FONKAR statement

Sept 13 2011

Accra, Ghana

The Attention of FONKAR have been

drawn to a violent incident involving one of its members in the Ejisu/Juaben

district in the Ashanti region where FONKAR’s coordinator Mr. Joseph Yaw Dosu

was brutally attacked and beaten by body guards of Mr. Yaw Obimpeh, Ashanti

regional chairman of the NDC during a meeting last Friday for daring to advise

the regional chairman to desist from using insulting language. The Ashanti

regional NDC chairman is known for his character of violence against others who

disagree with him. Mr. Obimpeh has pursued an agenda of harassment towards NDC

members who came out in their numbers to welcome the former NDC flag bearer

contender and former first lady NANA KONADU AGYEMAN- RAWLINGS on her thank you

tour of the Ashanti region recently. The NDC Ashanti regional chairman also has

the history of using ‘macho men’ to intimidate and harass his perceived opponents.

In 2010 after his election as regional chairman at Mampong, he sent the same ‘macho

men’ to beat up a deputy propaganda secretary of Asawase constituency Mr.

Yakubu Tony Aidoo for disagreeing with him, and this is on public record. Mr.

Yaw Obimpeh must be stopped for the interest of party unity.

FONKAR see these attacks on its

members as a deliberate ploy by supporters of President Mills who are bent on

disuniting and disintegrating the NDC. Just recently, another FONKAR member, George

Boateng got detained by

police for no apparent reason. Several examples of violent attacks on members

of FONKAR by President Mills’ supporters can be mentioned since the end of

congress in Sunyani in July.

FONKAR has pursued nothing but

party cohesiveness. FONKAR has no other

interest other than the survival of the NDC. It is therefore very sad when people

close to the president continually

act provocatively- even violently- towards members of FONKAR before, during and

after the NDC congress in Sunyani. It is becoming clearer to us those within

the NDC who are not interested in Uniting for the future after a contest. It

only re-enforces the notion that certain elements in the party are bent on

destroying the NDC and its ideals in order to enable the CPP to survive. FONKAR

wishes to condemn in the uncertain terms these violent and physical attacks on

our members by haters of our dear party tradition and fanatics and sycophants

of president Mills.

We are also sending notice to the

perpetrators of violence in the NDC against FONKAR to put a stop to the

violence if indeed; they claim to love the NDC party. A perpetuation of violence

against FONKAR

will elicit reprisals attacks since we must protect our members at all cost.

FONKAR also calls on president

Mills to rise above the pettiness and call these disuniting elements such as

Yaw Obimpeh the Ashanti regional NDC chairman to order before things get out of

hand. Failure on the part of the President to call these disuniting elements to

order will give us an indication of his complacence in all these orchestrations

against NANA KONADU AGYEMAN- RAWLINGS and her friends.

Unlike others, FONKAR will not

pursue violence. FONKAR will not pursue disunity. But FONKAR will take every

step to protect ourselves and what we stand for- which is to see the vision of

NANA KONADU AGYEMAN- RAWLINGS for Ghana and the NDC come to pass.

Singned:

Emmanuel Saint Osei

Communications Director

0264125876