Flagbearership Contest 2012 and the Future of NDC (rev.)

(This is a lecture that I was to have made to comrades/supporters of Mrs. Rawlings on the 04.06.2011, when I suddenly fell ill and was admitted to the UST Hospital, Kumasi. So it was not possible for me to deliver that speech. It was supposed to be in support of Mrs. Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings flagbearership-contest 2012 and in general about the future of NDC.)

Dear Party Members,

Comrades,

Supporters,

Your Excellency, ex-President J.J. Rawlings,

Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

? NDC-Politics

? NDC-Politics have experienced various divisive and destructive periods.

? This lecture, Ladies and Gentlemen, aimed to restore the rightful place of June 4th ideology in the electoral programme of NDC.

? Some issues have been settled, many not.

? Recent events under [late] Atta Mills' Presidency have exposed the weaknesses of our party caused by a highly polarized situation found in our party.

? There has been a conspiracy against Rawlings and his family and most importantly against Rawlings position as a founder of the Party through spreading of disinformation that he is not the founder of the party.

? All this back-biting and disinformation will not deter us from focussing on the theme of the day, namely:

? Political Ideology (June 4th ideology) and its relevance in Ghana today

? We all, including Nana Konadu, think that political ideology must be grounded in practicality, reflecting the real and not the imaginary world in which politicians have to operate.

? The polarised ideology within the NDC has according to her undoubtedly driven a wedge into the body politics of the NDC.

? The NDC government under [late] President Mills has stiffened dialogue and debate.

? Many people have questioned the reasons why Mrs. Rawlings even wants to stand for the flagbearership of NDC, when her husband has been President of Ghana for a period of 19 years.

? The answer is very simple: Nana Konadu Agyeman is not President Rawlings and has never been a president and must therefore as a citizen of our country have the right to have her own views about how the country must be governed.

? This is an indisputable fact and her indisputable right.

? It should be once and for all clear to the usurpers, detractors and contract mongers that some of us will not stand by while they suck the blood of poor Ghanaians.

? This is one of the reasons why Mrs. Rawlings wanted to stand as a Presidential Candidate to make sure that the original ideals of the party are not thrown over board.

? There are some issues of ideological nature which have been largely settled, namely few of us are for nationalisation of industry and more for privatisation of industry.

? The future of Social Democracy in Ghana must however be based on the reality that the idea of state action must be detached from the values of collectivism and solidarity.

? Governments must be judged in terms of their pragmatic efficiency and their competence.

? NDC has lost sight of the core rationality behind the Social Democratic ideal.

? Members have been corrupt; there have been negligence in the protection of the life of their late President, there has been nepotism, there has been pure and simple theft of Public Funds, there has been Ethnocentrism, which has recently led to ethnic cleansing in Hoehoe and, finally and worst of all, marginalization of Ashantis from all public offices, even though the bulk of the resources which feeds the mouth of many Ghanaians come from Ashanti. As I write, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Flagbearer of the PPP, on Thursday bemoaned the extend to which tribalism and ethnicity had gripped the nations political arena stifling national development in the process saying, it was a worrying trend. He further said that he has called on Ghanaian electorate not to cast their votes based on tribalism or ethnicity but for competent candidates who are up to the task. (Source: VibeGhana.com)

? I challenge the incumbent President Mahama to desist from using religion or ethnicity for the 7th December Presidential Elections. Information reaching us indicate how Mahama has mobilized all Muslims across the country to vote for him. He is therefore indirectly inciting Muslims against Christians for his personal interest.

? The danger in such a move is: there will be the temptation on the part of the Ashantis to demand a Federal Constitution which will seek purely the interest of Ashantis in Ashanti areas of the country. We have yet to see, how he can unite the country by following the steps of the late Pres. Mills under whose watch the first civil war erupted in our country between the Muslims and the Ewes in Hoehoe.

? I hope therefore, that Pres. Mahama will take the example of Mr. Nduom, to declare openly that all citizens of our country must vote according to their conscience and appointments made solely according to the ability of the individuals.

? I wish therefore to reiterate once more that Ashantis will not accept pseudo coup d'etats in favour of any ethnic group in our country.

? While markets and economic individualism are a vital source of economic dynamism and prosperity in the wrong place, they can be corrosive of the very social bonds and collective institutions that make free market activity possible in the first place.

? However, our expectations are that, after the 2012 elections any incoming government will face many harsh economic choices over sustaining export-led economic growth, alleviating high level of unemployment, cutting back on borrowing, cutting back on the expanded level of public expenditure.

? And re-paying the greatly increased growth of Government spending.

? What Ghana cannot afford is a weak government given the gravity of economic problems.

? The focus of a new NDC government if we do win the elections will be economic recovery an economy which we hope should be independent of donor's money.

? We wish therefore to clarify once more our definition and what we mean by NDC-Ideology.

? The Nature of Political Ideology

? Ideology we take to mean the inter-relationship of values held by political actors. Ours is enshrined in the ideals of June 4th Revolution. We may be able to draw up lists of core values held by political actors, in our case, pure and simple Social Democracy. We do not see any change in the meaning of equality. We of the true Konadu NDC, stick to equality of opportunity which, unfortunately, does not yet exist in this country. The second preliminary issue concerns the role of political ideology in shaping public policy. Mrs. Rawlings does miss this in the action of [late] Mills' administration. So far, Mahama might have published policies but has certainly not published coherent policies. He has yet to publish policy coherence for development and yet we have a chairman for development. What this gentleman who is definitely paid by the taxpayer is to do we are yet to see. If the Mahama administration is really committed to enhancing policy coherence for the development the government will have to make more progress in the following:

? To recognise the importance of policy coherence in a world of interdependent challenges and issues.

? Understanding better the nature and strength of relationship between issues.

? Specifying the impacts of the developed world's policies on developing countries, e.g. Iraq, Libya, Iran, Middle East.

? Addressing the scope for enhancing policy coherence.

? Ladies and Gentlemen, dear comrades, I wish to quote the much-hated ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said: “The world is on the move again, the change in the early 21st century even greater than the 20th century. So now, in turn, we have to change again. Step up to a new mark, a new world is setting for us.” What this statement means is that our values, now as before, have to be applied anew in changing times. What is the challenge that Mr. Blair is asking? It is that change is marching on again. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are marching on to victory. Victory for the poor and the down-trodden. The corrupt, the thieves are panicking. They need Mirtazapine, may be?

? You know what? The pace and change can either overwhelm us, or make our lives better and our countries stronger. Someone asked me whether NDC supporters of [late] Mills are decadent and corrupt? The answer to this question is written in the skies. Comrades, I tell you, we cannot pretend that it is not happening, that change is not coming. It has come. It is there. Change must always be central to Rawlings' policies. And today we say that politics in Africa is not only for security, it is also for recognition, it is for trust and respect.

? We have as Africans suffered too much for too long. We cannot expect any meaningful investment in our country so long as confidence in our ability to deliver is dwindling. We need unity and unity of purpose. We must stop ethnocentrism which is tribalism, in National Politics. Ethnocentrism is exactly what [late] Mills is practising. Ethnocentrism denies equal opportunities for all – and this is against the basic principles of Social Democracy. It must be rejected.

? It is therefore important at this junction once more to give the reasons why Mrs. Rawlings decided to stand for the Flag-bearership 2012 and the Presidential Elections.

? Decision of Nana Konadu to stand

? The decision of Nana Konadu to stand was motivated mainly by her desire to save the party her husband and herself founded, first from defeat in the 2012 election and secondly to save the Party's ideology from being diverted into an unwanted direction.

? This decision has been greeted with threats, personal attacks, cyber-warfare, phone-hacking, curses from Bature, a man whose origin we don't know.

? The aim of these attacks is primarily to divert attention from issues of great importance to our Nation. The [late] Mills' administration has got it all wrong. You do not start infrastructure in any country unless you have all your tools ready for it. [Late] Pres. Mills' priorities are not only wrong but backward. At the right time and place we shall give in detail, how we shall initiate the process of infrastructural development in our country.

? The outpouring support for a man who may possibly be mentally unfit to lead our nation make us all have doubt about the judgement of these old-timers.

? The army of paid journalists have sharpened their swords and have started charging. There is even a notorious journalist who threatened to stop Nana Konadu from standing. The same journalist, on the 25th February, 2011 said: “Insensitive government under [late] Mills deceives the nation”. This journalist is called Kwesi Pratt.

? There has been an array of abuses, intimidation, while the forces belonging to [late] Mills have resulted simultaneously to begging her to give up her basic human rights to stand as a Presidential Candidate for a party that she helped her husband form. We realise that those who are against Mrs. Rawlings seem to think that Mahama stands a chance against Nana Addo. Where and how they get this impression from, we do not know.

? It is appropriate at this juncture to describe the habit of intimidation and abuses as a form of electoral fraud.

? What is Electoral Fraud ?

? Electoral Fraud – A means to frustrate her ambition to stand for Flag-bearership 2012 Presidential Elections

? Electoral Fraud is defined as illegal interference with the process of an election. Acts of fraud affect vote counts to bring about an election result, whether by increasing the vote share of the favoured candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates or both. Also called Voter Fraud, the mechanisms involved include illegal voter registration, intimidation. Voter fraud is outlawed in GHANA. It is known that voter fraud can have the effect of a coup d'etat or corruption of democracy. Techniques of voter fraud are Electorate Manipulation, Intimidation, Ballot stuffing and miss-recording of Votes. I did warn Nana Konadu to be careful, because of the danger of Electoral Fraud and my warning came true.

? The sudden creation of 45 new constituencies by EC when we have only three months to go for general election is a typical example of election fraud.

? What these detractors do not realise however is that, elections worldwide are not about personalities but rather about vision and issues. Three and a half years of [late] Mills government have shown that the lives of our people have become unbearable. The man [had] simply no vision, no direction, all he did was to steal ideas from people in a chicken-feeding manner.

? A polarised party cannot win an election just as a DIVIDED nation cannot stand. EVERTHING these people have done has only destroyed the party further What the Konadu faction has to do now is MASSIVELY to go OFFENSIVE.

? Ethnocentrism in National Politics

? Ethnic cleansing is the major Human Rights abuse. There has never been ethnic cleansing without ethnocentrism as a precursor to this crime against humanity. Therefore any sign of ethnocentrism, especially if it is employed by a government and over a longer period of time is dangerous and closely monitored by the international community and the International Criminal Court.

? [Late] President Mills has used this form of division in it's most brutal form on Ashantis. He has been cautioned by Otumfuo, The Asantehene, as well as by President Rawlings. Evidence will be provided to the gathering. Ethnocentrism is a concept which postulates one ethnic or cultural group as being centrally important and all other groups are measured in relation to ones own, leading to exclusion of other groups based on their ethnicity alone.

? The meaning of discrimination:

? Difference in treatment which has no reasonable and objective justification

? when there is no reasonable relationship between the means employed and the aims sought to be realised

? the burden is on us to establish the difference in treatment

? details have improved and it is up to the State Authority to justify this difference.

? I suggest therefore, that the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General ask for an Independent Prosecutor – e.g. Mr. Goldstone of South Africa – to investigate the issue.

? Evidence: there is only one (“token”) Ashanti minister in Mills' government, and that is Kwabena Duffuor, who is the Finance Minister. Members of the Public Service, and they are 82 people, come exclusively from the Volta Region. Likewise, Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC) Officials are all from the Volta Region. The deception here is: almost all have Ashanti names, which is very misleading. This is against the constitution of our nation and this is against International Human Rights laws. By so doing [late] Mills thus placed his own personal interests before the interest of the nation at large.

? Not only are these public servants exclusively from the Volta Region. In addition, he made sure that all top ministerial positions went to people of the Northern and Upper Region. And more: all other important jobs in the state and state enterprises are occupied by Fantis. This trend, I am told, has continued in the Army as well as ambassadorial positions. The founder of our party has always insisted on ethnic balance in giving up jobs. I wish to take the opportunity to give you the list of the names of the people who were appointed by President Mills.

1. Dr. Kofi Awoonor, Chairman, Council of State (Ewe)

2. Togbe Afedi Asogli, Senior Policy Advisor, Finance (Ewe)

3. Victor Gbeho, Senior Policy Advisor,

who single-handedly sacked more than two dozen Akan Foreign Officers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the transition period (Ewe)

4. Alex Segbefia, Deputy Chief of Staff (Ewe)

5. Bebaako Mensah, Secretary to the President (Ewe)

6. Victor Smith, Chief of State Protocol (Ewe)

7. Koku Anyidoho, Communication Director.

8. Kofi Wampak,First Deputy Governor of Bank of Ghana (Ewe)

9. General Arnold Quanoo, Special Assistant to the President (Ewe)

10. Brigadier General Wallace Gbedema (rtd) Special Assistant to the President (Ewe)

11. Gbvelo Lartey, National Security Coordinator (Ewe)

12. Kosivi Degbor, Deputy National Security Coordinator (Ewe)

13. Yaw Donkor, Director, Bureau of National Investigations (Ewe)

14. Biadela Morley Akpazi, Executive Director, Serious Fraud Office (Ewe)

15. Juliana Mensah Azuma, Minister of Tourism (Ewe)

16. Akua Densua, former MP for North Dayi, Minister of Women & Children Affairs (Ewe)

17. Joe Gidisu, Minister of Road and Highways (Ewe)

18. Ludwig Hlordze, Minister of State/Office of the President (Ewe)

19. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information (Ewe)

20. Chris Kpodo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ewe)

21. Madam Dzifa Aku Attivor, Deputy Minister of Transportation (Ewe)

22. Ford Henry Kamel, MP Biakoye, Deputy Minister of Land and Mineral Resources (Ewe)

23. Elvis Efriyie Ankra from Akatsi, Deputy Minister of Local Government.

As if this was not enough Mills has packed various State Agencies and quasi government corporations with the following 'TEAM B' or 'BOOT LICKERS'

24. Charles A Darku, Chief Executive of The Ghana Grid (Electricity Corporation and VRA)

25. Salas Mensah, Executive Secretary, The Revenue Agencies Governing Board

26. Kwame Ampofo defeated MP, South Dayi, managing Director, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR)

27. Kofi Pottophy, who visited Kuffuor's house and threatened to pull it down, National Disaster Management Operation

28. Michael Kofi Bansah, Director of Prison Service

29. John Kudalor, Deputy Chief of Police, Director of Police of Ghana Police Service

30. Kwadwo Owusu Agyeman from Kete Krachi, Executive Secretary of Ghana Export Promotion Council

31. Justice Amegashie, Driving Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA)

32. Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Scheme

33. Professor Albert Fiadjoe, Chairman, Constitutional Review Committee

34. Naval Captain Kwadjo Butah, Board Chairman, Ghana Trade Fair Company

35. Professor John Bright Kwabla Aheto, Chairman, National Media Commission

36. Kojo Ablodepey, Chairman, Ghana Tourist Development Company

37. Mr. Senam Kuagbenu, Executive Director of National Service Scheme.

The following are Atta Mills' Trokosi Board of Directors to various state institutions:

38. William Tevie, Member, National Communication Authority

39. Bridget Katsriku, Public Service Commission

40. James Avedzi, Member, Ghana Revenue Board

41. Rosa Kudoazi, Vice Chair, Ghana Investment Promotion Center

42. Agbesi Kwadwo Dzakpasu, Board Member, Ghana Investment Promotion Center

43. Stephen Ahor, Board Member, National Investment Bank

44. Nana Nprah Busumuru, chief from Kete Krachi, Tema Oil Refinery (TOR)

45. Group Captain Michael S.K. Dordor, Chairman, Board of Ghana Water Company Limited

46. Lt.Col. Edward E. Fiawoo, Board Member, Divestiture Implementation Committee

47. Edem Kpodor, Chairman, Ghana Tourist Board

48. Lt.Col. (rtd) Yaw Dzotefe Mensah, Ghana Tourist Board

49. Kwabla D. Senanu, Member, Serious Fraud Office

50. Capt. (rtd) K.P. Fiadoo, Member, Narcotic Control Board

51. Mr. Degbor, Member, Narcotic Control Board

52. Robert Kwami, Member, Narcotic Control Board

53. Rev. Dr. Deegbe, Board Member, Narcotic Control Board

54. Emmanuel Zumakpeh, Member, National Vocation Training Institute

55. David Dorkenoo, Board Member, National Vocation Training Institute

56. Regina Mawusi Yovonoo, Board Member, State Insurance Corporation

57. Sylvia Ahulu, Board Member, Ghana Supply Commission

58. Thomas F.K. Senya, Board Member, State Housing Corporation

59. Biadelah Mottey Akpadzi, Board Member, Micro-Finance and Small Loan Center

60. Hon. Joe Gidisu, MP, Chairman, Road Fund Management Board

61. Ms Bemice Day Kumah, Member, National Museums and Monuments Board

62. Emmanuel K. Ave, Member, Postal and Courier Services Regulatory

63. Mr. Napoleon Azumah, Member, Road Fund Management Board

64. Mr. Stanislav Xoese Dogbe, Member, Ghana Publishing Corporations

65. Mr. Frank Yao Badohu, Member, GIHOC Distilleries

66. Mrs. Marian Bamor, Member, Presidential Committee on Emolument

67. Koku Anyidoho (Head, Communications) Member, Presidential Committee on Emolument

68. Amma De Souza, Board Member, Presidential Committee on Emolument

69. Nicholas A. Gbekor-Kove, Board Member, Ghana Meteorological Agency

70. Dr. Kwami Ameza,Board Member, Irrigation Development Agency

71. Mawuli Adjei, Chairman, Ghana Institute of Languages

72. Carl Wilson, Chairman, Confiscated Car Committee – Car Jacking syndicate

73. Justice Isaac Duose, Chairman of Ghana@50 Probe Commission

74. Brigadier General G Partington, Head of the Army, Director General (Joint Operation)

75. Col. D.K. Mishio, Deputy Director General (Joint Operation)

76. Christian Eden Kobla Dovlo, Commandant Kofi Anan International peacekeeping Training Center promoted Air Marshall

77. Brigadier General Marin Gamiel Ahiaglo, General Officer commanding Southing Command of the Ghana Army

78. Brigadier General Quist, Director General Personnel Administration

79. Colonel J.K. Klobodu, Director General, Planning and Development

80. Colonel B.K. Klu, Director, Electrical & Mechanical Engineers

81. Commodore Bierko, Chief of Staff, General Headquarters

82. Air Commander C.G. Gamadeku, Chief of Staff, Air Force Headquarters.

? The impression one gets after reading through the list of names is: “this is a coup d'etat”.

? William G. Summers coined this term of Ethnocentrism and according to William G. Summers' definition, what Mills has done or did was to employ political strategy of electoral campaigns with specific aim to solicit the support of the Volta Region and the Northern-, Upper- and Western Region. The importance of halting ethnocentric policies cannot be emphasised enough. In Rwanda this led to 1,2 Million people to be massacred. The NDC led by Nana Konadu Rawlings promises to give our party a national but not a tribal outlook.

? Ladies and Gentlemen, is it not a shame that those who are vehemently and vociferously protesting against an Ashanti female Presidential Candidate have not at any occasion cautioned or expressed their disgust about this sort of deliberate ethnic cleansing in the Republic of Ghana. Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish to reiterate that those who protest the candidacy of Mrs. Rawlings do that only because she is an Ashanti lady. NDC has never had an Ashanti Presidential Candidate and whether the enemies of this lady want it or not, she will win the vote. God will.

? Human-centred Politics of Nana Konadu Rawlings

? Economic changes in Ghana must focus on macro-economic Credibility and Competitiveness as well as the sustainable creation of Human Capital.

? This means that both aspects are important :For one, companies, institutions and people investing in our country must meet attractive incentives and be sure their investment is safe and not diluted by corruption and destroyed by fraud. Secondly while investments help building up a workforce that is ever more specialized and sophisticated, we need measures to ensure that this workforce will use their skills for the good of us all, pay taxes and not die away because our health system kills them off.

? The Mahama administration has failed here bitterly for instead of concentrating on the sustainability of human capital and human-centred investment he went about on a borrowing spree.

? And to [late] Mills' admirers, those who jumped from all corners of the country to support him, I have only one advice for you: wealth comes from the people. Anything that hinders these people in their economic activity such as we have in our country as PHD (“pull him down”) is economically not desirable. They are trying to pull Mrs. Rawlings down, as they are trying to pull every single successful entrepreneur or skilled worker down. Who do you think will be left to help you find a job or something to eat tomorrow ? How do you think prosperity will ever come about ?

? Marginalizing Ashantis is economically wrong, evil and suicidal. Ashantis have always been the drivers of Ghanaian Economy. Even if their influence and numbers had not been high, taking them out of the equation automatically reduces the potential of the country as a whole. This is wrong. Singling out a group of people because of their ethnicity sets a precedence that allows any group to do the same to any other group and these actions will quite naturally spur counter-actions, distrust and conflict. This is evil and suicidal.

? Ghana as well as Africa can benefit from the proper pursuit of Human Capital Management. It is said that knowledge abounds in Ghana and in Africa as a whole. However, the management, the effective use, protection and the transfer are among what is lacking for organizational reasons. In the developing countries, immense emphasis is placed on knowledge, its proper documentation, and the transfer since they form part of the foundation on which the country grows.

? Ghana as well as Africa as a whole is at a technological standstill and struggling because of the little value placed on innovation. In Ghana, buying and selling, especially of foreign goods, form most part of the main business activities because of the immediate tangible return on investment which appears attractive. We should believe in ourselves, we should not belittle ourselves in the achievement of anything because we have a huge potential to be able to do what is considered to be impossible.

? I therefore reiterate my previous plea to Pres. Mahama to make Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings his Running Mate for the Dec. 7th Election.

? The Mahama/Konadu administration therefore should create as a matter of urgency an Anti-'PHD'-Institution with it's special Fast-Track-Courts to deal with cases where people have been discriminated against or people have been prevented from pursuing their dream jobs. In her administration there shall be an ongoing discussion about how to increase wealth creation through job creation in Ghana.

? Who says foreigners alone have the right to invest in our country and we not in their countries? Look, from time immemorial Europeans have invested in our countries making huge profits and we are always at the receiving end. President Konadu Rawlings will reverse this trend. We shall endeavour in joint-ventures, have supermarkets in USA, Canada, Germany, UK , and in all African countries. We have a lot to sell as finished products, especially female dresses to African countries, not excluding the European countries as well. We'll have joint-ventures with South Africa, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, etc., etc., to increase our foreign exchange earnings.

? Importance of Solidarity and Training of the Youth

? Taxation shall be reformed in an effort to assist the poorest in the name of equality. The importance of social solidarity and the idea of Ghana will be defined by not each one for himself and God for us all but by working together as a community to ensure that everyone, not just the privileged few, get a chance to succeed. There should not be incoherence in our policies and ideology we stood for and shall always stand for June 4th Revolution. Globalisation as I have mentioned earlier on, must start in Africa. We are also convinced there must be a development of knowledge economy.

? The knowledge economy I talked about must be driven by creative, innovative and skilled individuals competing with each other for market advantage, their dynamism the essential force behind growth and prosperity.

? How do we initiate this? As you may be aware, vocational training prepares workers or learners for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic and related to specific trade, occupation or vocation. It covers a wide range of subject areas and tends to be more hands-on than academic qualifications might be. Our world is changing fast and we need more skills than ever before. Two out of three jobs in future will require a higher level of skills and better qualification.

? At this juncture I wish to pay tribute to many Ghanaian women who have contributed a lot single-handedly, to vocational training in our country. Among these are Dr. Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the wife of the founder of NDC, and a candidate for the Flagbearership of 2012 Presidential Elections, and the late Mrs. Mancell of Kumasi Women's Vocational Training Centre. These two ladies have single-handed helped many, many young ladies to acquire skills in order to earn a respectable living in our country. God bless them!

? Here we go again, the country has spent Millions if not Billions, on the University of Science and Technology in Kumasi. What has come out of this institution, I honestly don't know. I was myself a medical officer at the UST. I got to know quite a number of the students in my time and most of them said: “Doctor, after completion of our studies, if we don't go to Europe, we have no chance of finding a job in our own country”. There is no wonder that we have not felt the impact of our investment. We shall have to link industry to University graduates and vocational training skills if we have to develop.

? Ladies and Gentlemen, our leader Nana Konadu insists that the linkage mentioned above is the only way to justify the massive investment we make in the University for the investment must help the development of our nation. While Kuffuor was beating about the bush, [late] Mills is a non-starter. He has no idea at all what to do. As a President, Mrs. Rawlings intends to create excellent facilities in all the regions, facilities which can accommodate 350 Thousand students in each region, where these young people will learn their trade and skills but, above all, will learn how to become disciplined members of our nation. Of course, the question is what will they do if there are no jobs after they have finished their studies. We have plans for that, and this will be discussed at a later date.

? Did Ex-Pres. Rawlings influence the Wife's Wish to Save the Party from Abyss ?

? A disclosure to the public:

? On the 07th May, 2010 I wrote the following letter to the sitting President of the Republic of Ghana, President [late] Mills:

? “Ref.: Presidential Bid (Flagbearer of NDC) 2012, dated 07th May, 2010

? Dear President,

referring to my latest letter dated 3rd February 2010, with regard to the successful and peaceful completion of the Tamale NDC congress held on 16th January, 2010, I did congratulate you, ex-President J.J. Rawlings, and all the elected members of the Executive Committee of the Party.

? In this letter, I reminded you of ex-President Rawlings describing you as a man of integrity and added that I agreed with ex-President Rawlings when he meant that your first year in office was better than many thought.

? I am by this letter at the same time withdrawing my application for the job as Advisor to the President on health issues.

? Furthermore I mentioned that the second year of your presidency was going to be a year of reckoning. If this was a prophecy then what I have prophesied has come true for I see disaster looming. The dissatisfaction of the general public in your ability to lead the nation appears to be increasing and, at this juncture, the Party must make sure that it can guarantee victory in the 2012 elections.

? I have therefore suggested -I repeat: suggested– to our dear Vice Chairman, Mrs. Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, and the Founder, ex-President Flt.-Lt. (rtd.), Dr. J.J. Rawlings, that we look for a candidate who can at least guarantee us victory in 2012. The Party is and must always be paramount.

? The person to be chosen will have to fulfil certain criteria; and these are:

? He or she must be an Ashanti.

? Female candidates will be preferable for obvious reasons.

? The candidate for the job as a Flagbearer, apart from being Ashanti, should bring the

? necessary credentials of loyalty to both 31st December- and the 4th June revolution.

? This candidate should bring the experience of the transition of PNDC period into NDC period and at the same time should be ideologically equally loyal to the revolution we started during this period.

? The candidate should be void of two loyalties:

? One to the CPP and Kwame Nkrumah,

? and the other to NDC without our leader and founder J.J. Rawlings.

? Such a candidate must be rejected because of collision of interest. This will never happen in our Party.

? The tenure of office as a Flagbearer of NDC should not be more than 2 periods, meaning 8 years. In your case, Mr. President, it was ex-President J.J. Rawlings who showed magnanimity and lobbied for your third time as Flagbearer for the Party. Our Founder's effort did not end there but he personally actively campaigned to have you elected as the President of the Republic of Ghana. This feat is of immense importance to you, to the Party and to our nation.

? We are of the opinion however that, at the end of your present term, you alone would have been given an opportunity to stand for the Presidency on three occasions – a period extending to almost 12 years. This is unconstitutional, but was quietly agreed to.

? There can therefore not be any question of allowing you to stand as a Flagbearer of NDC for another 4 years thus granting you a 16-year-leadership of the Party. This, Mr. President, with all due respect to you, is unacceptable. This recommendation that I have made will definitely not fall onto deaf ears.

? Those who aggressively and destructively fought to uproot any traces of our Founder's ideology, thus opening the way for CPP ideas and ideology to emerge into our revolutionary Party, must leave our Party NOW. There is no place for deviationists and there will not be any place for usurpers in our Party.

? History shows that too many cooks spoil the broth.

? Examples of deviationist are:

? Gorbachev with his Glasnost in the Soviet Union.

? The Soviet System collapsed.

? In Germany, Social Democratic Party Leader, Schroeder, tried to change course.

? The SPD collapsed, and The Linke was formed with La Fontaine as the head.

? The greatest of them all, a deviationist, Blair, brought his New Labour philosophy.

? And the party has bitterly failed.

? This decision is final and NDC will survive.

? God bless.

? Best regards, Dr. Edward Poku”

? The importance of this disclosure is to demonstrate to the public that contrary to what people are saying, the Rawlings has connived with the wife to unseat the sitting President, is not true. I have enough evidence to prove that Rawlings, Mrs. Rawlings and myself, have constantly encouraged President [late] Mills by words, deeds and in my writings to him. But this letter which is supposed to represent my caution was made possible by what I consider to be an extreme demonstration of poor governance.

? I have said it several times that he had no coherent policies about health, education, security, etc., etc., and I thought if he was given another chance to stand as a Flagbearer for the Party he would loose the 2012 Presidential election. Apart from the fact that he did not stand a chance of winning the Presidential election for the NDC, he alone would have had 16 years of uninterrupted leadership of the Party. This is where I came in because I found it unfair for an outsider to be given the chance for an uninterrupted period of 16 years to be the leader of NDC.

? He failed the Party and his constituency on two occasions that he had to win the election for us. Third time, I say NO.

? Now, let us look at his performance. It is estimated that in Ghana there are 600.000 persons suffering from Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a debilitating eye disease which causes blindness. Out of this number, 30.000 are likely to become blind if the disease is left untreated.

? Comrades, do you know what this our President does for this ailment in Ghana? The Minister of Health provides 10.000 Cedis every year for Glaucoma Awareness. Please, is the President joking? He spends 10 Billion Dollars to build houses we have not even seen, but only 10.000 Cedis for the Awareness program of Glaucoma disease.

? The second thing I wrote to [late] President Mills was about the creation of Policlinics nearer to residential areas. It is almost 3 ½ years now, and nothing happened. On the 24th January, 2009, I wrote a letter to him with the title “Creating a New Health System for the 21 Century in Ghana”.

? I wrote:

? “At no time in the history of medicine has the growth in knowledge and technologies been so profound. As medical sciences and technology have advanced at a rapid pace, however the Healthcare Delivery System has floundered in its ability to provide consistency in high quality care to all Ghanaians.”

? I went on to say:

? “Dear President, this is not so now, this has always been so. I therefore feel that, with the new government a new attempt for a change must be made. We in Ghana have always had difficulty translating knowledge into practice and if things continue at this pace we shall have difficulty applying new technologies safely and appropriately. Your Excellency, what is perhaps most disturbing is the absence of real progress towards restructuring healthcare system in our country to address both quality and cost concerns or towards applying IT to improve administrative and clinical processes.”

? I went on to write about the sustainability of our healthcare system, creation of medical centres for mass-monitoring of blood sugar, eye examinations, examination to exclude BPH, Glaucoma, treatment for different types of intoxication, immunisation and so on and so forth. I went on and went on and concluded by writing:

? “I have a dream. I have a dream, when Ghanaian doctors will have Master Classes in Ghana Academy of Medicine in all the Regional Capitals once in every 3 months.”

? I talked of the lack of emergency rooms for treating emergencies at the airports,

? I talked about the lack of dentists for, I added that it was a shame that a country of 24 Million people has only 153 dentists.

? I wrote extensively about environment, the drug menace and its treatment.

? Comrades, I can go on, and on.

? I had no reply, 3 ½ years on and nothing has happened.

? Wo sei nehwan, to attack Rawlings when he says the Man is too slow.

? The publication of this letter to [late] President Mills is

? “Is it not strange that a Party in government, instead of working assiduously to better the lot of the citizenry has buried itself in fighting over the scanty resources that belong to all of us?

? The government has decidedly chosen not to live the mandate bestowed on it by the electorate to transform the fortunes of the economy but has instead been engaging in misdirecting its efforts and energies in petty squabbles and fighting over contracts without adhering to financial regulation procedures such as procurement act.

? Example: The fight between Ama Benywa-Doe and Mr. Allotey Jacobs. It is alleged that those who support [late] Mills in an exhibitionist fashion all have some hidden business- and financial interest. No wonder, [late] Mills is always in a paranoid mood shifting his failures, inabilities and ineptitude to the former government and Rawlings.

? Rawlings and his family have been made scapegoat for almost everything that goes wrong in Ghana.

? Allegations are doing the rounds that some ministers and officials of this government have build mansions. Some mansions and deals are not yet finished. No wonder they dread the change of government. They will be exposed.”

? Betrayal of Rawlings by hypocrites

? It is alleged he instigated disloyalty among the rank and file of the party executives to disown the Rawlingses.

? To be an onlooker or to describe yourself as a founding member does not give anyone the right or the legitimacy to undermine the authority of these two people whom we badly need as the pillars upon which the Party rests.

? Mrs. Rawlings has suffered a lot and to be honest, the problem the Rawlingses have with [late] Atta Mills arose only because of their support for a lady, the former Attorney General of Ghana, who, by all standards has proved anyway to be incapable of the responsibilities which were assigned to her. What did they get out of this? Not thanks, as one might have expected but betrayal from this lady out of pure opportunism. This is not new in politics, but the day of reckoning is coming and we shall overcome.

? To continue what I was saying before, the possibility of the Party being divided into two, namely PNDC (meaning the Proper NDC led by Mrs. Rawlings) and

? CNDC (meaning corrupt NDC led by - I better not mention the name -), did not seem to worry the sitting President. Some people think he has enough Oil Resources to win a second time. His supporters also think that Rawlings' supporters are going to sit idle and to see him through as a winner.

? Please note: members of a Party have rights, but these rights will be questioned if they are not coupled with devotion. It's not enough to be a member of a Party. What we are looking for is not what Ghana can do for you by giving you privileges like loans for cars, but what you can do for your country and your people by sacrificing for the poor and the needy. Mrs. Rawlings shall not preside over the destruction of the few resources that this country has. Therefore she should be made the Running Mate.

? Late Pres. Mills' failures were:

? Lack of coherent policies on

? aid

? trade

? on debt and debt relief

? agricultural subsidies

? opportunity for growth

? good governance

? human development

? culture and sports

? access to quality medicine

? combating money laundering

(to this I would like to add: 16,000 Pounds Money Laundering is not peanuts)

? tribal bigotry.

? If information reaching us is true, and I have proved and brought evidence that there is a degree of Ethnic Cleansing, this constitutes a crime against humanity and we shall have this investigated and if found guilty will be punished.

? I would like however to summarise what Laura Plant has written about tribalism:

? “In most respects, the battle for continuing salience of social justice as a political ideal

? has been won in the UK. All political parties are committed to policies which are underpinned by an appeal to social justice.”

? I think therefore that NDC should establish a Centre for Social Justice.

? Object of Politics and Human Rights

? The object of politics is social contentment. Here I think President Mills has failed miserably, partly due to his lack of creativity and partly due to 'institutionalised corruption in his government', to cite the American embassy in Accra. We have no intention therefore to replace him because the people of Ghana have already done so.

? My views about Mrs. Rawlings:

? She is a nice lady, a typical Ghanaian hard-working lady, from a rather humble home,

? grew up in a house full of passionate hard-working family who gave her the strong conviction of the power of politics to change lives.

? She thinks that NDC under Mills has got a lot wrong and that is why we need a change.

? She thinks we must be humble and not blame the Party if they don't vote for us.

? She thinks our Party is wrong at the moment on so many issues, for instance on Corruption, Education, Education for instance we think all children should be taught music, dancing, sports, languages, discipline, strong religious beliefs, and so on and so forth.

? She thinks our government is wrong on not supporting an African country which has been invaded by foreigners, namely Libya, wrong on not initiating proper policies to strengthen African unity, wrong in not defending the interest of Africans and people of African origin anywhere in the world, wrong in not initiating foreign policies which will protect our diaspora who are being permanently disgraced, insulted, and called Niggers. Wrong in not protecting civil liberties of Africans. Wrong in not insisting that Africans are Africans and not Blacks or Coloureds.

? We cannot accept that Germans come to Ghana to dictate our foreign policy to us, especially when they tell us we should 'form a 3-partied organisation with the Jews to develop Ghana'.

? We do not travel to Germany to tell them how their foreign policy should be.

? We talk of economic development. This is only possible if people have confidence in you. Those who do not have confidence in us will never invest in our country because they do not trust us.

? If Mrs. Rawlings is not chosen as Running Mate she still has the option to become the flagbearer of NDP and she will do things differently:

? She will introduce anti-corruption and anti-bribery laws. Offenders must reckon with life-imprisonment, since such people commit a serious crime against the poor and the future of our State.

? She will give Ghanaians abroad, the so-called diaspora, Double Citizenship and tell those who have investments in our country that we shall also have supermarkets in their countries to gain foreign exchange.

? She will tell our seamstresses and small business owners that her government will make it possible for you to set up businesses all over Africa and in Europe.

? Mrs. Rawlings will speak for the mainstream majority of Ghanaians.

? She will shape the centre ground of politics, and she will not occupy it.

? She will ask for electoral reform, e.g. devolution of the whole Regions. There will be Regional Governments, Regional Prime Ministers, Regional Police, Regional Education Systems and, just in case you might have forgotten. (This is my own personal view.)

? She will fight for stronger civil liberties.

? She will ask for a stronger Central Government Army which will be financially independent, like the Chinese style.

? She will work out a credible policy on the economy.

? She will cut the deficit because it is patriotic to do so.

? Mrs. Rawlings will be a responsible leader. We shall have a grown-up debate in this country about who we are and where we want to go and what kind of country we want to build.

? I have said, and I want to repeat again: Yes, we want decisions to be made locally with local democracy, free of the constraints we have placed on it in the past. I wish to congratulate all those who have supported us from the beginning, especially the grass root supporters, for your interest will be safeguarded under the leadership of Mrs. Rawlings.

? The greatest menace facing our country, she says, is the drug menace which is bringing untold hardships onto many citizens, causing armed robbery which is killing many of our people.

? We shall declare war, she says, on these people. More importantly, we shall prevent those drug addicts and poly drug abusers who because of crave for the drug result to criminal offences, by detoxing them. Mills' government looks on and does nothing. Policing is not the answer to this sort of crime. What these young people need is rehabilitation, and by this I mean proper rehabilitation.

? Mrs. Rawlings will preside over the creation of scientific research institutions and specialisation of different kinds of medicine in our country. She will increase the number of eye specialists, dentists and psychiatrists. This can only be possible if we drop the age barrier which will impede progress in our country.

? The creation of good family relationships will be encouraged and polygamy will be banned in any form in our country.

? We thank all supporters, especially the grass roots, who have consistently and persistently worked for the success of the Party. I hope that with your help and the help of many more undecided voters in the country, that our efforts will be crowned with success on the 8th - 10th of July.

? Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings will certainly be the new Leader of the Party.

? God bless you,

? Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen.