NPP-USA Gives a Performance Award to President Mills- Rejoinder

NPP-USA Gives a Performance Award to President Mills- Rejoinder: NDC -NY

There is a serious need for Ghanaians across the world to set an example of adherence to democracy, good governance and incorruptible behaviors so that Ghana can realize its potentials. The Mills administration in the past two years has demonstrated a great deal of change in leadership style and has included people from all levels especially youth and female participation which is very necessary for nation building and promoting integrity, transparency and accountability. It is very clear that these two years of the NDC administration has impressed not just Ghanaians but people all over the world. It is unfortunate that despite this great achievements of the Mills led administration the NPP still play the “child politics” type.

Over the years, the NPP USA in particular has published a number of articles which have been filled with nonsensical, idiotic, baseless and above all untruthful facts. These have been attempts to divert the minds of the good people of Ghana from pursuing a collective national agenda.

In reference to their latest public debate through ghanaweb.com, the NPP-USA has once again exhibited their childishness and they ignorance in matured politics. This was in an article titled “NPP-USA Gives a Performance Award to President Mills” First of all, it would have been credible if the NPP- USA had mentioned that, they were the source of the evidence that President Mills had meetings with the mentioned personalities but rather their source is from wikileaks. But it is unfortunate that they cannot do their own investigation to substantially put forward an intellectual argument but rather rely on what they hear or what people say.

Also permit us to quote from the same wikileaks they are talking about “Embassy contacts in the police service and the president's office "have said they know the identities of the major barons," but "the government of Ghana does not have the political will to go after [them]", a December 2007 cable said”. The date of this particular statement made by the US embassy contact to wikileaks was in 2007 which referred to the political will-of the NPP – check the website: (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/14/wikileaks-corrupt-ghana-police-drugs)

According to the NPP-USA “The cables, which were sent on February 16th 2010, indicated that President Atta Mills held a meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State, Johnnie Carson, accompanied by the Ambassador, Donald Teittelbaum, Special Assistant Cook and Econof on February 3rd 2010. The leaked cables from the whistle-blowing website, Wikileaks, reveals that President Atta Mills in a fever-pitch confided in the US officials above that some oil companies trooped to the Osu Castle, the seat of government, and attempted to bribe him with a juicy package and influence him. He further went on to appeal to the US authorities to install equipment in the presidential lounge (VVIP) at the Kotoka International Airport to screen his entourage for narcotic drugs when leaving the country”.

We wish to draw their NPP-USA that, In this same article, It states that “A UK official overseeing Westbridge had observed NACOB agents at the airport directing passengers away from flights receiving extra scrutiny, a cable from the US embassy in Accra revealed in August 2008. "On one occasion, [the official] returned unexpectedly to the airport at 4am to screen a flight. An arrested trafficker told the UK official that the trafficker had been told that Westbridge was not operating that night. A test by West bridge officials of the mobile phone sim card of a trafficker found the phone numbers of senior Nacob officials." Again, we wish to draw the attention to the dates or periods of these happenings August 2008- the NDC took over power in 2009 January – meaning it was under the NPP administration.

The NPP USA and the NPP NY keep stating that the President has to give names of public officials who are involved in the drug trade. It appears that the NPP finds it difficult to believe that the NDC led administration simply is not infected with drug dealers. The Mills action was simply a preemptive one geared at preventing incidents similar to what happened during the Kufuor administration, where a sitting NPP MP -Amoateng was arrested and imprisoned for smuggling drugs. The NPP-USA goes further to state the cases involving Hon. Muntakah and Stan Dogbe among others. Interestingly, the Mills administrations launched investigations that found Stan Dogbe and Muntakah innocent. They were able to prove to the whole country that they were clean- “one is never a criminal until proven guilty by law” that means that the difference between them and Alhaji Issa, Amoateng and the NPP criminals was that they were never able to prove their innocence hence remain criminals.

President Mills in our opinion remains one of the most credible and incorruptible leaders in the West African sub-region. The President has remained resolute in his desire to rid Ghana of growing narcotics trade which under the erstwhile NPP administration was quickly becoming a shadow economy in our dear country.

Few months ago, the Ghanaian community accepted and respected the Presidents call for an issue based politics instead of politics of insults. Since then, there has been decency in debating issues of national concerns and we wish to draw the attention of the NPP-USA to this important change in Ghana. It will be more beneficial if the so call brains of the NPP-USA that is if they exist as a group but not individuals to create platforms that will be used to make a meaningful contribution to the continuous development of Ghana instead of spending time to brainstorm just to arrive at meaningless debate. The actions of the NPP-USA are a complete example of the say “Is good to be brave but sometimes better to be a coward”. They have always wanted to be brave on issues but this time they have chosen to be cowards.

Ghanaians have come too far and do not want to turn back hence the NDC will not spend time to debate them but rather we will continue to pursue the Better Ghana Agenda that will place Ghana where it belongs in terms of improving the lives of Ghanaians at all levels. The NDC is committed to deepening the democracy of the country and also creating a platform for a friendly dialogue on issues that will not divide the country but ones that will transform the country into a developed one. This is our last advice to the NPP-USA on this matter- we are moving forward with that change we promised Ghanaians.

Moses Kanduri

General Secretary

NDC New York