Agya Kwaku Ogboro
?I always say the truth is best even when we find it unpleasant. Any rat in a sewer can lie. It?s how rats are. It?s what makes them rats. But a human doesn?t run and hide in dark places, because he is something more. Lying is the most personal act of cowardice there is.? ? Nancy Farmer, The House of the Scorpion.?
It is said that the pen is mightier than the sword. Similarly, a lie may do more damage than a gun. Lying is the doorway to any number of evils. And a liar is soon caught than a cripple. How profoundly true!
We all saw and heard the Mosquito-General in the dock when he was being led in evidence by Counsel Ant, didn?t we? We all saw and heard how he proffered all manner of voodoo theories to support his party?s claim of a presidential poll devoid of irregularities and malpractices. But little did he know that even a cripple could run faster than the words of a liar.
What transpired on the first day of cross-examination was aptly and humourously described by a friend on facebook who happens to be the head of a credible think-tank in Asomdwekrom; and I would like to share his thoughts with you:
Teacher:?Write a four-paragraph essay with the end phrase ??. saved by the bell?.
Student Cudjoevi Agbedefu: Once there was a General Secretary of a political party who was party to a litigation over presidential elections. He was a star witness.
After being led in evidence by Counsel Ant during which he made copious references to his vaunted 34 years experience in election matters, he ended his testimony on a bang, politically damning the ignorance of his opponents. He was the definition of humour and he executed it perfectly.
Then it was time for him to be cross-examined by Counsel on the other side. But the Judges had signalled it was time for lunch but would allow only one question from counsel. And the question was; ?General Secretary, you indicated to this court that you had 34 years experience in running elections in this country. Have you ever had any experience with an election involving biometric voter machines??
The General Secretary visibly shaken, answered, ?No, my lords?. After a little uproar, the counsel said he would save the rest after lunch. The presiding judge agreed, and that was how the General Secretary was saved by the bell.
Abusuapanin, he may have been saved by the bell in that round. But like a tired boxer standing on wobbly legs, the Mosquito-General was subjected to severe punishment as he received hefty punches from the lead counsel of the petitioners. He was compelled by the incisive questions from Counsel Addison to contradict himself on Serial Numbers, Over-Voting, No Verification-No Vote (NVNV), Provisional Register and many more. In short, much as the human mosquito tried, he could not escape the efficacious powers of the Addison insecticide.
I vividly recall how a confused Mosquito-General was cornered and compelled to swallow the sputum he had earlier spat out. For a man who had vehemently denied claims in court that he had trumpeted the supposed EC mantra of ?NVNV?, it was amusing to see his face when he heard himself on tape supporting the very claim he had refuted earlier. It was more than obvious that he had failed to impress his counsel. Little wonder that he was not re-examined by Counsel Ant.
Did you ever wonder why counsel for the third respondent, Mr. Ant, did not bother to re-examine the Mosquito-General? I read a book by a top American legal brain who propounded that one major reason that would make a counsel not re-examine his client is because he wants his client to leave the dock early to save face. I believe that was exactly what happened in the case of Mr. Ant and the Mosquito-General. The witness had been so battered on the face by the petitioners? counsel that his counsel could not wait to see him leave the dock to avoid further humiliation.
The Mosquito-General?s performance was so appalling that one of his lawyers, Tony Lithur, was compelled to vent his frustrations on a huge book containing further and better particulars, which the counsel for the petitioners wanted the witness to identify. Tony Lithur was subsequently reprimanded by the bench for the uncouth behaviour.
The Mosquito-General?s assertion that some people could hide extra ballots in their sleeves in order to cast more than one vote was as interesting as it was revealing. I wonder where and how a voter could lay hands on an extra ballot before going to the polling centre to cast his vote. But hey, it is the Mosquito-General and his election-rigging party we are talking about here. Frankly, I wouldn?t be surprised if it turned out that he was unconsciously confessing to what he and his party have been doing to win elections in this county.
Tick-tock, tick-tock; the clock is slowly but surely ticking towards the day of reckoning at the Supreme Court. It is becoming obvious that the job of the judges is being made easier by the day as the messy faecal matter hidden in some people?s anus is gradually being exposed.
Indeed, it is after the Court?s decision that those who took to the witness box to tell lies would realize that bitter truth is better than a sweet lie. And that a lie may please; but it ultimately brings disgrace to the one who tells it.
See you next week for another konkonsa!
