NPP attacks on Gov’t needless - Kufuor faction

A leading member of the John Kufuor Asante-faction in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described as needless, attacks by his Party on Government in the wake of recent Xenophobic attacks in South Africa.

In a release duly signed by the Party’s General Secretary, Mr. Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, the party termed it “meek and lackadaisical” response by Government in handling the Xenophobic attacks on African immigrants by angry South African youth.

“Considering the serious nature of these events, our government was expected among other things, to unreservedly condemn these attacks, and in consent with other African governments exert the necessary pressure on the South African authorities to act swiftly and decisively to end these barbaric and inhuman attacks on other Africans.

Sadly, so far, the NDC government has shown a lackadaisical attitude which is manifest in its inability to communicate to Ghanaians, any measures it is putting in place to assist our Nationals in South Africa, neither have they outlined any contingency plans to evacuate them if necessary,” NPP General Secretary stated.

Mr. Kwabena Agyepong also took a swipe at Madam Hannah Tetteh, the Foreign Affairs Minister, saying “even more damning is the posture of the Foreign Minister, Hon. Hannah Tetteh, who blatantly refused to speak to a local radio station on the issue, and arrogantly posited that she will only do so on Radio Gold, a known NDC radio station. Her conduct is as reprehensible as it is insensitive, especially in a matter involving people’s lives and emotions;” asking that the President acts decisively on her indiscretion.

But in an exclusive telephone conversation with The Informer, this leading member (Name withheld) belonging to the ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor Asante faction disagrees with the position of his Party’s General Secretary.

According to him, Kwabena Agyepong would have saved himself and the Party from embarrassment with his unwarranted attacks on President John Mahama and his Government, if he had been meticulous to run some checks with regards to government, and, for that matter, the position of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

He added, more so, with ECOWAS having released a statement last week in condemnation of xenophobia in SA, and demanded that President Jacob Zuma put in place a national plan backed by behavioral change campaign against xenophobia in his country be embarked on immediately to bring the development to an end is worth commending.

According to him, the statement by ECOWAS cannot be underestimated to mean that President Mahama and his NDC-Government have not been responsive, when the said release speaks on all member countries.

“I don’t know whether Kwabena expects President Mahama to issue a separate statement apart from what he did as the chair of ECOWAS on behalf of member-states. Unless Kwabena is telling Ghanaians that our country (Ghana) is no longer a member of ECOWAS, but if not, then his attacks are needless,” he bluntly stated.

“Separate statement from government condemning what is happening in SA is not what is important once ECOWAS has issued a statement on behalf of all its members. The focus should be, how government must expedite action in protecting its citizens of which we are told the High Commission in SA is up to the task.

We heard Mr. Kwesi Ahwoi speak on the matter extensively and have also put in the public domain moves by government to safeguard its citizens; so what is the issue of meek and lackadaisical” response on the part the President and his government,” he pointed out further.

“I will repeat that Kwabena’s statement was needless and the earlier he concentrates on issues that will make the NPP attractive the better,” he concludes.

However, unlike Kwabena Agyepong would want to confirm that the NPP is once again pushing Ghana to war as they did in the Ivory Coast case; ECOWAS in a statement signed by its Chair, President Mahama has already condemned the recent attacks on foreigners in the Republic of South Africa (RSA) by citizens, in which, there has been some reported deaths; describing the development as barbaric and criminal; and asks the South African Government to act quickly to stop the increasing wave of attacks across its country.

In a statement signed by the bloc Chairman, His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama, the body bluntly asked whether the people of South Africa have forgotten the sacrifices and contributions made by other African Countries in that country’s fight to end apartheid some decades ago.

The statement describes as “pity, the fact that the very people, whose nations sacrificed to help South Africans fight, repel and defeat apartheid, will today be considered aliens and hacked to death in such barbaric manners”.

Though ECOWAS has welcomed President Jacob Zuma’s assurance of a peaceful resolution to the situation, it demands that a national action plan, backed by behavioral change campaign against xenophobia in his country, be embarked on immediately.