There comes a point in public discourse when satire loses its intellect and becomes hollow spite—when a pen meant to provoke thought is wielded instead to poison it. That point was reached in Dr. Moses Deyegbe Kuvoame’s recent piece titled “The Fertile Ewe Mind: How Afenyo-Markin Is Rebuilding NPP One Walkout at a Time.”
We are all free to share our opinions. That’s democracy. But when an academic condescends to enter the trenches of shallow, tribal, and unintelligent commentary, then we have a real problem. When a so-called professor chooses to engage, not with depth, not with intellect, but with empty tribal rhetoric, we must all be worried. If this is the calibre of reasoning informing his lectures, then, quite frankly, his degree ought to be subjected to serious scrutiny. I fear for the students who are under his academic care. I feel sorry for those sitting in his class. They are in trouble!
In simple terms, this was no objective political analysis. It was a veiled character assassination, dressed in elitist mockery, dripping with ethnic baiting, and woefully lacking in truth. What Dr. Kuvoame sarcastically calls a “fertile Ewe mind,” rather than being a tribute to intellectual brilliance, is a patronising, cynical construction used to cast aspersions on a man who, through sheer discipline, hardwork, and strategic insight, has risen to lead Ghana’s Parliament in one of the most politically complex periods in recent memory.
Now, let me dismantle the “nonsense” he tried to pass off as intellect.
Ethnic Bigotry Masquerading as Wit
The most dangerous part of the article is not its sarcasm; it is the way it reduces a man’s public service to his ethnicity —Ewe this, Ewe that—without providing any intellectual anchor. By repeatedly referencing Afenyo-Markin’s “Ewe mind” and portraying him as a political pawn used to atone for ethnic imbalance in the NPP, Dr. Kuvoame descends into the same ethnic profiling and tribalism he claims to critique.
This is no intellectual boldness. It is cowardly ethnocentrism, the kind that divides rather than educates, and belittles progress rather than celebrates it.
For the record, Afenyo-Markin was not elevated to leadership because of his name or tribe. He earned it, through legislative competence, bipartisan bridge-building, and years of relentless parliamentary engagement. If the NPP leadership wanted a “token face,” they would have chosen someone easier to control. Instead, they chose the one man who has consistently challenged even his own party when principle demanded it.
He is the one man who has boldly and fearlessly stood up to the NDC and refused to cower, even when it was politically risky and when others chose to play it safe.
And so, if I were Dr. Kuvoame, I would spend less time throwing weak jabs and more time studying his strategy; a strategy that has managed to hold the Minority together and make them effective despite their numerical disadvantage.
Walkouts — Dr Kuvoame’s Misreading of Strategy and Law
Dr. Kuvoame sarcastically accuses the Minority Leader of rebuilding the party through parliamentary walkouts. This statement is not only misleading, it is intellectually dishonest and empty.
Walkouts in Parliament are not temper tantrums; they are legitimate constitutional tools of protest, used by both sides of the House when democratic consensus breaks down. The NDC, when in opposition, walked out. They did so repeatedly. That Dr Kuvoame feigns ignorance of this reality is either willful blindness or academic laziness.
Afenyo-Markin’s walkouts are not about absence; they are about moral presence. When rules are bent, when procedure is abused, when minority rights are threatened, a walkout becomes not an escape, but a statement. A statement that we will not abandon our conscience or principle and be part of a blatant injustice or abuse of power.
And guess what? They work. They force conversations, draw national attention to the excesses of the Majority’s actions, and keep Parliament accountable. In fact, far from weakening the party, they have repositioned the NPP Minority as a disciplined, coordinated, indomitable force under Afenyo-Markin’s leadership.
So, Mr “Professor,” next time, do your homework well, some proper research, before rushing out with another shallow, ill-informed take on any matter.
“Visibility by Absence”? — No, Sir. Visibility by Impact
Again, for Dr Kuvoame To suggest that the Minority Leader is gaining visibility by disappearing is laughable. Since taking the reins, he has:
Delivered some of the most coherent and principled parliamentary submissions on national issues;
Demonstrated strategic maturity by empowering other MPs to front key messaging;
And redefined leadership as a collective force, not a one-man show.
In fact, it is this Minority Caucus, under the leadership of Afenyo-Markin, that has rekindled public interest in parliamentary proceedings. From vetting sessions to heated floor debates, Ghanaians are keenly watching, because the Minority has made it impossible to ignore.
If Dr. Kuvoame thinks this is “sabotage,” then he must redefine the term. Because the only sabotage at play here is in his article — a sabotage of truth.
“Rebranding Ethnic Politics”? — Projection, Not Analysis
Ironically, the only person guilty of ethnic reductionism in this entire episode is the author himself. He claims that Afenyo-Markin is “redecorating ethnic politics,” yet he is the one dragging ethnicity into every paragraph, turning a man’s identity into a weapon.
Afenyo-Markin has never campaigned on tribalism. He has never played the ethnic card. His political message has always been issue-based, focused on governance, equity, and national unity. That Dr. Kuvoame cannot comprehend how a Ghanaian can rise above tribal lines says more about him than his target.
Afenyo-Markin is nobody’s puppet. His record, whether in Majority or Minority, is consistent: thoughtful, grounded, and firm. His loyalty is not to tribal echo chambers or intellectual provocateurs—it is to Ghana, first and foremost, and then to his party, the New Patriotic Party.
Perhaps, in a few years, when the NDC finds itself back in bitter opposition, dazed and confused despite all their noise, party faithful will look back and ask: “Who outsmarted us this badly? We never saw it coming.”
And a firm voice will answer from Effutu: “It was I, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, your ever-strategic Minority Leader — armed with clarity and courage louder than your loudest propaganda, through hired pens like Dr. Moses Deyegbe Kuvoame.”
Final Thoughts: A Fertile Mind Is Not a Forked Tongue
Dr. Kuvoame claims to be a fertile mind, but a truly fertile mind does not peddle mischief and ignorance. It builds, it probes honestly, and it respects truth. Sadly, Dr. Kuvoame’s piece is fertile only in fiction.
For the avoidance of doubt, this rebuttal is not written in defence of a man. It is written in defence of integrity. Because we must reject the kind of elitist mockery that cloaks itself in satire while undermining serious national discourse.
If this is how a professor chooses to contribute to rebuilding Ghana’s democracy, then we are right to worry, not about the Minority Leader, but about the shrinking standards of scholarship and the rise of intellectual dishonesty and laziness.
As for Afenyo-Markin, he remains focused. The work continues. And unlike his critics, he doesn’t need to shout to be heard. He leads. And he delivers.
Kwaku Barnes
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