Kwesi Pratt Raps Edward Mahama

Kwesi Pratt Jnr., social critic and Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, has said that even though he admires a lot of things about the lifestyle and political vision of Dr. Edward Mahama, the leader of the People's National Convention (PNC), he thinks it takes much more than being nice to snatch power from the ruling government.

He has therefore called on the PNC leader to come out of his shell and join forces with other Nkrumaist forces to build a more solidified front for the next political battle.

Speaking in the very presence of the doctor/politician as he gave a public lecture organized by the Democratic Movement for Social Change (DEMOCH) on the topic: "The State of the Nation's Socio-Economic and Political Development" here last Thursday, Pratt said he found it strange that almost all other political party leaders outside the ruling party said they wanted to see the New Patriotic Party (NPP) ousted in this year's general election; yet when it came to joining forces towards attaining that goal, many people dragged their feet.

"I like Edward Mahama (pointing at him at the high table). He is a nice man all right, but who says Ghana needs just a nice man? What we need most is unity," he charged on the top of his voice.

According to him, he had become disappointed with this government's corruption record, and was not happy with the way nearly 98% of journalists continually sang NPP praise songs.

He said this government rode to power on the back of anti-corruption, a struggle in which he played an instrumental role, but had too soon found good reason to part ways with them.

"The NPP government has not faced the coup attempts, demonstrations and pressures that previous governments went through, but surprisingly it is crying at the slightest criticism", he said.

Mr. Pratt advised all Nkrumaist parties to heal all old wounds so that they could match forward to, as he put it 'crush the NPP'.

Replying, Mahama thanked Pratt for his frankness and assured the audience that he was ready for the proposed 'Grand Coalition' needed for the final onslaught.

The PNC leader sad he had already had consultation with key members of the Convention People's Party (CPP), the mother Nkrumaist party, and was hopeful of fruitful results.

Other speakers and prominent participants at the lectures were Dr. Gamel Nasser Adam, lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, Danny Ofori-Atta, chairman of the Egle Party, Alhaji Bature Iddrisu of Radio Gold's 'Alhaji and Alhaji' fame, and Mr. Kofi Wayo, the maverick.

When he took the microphone, Wayo nearly brought the roof of the Pensioners' Hall down, when he just gave a yell in Ewe that "NPP, NDC, kataa fiafitor", meaning members of the NPP and NDC were all thieves, and went back to his seat.

The lectures were the second in the series that DEMOCH was organizing throughout the country, with the sole aim of sensitizing Ghanaians, particularly politicians, on the need for deepening our democratic culture, through pragmatic and comprehensive 'developmental paradigm shift' in the country's socio-economic and political endeavour.