EVERYBODY IS A SUSPECT
Daily Democrat Report
The presidency has expressed surprise at the leakage of a confidential letter sent to President Mills by chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Kwabena Adjei.
In the letter, dated 10th January 2011, the chairman raised issues he thinks
demand discussions by high profile members of the party to find solutions to the
forward move of the party.
The
motive for making the letter public after almost one month is not clear and creates
room for accusations, and thus makes everybody a suspect.
To unravel the mystery, individuals and institutions who for various reasons have had the privilege to see the letter including the presidency, the author, office of the former president and founder of the party, political opponents of the party and members of the party.
At this particular moment, everybody is a suspect until the identity of the real culprit is established to extract the motive.
Suspects
Dr.
Kwabena Adjei
Dr.
Kwabena Adjei cannot extricate himself as a possible suspect because he is the
author of the letter. The tone of the letter depicts frustration, fight to
affirm his position as chairman of the party through addressing grassroots
supporters’
agitations to gain their confidence and take full control of the party.
In
this regard, making the letter public would be pleasing to the grassroots who
would interpret it to mean he is fighting for course by bringing to the notice of
the president their problems.
He
writes: Most Party members do not think and
feel that they have so far had that political space for which they dedicated
their times, energies and resources during the 2008 electioneering campaign.
Indeed, my impression is that most of our Party members do not even feel that
they belong to a Party they aggressively defend.
Dr.
Adjei also feels his authority is undermined and therefore ready to fight to gain
control.
“In
all honesty, I cannot personally hide the fact that I have reached the limit of
my patience and tolerance. Indeed, I can no longer put up with the on-going and
well-known divisive machinations and schemes that threaten to wreck the Party's
very survival and my person as the popularly elected Chairman,” he wrote.
The Presidency
The Presidency has issued a statement through the Ministry of Information
about the leakage of Dr. Kwabena Adjei’s confidential letter to the president,
explaining that issues raised in the 10th January, 2012 letter received
immediate attention from the president in a discussion with Dr. Kwabena Adjei.
The statement further questioned the motive of who ever leaked the
letter to the press. It also assured all
Ghanaians, especially members of the NDC that there is no cause for alarm and
that as leader of the NDC, President Mills will continue to work in the best
interest of this great nation and the NDC party.
The
presidency cannot be totally isolated in investigations to find out who leaked
the document to the press because there is a probability of it happening.
The
culprit’s motive might be to challenge Dr. Kwabena Adjei once the letter is in
the public domain, to come out to tell everybody what developments within the NDC
he considers as a source of grave concern to him.
The
presidency echoed part of the statement that read: “Mr. President, I do hope
that you understand, as much as I do, the seriousness of the threat to our
great Party if I am forced to go public to cleanse my assassinated character
hatched within the Party, and more importantly take the needed steps to
straighten up the Party itself.”
The
Opposition Parties
To
the opposition parties, the letter being in the public domain is an opportunity
to portray the NDC and government to Ghanaians as a confused party going
through leadership crisis and does not therefore deserve another term in the
2012 elections.
Their
motivation will be based on the portion of the letter which reads: “...to
discuss and resolve very urgent disintegrative factional dynamics and processes
within the NDC before it is too late for the 2012 General Elections:
The
opposition would love to tell the electorates that no mean a party than the NDC
has admitted that there is division within its ranks with emphasis on the part
of the letter that reads: “Indeed, I can no longer put up with the on-going and
well-known divisive machinations and schemes that threaten to wreck the Party's
very survival and my person as the popularly elected Chairman.”
Former President and Founder
From
the camp of the former president and founder of the party, to be immune from
the letter depends on the motive.
Some
believe the letter is a vindication of his position on how the government has
neglected and distanced itself from the party foundation the government was
built on.
In
the letter, Dr. Adjei stated he is copying the NDC Founder, Flt Lt. J. J.
Rawlings and further indicated his strong conviction that so long as the founder
lives and commands continued grassroots support, his relevance in the NDC Party
affairs can neither be questioned nor treated with contempt.
This
declaration is a good image building no communicator close to the founder would
not take advantage of and put the letter into the public domain.
Woyome Supporters
Supporters
of embattled businessman, Alfred Agbesi Woyome, are also suspect in leakage of the
letter. Their motivation would be to confirm division in the party, which they
are claiming as reasons for the woes of Mr. Woyome. According to them, a
faction within the party is scheming to have Woyome hanged for his growing
popularity.
NDC Supporters
There
are other interest groups or individuals in the NDC who will genuinely or diabolically
leak the letter. In all these, everybody is a suspect for varied reasons and purposes.
Below is the full letter sent to President
Mills on 10th January, 2012?
VERY
URGENT COMMUNICATION
10th January, 2012
Your Excellency, Mr. President,
Developments within our Party, the National
Democratic Congress, have become a source of grave concern to me and, I believe
to all Ghanaians who love and cherish the Party that you lead.
I therefore demand, with all respect, that
you summon a meeting, within a week, in which the following, among others, will
attend to discuss and resolve very urgent disintegrative factional dynamics and
processes within the NDC before it is too late for the 2012 General Elections:
1. Flt. Lt. J. J. Rawlings (NDC Founder &
Chairman of Council of Elders)
2. H. E. John Mahama (Vice President)
3. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (Member of NDC
Finance Committee)
4. Professor Kofi Awoonor (Chairman of Council of
State)
5. Captain Kojo Tsikata
6. Alhaji Idrissu Mahama
7. Alhaji Issifu Ali
8. Mr. J. H. Owusu-Akyeampong
9. Mr. Ato Ahwoi
10. Hon. Kwesi Ahwoi (Minister of Food &
Agriculture)
11. Professor Kwamena Ahwoi
12. Mr. Kofi Totobi Quarkyi
13. Mr. P. V. Obeng
14. Mr. Kwame Peprah
15. Dr. Kwabena Adjei (NDC National Chairman)
16. Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketia (NDC General
Secretary)
17. Mr. Yaw Boateng Gyan (NDC National Organizer)
18. Naval Captain K. A. Butah (NDC Chairman of
Finance Committee)
19. Mr. Kamel Norshie (NDC National Treasurer)
20. Madam Victoria Addy (NDC Member of Council of
Elders).
21. Mr. Ohene Kena
22. All NDC Regional Chairmen
In the supreme interest of the Party I have, for the
past three years, sincerely patiently and silently taken the position of a
unifying middle liner between those who are perceived as major factions in the
Party by many concerned and discerning Ghanaians, I have threaded this
leadership path cautiously, hoping to keep the Party united and stable in my
strong belief that it can provide an impregnable political fortress in which
all members would have some unencumbered political space to realize their
socio-economic aspirations.
However, most Party members do not think and feel
that they have so far had that political space for which they dedicated their
times, energies and resources during the 2008 electioneering campaign. Indeed,
my impression is that most of our Party members do not even feel that they
belong to a Party they aggressively defend. As a person who, without resources,
contributed greatly to our electoral victory all I have deserved are abuse,
character assassination, blocking of my efforts and physical threats to my
person.
In all honesty, I
cannot personally hide the fact that I have reached the limit of my patience
and tolerance. Indeed, I can no longer put up with the on-going and well-known
divisive machinations and schemes that threaten to wreck the Party's very
survival and my person as the popularly elected Chairman.
Mr. President, I do hope that you understand, as
much as I do, the seriousness of the threat to our great Party if I am forced
to go public to cleanse my assassinated character hatched within the Party, and
more importantly take the needed steps to straighten up the Party itself.
Sir, I am copying this letter to the NDC Founder,
Flt Lt. J. J. Rawlings, in my strong conviction that so long as he lives and
commands continued grassroots support, his relevance in our Party affairs can
neither be questioned nor treated with contempt.
Thank you Sir.
Yours in the service of the NDC and Mother Ghana,
Hon. Dr. Kwabena Adjei
Copy: H.E. J. J. Rawlings.
NDC Founder, Accra.
