NPP Conduct On Kennedy Agyapong

PRESS RELEASE

TO BE RELEASED IMMEDIATELY

NPP’S CONDUCT ON KENNEDY AGYAPONG’S INCITING STATEMENT

LEAVES MUCH TO BE DESIRED

24/04/2012, Accra – When a statement was issued by the General Secretary of NPP

distancing the party from the inciting statement by their member of Parliament for Assin

North, Hon. Kennedy Agyapong, the Team of Popular Youth (TOPY), a youth group

concerned with the truth, unity, civility and the peaceful co-existence of Ghanaians, was

tempted to applaud the party for coming to terms with the dynamics and the challenges of our

political dispensation. However, we became spellbound when the leaders of the party allowed

its members to be involved in acts that are inconsistent with the principled stance of the

statement issued. Consequently, properties of the state and individuals were vandalised

including the vehicle of a state attorney.

It is in this light that the members of the Team of Popular Youth (TOPY) wish to state

categorically that we are indeed surprised that the leader of the NPP, Nana Akuffo Addo, who

hardly miss the tiniest opportunity to make statements on every topical issue in this country,

seems not interested in this particular ‘gargantuan’ case that could spark emotions and invite

mayhem to Ghanaians. Having just returned from his listening tour in the Volta and Greater

Accra Regions, one would have thought that the presidential candidate of the NPP would find

it appropriate to issue a statement assuring Ghanaians that the reprehensible comment from

Mr. Kennedy Agyapong was not one of the verses of the “All Die Be Die” declaration and

that the Voltarians and Gas are safe in Ghana.

In another development, a counter press statement issued by an allied group, AFAG, made up

of notable NPP activists and statements of justifications of the intemperate language by the

MP coming from leading members of the party therefore suggested that the assurances from the NPP is after all a smoke screen. TOPY therefore reminds and demands from the NPP a

demonstration of their commitment to the following extracts from their initial press statement:

1. that the NPP is fully behind the police in the execution of their mandate,

2. that the NPP makes it absolutely clear that they do not support intemperate statements

and actions that can incite and inflame ethnic passions,

3. that Ghana being a proud multi-ethnic country, the NPP is committed to jealously

guard and promote this heritage.

It is important to recall that in a press statement released by TOPY on 10

th

of February this

year, we had cause to worry about the use of vituperative language by political players in this

country in a special reference to the Member of Parliament for Assin North during all his

public discourse. In this release, we gave the caution as quoted below

“It is needless to say that whilst freedom of speech is a human right enshrine in our

constitution, the irresponsible use of this right has caused families and nations catastrophic

consequences. Whilst the church could take solace in national crusades, fasting and prayer

meetings, without openly condemning these perverse behaviours of people who are given

honourable status by our social and political system, the church would be seen to be silently

endorsing the new image. We must not forget so soon that when the war in Liberia broke and

was actively participated in by the irate youths of that country, it did not spare the lives of

those who were hiding in the church. At least, every truly concern senior citizen of this nation

could take a word of advice from this unfortunate history of our neighbours when at old age,

without the fastness of leg, they had to run away from home and sojourn in a land they knew

less about”.

It is in this light that we highly applaud the clergy, civic society organisations and individuals

who have shown signs of regaining their voices in denouncing acts and omissions that are

inimical to our societal norms and values. However, we are extremely disappointed by the

elusive comments of the National Media Commission that only attempted to shy away from openly condemning the specific act of incitement by the MP but rather sought to offset the

serious implications of the genocidal statement for our peace as a unity state.

To those who recount the Odododiodio incident to justify the recklessness of the MP, we refer

them to the essence of the peace talk held between the NDC and the NPP in the constituency

led by their respective parliamentary candidates, Nii Lante Vanderpuye and Captain (retd)

Victor Okaikoi, and mediated by the police commanders. We wish to say that the two

honourable candidates, having realised the challenges in the electoral law regarding the

‘‘ordinarily resident’’ clause and the effect on their political fortunes, decided to let sleeping

dogs lie whilst they find an amicable solution to the issues as indigenes and neighbours of the

area. We appreciate this as the civilised approach to finding lasting solutions to problems and

it is therefore not true that the police have not done anything about the problem at

Odododiodio. For this matter, TOPY does not see how those institutions and individuals of

national stature that have sat on the fence for all these while have all of a sudden become

vociferous in suggesting that two wrongs could become a right. It must be emphasised that

though every intemperate language whether in the past or present is condemnable, to declare

war on a radio station and categorically instruct a tribe to massacre another tribe is an act

which has clearly stepped on the toes of the laws of this country and should be handled in a

manner that would not set a dangerous precedence for posterity.

To this end, TOPY wishes to call on every law abiding and peace loving citizens of this

country to report every act of violation of the law to the security agencies to deal with rather

than taking the law into their own hands. We also appeal to all political players of our dear

nation to be tolerant to opposing views and to demonstrate that they are indeed honourable

men and women of this country.

The Team of Popular Youth (TOPY) is a registered, and an independent corporate youth

organisation that believes in the principles of social democracy with a vision of strengthening the capacity of the youth in Ghana to play an active role in effecting a positive social, cultural,

political and environmental change that will benefit the Ghanaian society.

Thank you

CONTACTS:

Marcus Garvin Adampah –0243564536/0203838464

Stephen Kenneth Nakujah –0244662684/0266434310