CPP Prez Hopeful Dismisses Media Attacks On Him

An Aspiring flag bearer of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Mr Ato Sackey has described recent media attacks on him and efforts to discredit him as tactics of propagandists of opponents within and outside the Nkrumaist family to derail him and stop the new wind of change blowing in the party.

He said unfortunately sections of the media had fallen victim to the ploy and failed to address and analyse the substance of the issues he had raised but had rather resorted to speculation and falsehood to smear his hard won reputation.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) from his base in the United States, Mr Sackey said the campaign of vilification being mounted against him in some sections of the media was the work of some disgruntled members of the party who felt threatened by his intention to contest the flagbearership of the party.

"I am amazed at the evil attacks on my personality just after I took the bold step to offer myself for the service of the country," he said.

Mr Sackey urged the media and other social commentators to concentrate on issues such as the role of the media in establishing and maintaining democratic governance in the country and the state of the nation.

He said issues, which he raised and wished the media to concentrate on, included whether there was the need to change the government in 2004 and whether the CPP needed a young, dynamic and hard working Nkrumaist to lead the party into the next electoral battle.

He said the focus of the forthcoming elections should not be based on individuals or personality or even about political parties.

"The maintenance of democratic principles and good governance should be the central theme of the elections."

Mr Sackey also debunked claims by some of his opponent that sought to portray him as fake saying they were mere smear campaigns aimed to soil his reputation and drag his name into disrepute.

Mr Sackey said: "This great nation Ghana is greater than the sum of its politicians and political parties and if anyone feels he or she has better ideas and solutions to the problems of the nation the one should boldly come out instead of hiding and indulging in unsubstantiated accusations calculated to tarnish my name."

Referring especially to the allegations of misrepresentation of his profession, Mr Sackey, who is a Business Executive, denied ever saying that he was a lawyer.

Explaining further, Mr Sackey said the misrepresentation occurred in an answer to a question at a press conference he organised to declare his intention to contest when a Journalist asked him how he would relate to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

"I told the Journalists that as President, when I send my negotiators to the IMF and they insist that the conditions for granting the facility is doubling school fees, my question to IMF would be, do school children in your country pay school fees, knowing, like a good lawyer, that you do not ask a question unless you know the answer.

"Indeed, I never referred to myself as a good lawyer as was said in the media. In fact, the radio station that played the tape did not take the issue from context."

On his business dealings, Mr Sackey said it was shocking that the media would go to such an extent and draw "malicious conclusions" without checking from the source.

Mr Sackey described as misleading attempts being made to show that he misrepresented himself as a Marketing Director of a UK firm.

He said Mr Tony Polykalas, who was mentioned in the story, had denied speaking to anybody in Ghana.

"I am surprised about the extent to which people can go in their bid to destroy their fellow men. My greatest desire is that all of us come together to help build the Ghana that Dr Kwame Nkrumah left for us."

He also denied being a mole of the NPP within the CPP ranks, saying: "I have no such intentions and I cannot drag the name of the party in the mud."

Mr Sackey said the "propagandists' tactics" had strengthened and given him the encouragement that he was on the right path to emerge as the flag bearer of the CPP at the next congress.

He urged his supporters to remain calm and continue their good works stressing: "Faith can overcome all adversity and the birth of a new day that lies ahead for Ghana and all its citizens shall expose all workers of iniquity of night."