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National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Gyan, has launched a scathing attack on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for laying blame at the doorstep of the ruling party as brains behind accusations that the opposition party is Akan-biased. Speaking to OK Fm, Y. B. Gyang charged that NPP is neck-deep in tribalism...they cannot wash it away so easily and that Only Akyems and Ashantis are selected flagbearers in NPP.’’--- ‘ Within the NDC, we have had our flagbearers coming from the Volta Region, Central Region and currently our leader is from the Northern Region....but this isn’t the same story within the NPP,” he noted. He therefore challenged NPP to remove the shackles of tribalism from their feet by selecting flagbearers from other regions just like the NDC has been doing’- Make reference in:-
http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=301326&comment=10196462#com.
One Dr. Michael Bokor and Felix Ofosu Kwakye, the irrational Dep Minister of Information have been making similar dastardly dangerous ethnocentric assertions. It is clear that NDC party dogs are making the issue a frontal political issue to divert attention from NDC horrible and ignominious performance in governance the last 5 years. Instead of concentrating on ruling and solving the problems they have visited on the people, they keep on venting their spleen on NPP using their age-long ethnocentric attacks to confuse and bamboozle Ghanaians and thereby sidetrack the stinking- ‘Create, loot and share’ recklessness, mediocrity and their failures. Why do the NPP allow the NDC to manipulate tribal issues to their advantage and which the NDC are rather the chief proponents practically?
Yaw Boateng Gyang has identified Ashanti and Eastern Regions as bases of NPP flagbearers and thrown the challenge to NPP to go to the other regions to pick their flagbearer. Yaw Boaten must be told that from his tribal argument, NDC are also known to have neglected Ashanti and Eastern Regions in their choices of flag bearer since 1992. I challenge NDC to also show that they are a national party and go to Ashanti and Eastern Regions to pick their flag bearer. It is clear that NDC doctrine aims at alienating Ashanti and Eastern Regions in the scheme of things in Ghana. They won’t ever go to Ashanti/Eastern Regions to pick their flagbearer and they don’t want NPP to also go there to pick their flagbearer. NDC are insulting the peoples of Ashanti and Eastern Regions with that wicked and vile thinking. Are Ashanti/Eastern Regions not part of Ghana? Since 1957, no Akyem has ever been President or Head of State in Ghana and why are NDC preaching against Akyem Presidency. The Ewes, Gas, Gonjas, Fantes, Sissalas, Brongs, Akuapems, Ashantis, etc have had their turn either through the military or civilian administrations. It is surprising how NDC, with impunity and arrogance are sounding provocative and offensive constantly and openly to Akyem Presidential bid for no just cause? What have Akims done to deserve this? Have NDC ever told PNC never to go to the North to pick their flagbearer?
By implication, NDC are preaching that Ghana’s Presidency must shift from region to region or tribe to tribe without resort to competency, vision, fearlessness, drive, hardwork so it must be that the leadership must be from Ewe to Fanti to Brong, to Gonja to Wassaw to cure the accusation of tribalism in a party. If Ghana wants a rotational arrangement for the Presidency then the political structures must be properly set to groom persons of quality leadership from all tribes or regions, from which leadership materials could be chosen such that the Presidency is not thrust on incompetent or mediocre person just in case, it is one tribe or regions turn.
Yaw Boaten Gyang prides himself that NDC ended up choosing leadership from Volta to Central to Northern regions. I ask, with the NDC agenda of promoting for promotion sake, has the country benefited from that agenda? Are the Mills (Fante) or Mahama (Northern) Presidencies, the products of that infantile agenda, something to write home about? The NDC ended up fielding these unprepared and visionless candidates to lead them for political expediency. They won and Ghana is the worse for it. So Amissah Arthur the present Veep is next in line as the next NDC flagbearer since NDC also pride themselves to rigid adherence to promoting their Veeps to the Presidency? Ghana will continue to suffer gloom and doom from such NDC mediocre mindset.
Again, reality check exposes NDC claim that they are a national party as dubious. Their national executives are more than 50% Ewes. Check:; Kwabena Agyei --National Chairman- (Ewe)::/ Johnson Asiedu Nketsia - Gen Secretary (Brong):: /Richard Quarshigah - Propaganda secretary -(Ewe)::/ Solomon Nkansa- Asst Propaganda Secretary - (Fanti):: /Yaw Boateng Gyang -National Organiser--(Brong)::/ Anita De Zoo Zoo - Women’s Organiser - (Ewe):: / Ludwig Hlodge -Youth Organiser-(Ewe):
Of course, in their wicked exclusive mind, their executive list has no persons from Eastern/ Ashanti Regions—the NDC famous no-go regions. No one is surprised about that condition concerning the two regions. The surprise is that there is no Northerner in their top national executive list. Who do NDC want to deceive at all? When it suits them, then Northerners don’t matter. They play games with the Northerners. NDC by their executive composition are Ewe based and qualify to be called Ewe party. Then they rather charge NPP to be Akan based to hide their evil intrigues. On the other hand a check on the NPP executive list shows they are spread out amongst the regions.
Again, NDC hidden tribal intrigue is further seen in their choice of President/Vice Presidential tickets. They always feature a Fanti in the ticket. Of course, NDC use the Fante factor to represent the Southern Ghana or Akans in Presidential elections for their convenience, check the dominant Fante presence thus:
1992 Rawlings/ Nkensen Ackaa
1996 Rawlings/Atta Mills
2000 Ata Mills/Martin Amidu
2004 Ata Mills/Mohammed Mumuni
2008 Ata Mills/John Mahama
2012 John Mahama/Amissah-Arthur
To NDC, as far as President /Vice President ticket is concerned, the other Akans in the South namely, Assins, Akuapems, Sefwis, Denkyiras,Wassas, Ashantis, Brongs, Akyems, Kwahus,Twifos, Ashantis, etc don’t matter. They always use Fantes to represent the South or Akans in the ticket. NDC see nothing wrong with their tribal political engineering. They annoyingly turn-round to accuse NPP of rather being tribalistic to boost their electoral fortunes. I accuse NDC of indulging in deepseated tribal manoeuvres to divide the country. It is not for nothing that President Mahama has never visited Ashanti and Eastern regions since his ascension. Eastern and Ashanti Regions, NDC famous no-go regions indeed.
John Yawose
