gravity of his mistake made that he knew to be an unpardonable offence.
When he went, he was pardoned and welcomed back into the family with warm fatherly embrace.
Kwabena should not wait to be invited by the leadership of the NPP but to go to them or start participating actively positively in the NPP electioneering campaign now that the party’s campaign manifesto has been launched. His truthful active participation will endear him not only to the NPP leadership but also, all the NPP family and all Ghanaians desiring a change of government from NDC to NPP come 7 December 2016.
What more can I say to him? Not much, but all that has been stated above. If he listens to my advice, his political fortunes that have been eroded will be re-instated by God same as it happened to the biblical prodigal son. However, if he chooses to ignore me but continues with his despicable stubborn attitude, then, “the road is your face” (“okwan no ennne wanim”) as we jovially say in Akan to obstinate people.
For readers to better understand how serious I mean Kwabena Agyapong goes back into the NPP fold as a reformed person, let me reproduce below the story about the prodigal son as some people may not bother themselves to spend time referring to the bible to read should I simply quote the bible verse(s).
The Parable of the Lost Son
11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.
13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.
17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.
“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’
28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’
31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”
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