I think the photos and the 12 second video of the President preparing to ride and revving off on a powerful motorcycle was not intended to be released. I think someone made a mistake and shared them, and sensing the potential PR disaster in an election year, communication operatives of government had to create reasons for the ride and to justify it and to make any other comment about it seem political and needless - of course whiles trying to make us believe it was deliberately released to tell us the President was touring areas affected by floods.
The President Rides Often I am told that the President actually rides often. There's absolutely nothing wrong with him riding a bike. We all have pastimes and if John Mahama's happens to be bike riding, I find absolutely not wrong with that. Vladimir Putin of Russia does a lot of horse riding and skiing. Other leaders across the world have all sorts of things they do away from the hectic job of governing a country. Now let me tell you what i think is wrong with all of this.
Leakage of Photos James Agyenim-Boateng, former Deputy Communications Minister and currently an aide to the Vice President thinks I get away with a lot of what he calls gibberish and that this is one I wouldn't get away with. He tells me in a Facebook comment that "Truth is that you get away with a lot of gibberish! You're not getting away with this one. What makes you think that you're right and all of us who published the President's bike photos are wrong?".
Or did James and his people leak them for some cheap political point? Another attempt at making people focus on anything else but the issues as we head into the elections? Let's get into this later.
Security Concerns Now, we are not aware, or we were not aware at how skilled John Mahama was on a bike until Sunday June 12. But from how he revved off from home, it's obvious he's very comfortable on the monster. Having said that though, I felt it may be a little too exposing to have our President ride around on a wet Sunday to inspect the after-effects of the rains as James wishes us to believe, or perhaps sarcastically put it in a matter akin to saying 'buzz off, what's that your business'.
There have also been images of Putin especially fishing bare-chested on some Russian lake and horse riding as well with the clear message that other leaders do it. As I have said in the opening paragraph, I don't think there is anything wrong with the President riding a bike. The comparisons are therefore needless and childish.
When Putin goes on a lake to fish, or to hunt or to horse ride, I bet the security around him is as tight as anyday. We saw one motorist speed off, then a police dispatch rev off and then the President. I stand to be corrected but I didn't see the security detail we pay for at work here. The President is an individual but as President, he doesn’t quite have the liberties ordinary citizens have to just go for a joy ride because he wants to.
It's in the line of this that I think the images were leaked or whoever circulated them may have not thought through hard enough. Apparently JM rides around often. Only those who had to know, knew it. But now, we all know and that must be of some security concern to the state.
What may be the real reason for 'leaking' the photos?
It should not be too hard to find out who sent the photos out. Normally when visitors go to his place of residence they are required to drop their phones at the security. So those with access to their phones are known people and if anyone wanted to know who, they will know.
Photos from the President that are meant to communicate any meaningful point are often well done and crafted properly before release and can be seen on the social media handles of the President and his campaign. This was amateurish and appeared as material not initially intended for public consumption.
Or perhaps there is some propagandist motive for sharing them? Knowing that political party operatives stop at nothing to throw dust into the eyes of the rather vulnerable part of the population at this time, may be someone thought pushing a 'President with Swag' agenda may gain some youthful votes against one that may not ride and had long stopped boxing.
But how about this: a President on a joy ride on a motorbike in a city that was literally immersed in water a few days back and one that was worried with an ending stream of showers of of a recurring flood may also suggest an insensitive leader who does not give a care what the people feel and wants to have his scheduled ride regardless. May be we should believe James Agyenim-Boateng when he says "the President jumps on his bike to check the impacts of rain on the city of Accra".
Whether or not my NDC friends will agree, this is a PR blunder they wish they could have done away with. It's needless attention when you want to connect with the people who feel their economy is crippling, cost of living isn't very friendly and there is corruption with a government not doing enough to fix it. In the words of James again, this may be gibberish but it is nonetheless needless PR trouble courted by themselves.
And, it's not me they should be fighting on social media. It's the people, some of whom may now be seeing a different President, they must channel their energy on.
How much is that bike?
And oh, what James and his people also forget is that it is not too difficult to find out how much that bike costs. From what I know, some of these bikes cost a fortune. I have read elsewhere that it averages between GHC140,000 and GHC170,000. I reckon communicators of the party and government will scream propaganda but that's not true. If the voter in the village where a thatch classroom structure collapsed killing a pupil finds out that the President's toy could have fixed a three unit classroom block how will that help his re-election?
You see why this is not gibberish but a needless PR blunder you could have avoided?
PS: Not everyone who disagrees with you is your enemy - Quote me
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