Kwesi Pratt And Alhaji Bature Chased

Asempa FM missed seeing action like Top Radio after a group of pro-Rawlings National Democratic Congress (NDC), youth stormed the station in search of Alhaji Iddrisu Bature of Alhaji and Alhaji fame, and Kwesi Pratt Jnr, whom they had earmarked for an assault.

It was Halidu Haruna, an NDC activist, who came down from the Asempa FM's studio to turn their gang away after telling them that Kwesi Pratt was not at the station and that they could go looking for The Insight Managing Editor at Radio Gold.

Daily Guide learnt that even though they appeared to have turned their attention to Radio Gold, their visit there was uneventful as they were persuaded to drop their swords by the skills of one of the staffers at the place. Both Alhaji Bature and Kwesi Pratt Jnr have in recent times made scathing remarks about ex-President Rawlings, certainly raising the adrenalin level of the ex-head of state's staunch supporters.

While Alhaji Bature recently warned the ex-president against making scathing remarks about President Mills, lest his skeleton-filled cupboard is exposed, Pratt described him as basking in Messianic illusions.

It is fast becoming trendy for the pro-Rawlings apologists to storm radio stations where discussions considered, to be unfavourable to their idol are on, a development democracy watchers admit is inimical to the enhancement of free speech.

Last week, an Accra-based radio station, Top Radio, was virtually turned upside down when a platoon of policemen and an NDC mob stormed the location because a panelist had made disparaging remarks about ex-President Rawlings.

For those who claim Ghana could be sliding down to the dark days of culture of silence, their evidence could be the unfolding trends. When Daily Guide spoke to Alhaji Bature yesterday, he confirmed, explaining that "a group of young men came to Asempa FM but turned away after Alhaji Halidu spoke to them."

A leading NDC serial caller, 'Dr Asemfofro', was dealt with by irate men and women when he visited the NDC headquarters recently on the allegation that he had been bad-mouthing the former president.

Their action was prompted by his radio station attack on ex-President Rawlings, during which he described the NDC founder as a dictator whose words must be obeyed by everybody. He said he was sure that having been so bold and blunt in his position, he was going to be killed.

He told Oman FM afterwards that when he told Kofi Adams about his ordeal, the ex-President's spokesman replied, "But didn't you know that you would be beaten for making those remarks?" The days ahead would afford Ghanaians more of the evidence they need to draw their conclusions about whether indeed the country is approaching the precipice of intolerance.

Kwesi Pratt, last Friday went to town again and described the recent incarceration of Nana Darkwah Baafi, the NPP activist who is alleged to have accused ex-President Jerry Rawlings of burning his own house, as a disgrace to the nation.

"If I sit in a studio and pass disparaging remarks which anger some people, causing a mob to try and force their way through and beat me up, does the police have to arrest me or the mob...and if panelists or journalists make unsubstantiated allegations on-air, are they sent to prison custody on remand?

...Then they better get ready to effect the arrest of a whole lot of people," he stated.

Speaking on Peace FM's 'Kokroko' programme, Pratt hit hard at the some elements in the NDC who he says need to be schooled on tolerance.

According to him, the previous Saturday, a few hours after condemning the actions of ex-president Rawlings in the 'Who Born Dog' saga on Radio Gold, he began receiving intermittent calls on his mobile phone by four unidentifiable ladies with Northern intonations who threatened him for passing those comments.

"There are some people in the NDC who think that Ghana belongs to them, so if you say something that does not suit them, they flare up.

Those people should understand that there are no cowards in Ghana. They can do their worst; the people of this country would not allow the return of the dark days of madness". Kwesi Pratt said there was no demi-god in Ghana whose demands and utterances had to be acquiesced without questioning. "What is this stupidity and nonsense..Is there a god in Ghana, who when he speaks nobody dares challenge?

What nonsense. We didn't fight for democracy to come and entrench this kind of rubbish in our country...Granted that what the boy said was wrong....is this how he should be treated?" he asked.