NPP’s “court for court sake”

It is consoling to note that even today the inventor of democracy, the Greeks who lived in city states then, have not perfected the practice of democracy neither has the USA. So allow me to say that what the gang of three from the NPP, have attempted to do after losing the highest turnout, best planned and well managed 2012 election in Ghana is bogus and a smack to peace in the country.

The NPP once again is showing their true colours while their fortunes dwindle before them. The keep pretending they know it all, “we have the people,” the lawyers and the law will always be on their side. So they have under the guise of democracy, as a face saving measure unleashed what I will call, “democratic terrorism” on Ghanaians.

By which I mean to do something under the pretense of lawful means, but with intent on causing irreparable damage on the psyche of the nation. Besides, they have also sworn they will make the nation ungovernable for the new President, Mahama. They have boycotted the appointments committee in parliament and who knows what other things they have reserved in their arsenal of troublemaking.

This is a party that could compared to a child who spills his own drink in the process breaking the glass but turns round to cry so loudly as if it was someone else’s fault. This child continues in the tantrums until another drink is served by collecting another child’s drink for him because there is none anywhere else.

It is well known that the antecedents of the NPP were violent in nature by this, I am reminded of the Kulungugu bombing of 1962 that left shrapnel buried into Dr. Nkrumah’s body only to die a decade later in 1972. At the same time killed an unnamed eleven year old girl with a bouquet of flowers in which the point was planted, without sparing numerous others.

There is conclusive evidence that the NPP is a bitter loser, to be likened to a very bad sportsman. I have watched the people of this party try everything inside and outside the book to make them relevant after losing every election since 1992 with a lot of amusement. I hope all Ghanaians have taken note of it too. I know others have mentioned it casually, but wouldn’t it be proper if someone really research and write a book about this phenomenon of the NPP?

It seems to me Dr. A. Kennedy’s book “Chasing the elephant into the bush” tried to do just that but not in its entirety and he may as well have a sequel. If he does, I think I will buy one of his books this time around. Especially if he analyses the cost/benefit to the nation it in all terms of financial, health, human, time, redundancy, reputation, state of law, etc.

I do consider myself only as an observer of Ghana politics and without any reservation, if you ask me who is a living legend of democratic practice in the NPP. I would sincerely say former President JA Kufuor. Because he has proved have lived above the fray, behaved like a statesman I must say, I am also an ardent critic of his government.

Unfortunately, I do not think persons in his party have been listening to him well enough. Lately, by doing the right thing and deserves to travel out of the current chaos perpetuated by this gang of three on Ghanaians.

You know what? The Longman’s dictionary defines “sake,” also “for its own sake” or “to do something for the sake of it,” is explained as; “it is done for the value of the experience itself, not for any advantage it will bring.” So, Ghanaians let’s ask Nana Akufo-Addo since he perfectly knows he lost the election and the current effort is not going to bring him any advantage why punish the nation in this manner.

Looking at the arithmetic not even the “math,” it is too clear for me, that if I was a presidential candidate in Ghana 2012 and out of ten regions I won just two like Akufo-Addo did I would not expect the electoral commissioner, Dr. K. Afari-Djan to announce me a winner. I would say no, sorry.

Since for me to be President is to be like the father of the nation. I would like to be father for all and a builder for Ghana, not for any parochial interest and narrow group. So by principle if I did not win at least five regions I will fathom such a fight under any circumstances. I would not accept a win irrespective of any spatial/demographic caveat that might exist/have existed under the constitution. In short I mean we should be looking into the prospects of advancing the Electoral College system.

Personally, this is what I would have done for the peace of the nation. President J. Mahama in less than two months, “out of nowhere” campaigned to win eight regions. Basically, he won overwhelmingly three more regions than my stipulated five that I would have “accepted,” even if it was skewed in my favour.

So what factors brought about this win vis-à-vis Nana Addo’s lose albeit he did everything right this around? There are a myriad of factors but the single and most compelling one was the “All-die-be-die” mantra, which I had warned him vehemently about it, but he refused to withdraw the statement and apologise for it. We all know what happened, two statesmen Atta-Mills and Aliu Mahama passed on before the elections. Not only in life but especially in politics you must be extremely careful what you say and wish yourself.

I should think if a survey if conducted for what boy’s name parents will like to give their newborns in Ghana today, I believe John will top the list. After all, the John Presidents of Ghana have done their best for the country and let’s “remember John was not the Messiah but he had the privilege to baptize Jesus.” I congratulate all the Johns who have become Presidents of Ghana.

I am humbly disappointed that I had to breach my own principle this time around not to congratulate a newly elected and sworn-in president in my foremost write-up but I have been compelled to write about Nana-Addo’s escapade of going to court.

Since 2001 during Ghana’s first peaceful transfer of government from one democratically elected one to the other I have routinely made my first writing focus on to urging the new president to emphasize setting the goals that form the legacy after government. But this I could not do than to deal with this aberration of the pursuit of reason and fairness against the winner Mahama by Nana-Addo and company.

If you may recall it was a little over four years ago in the 2008 when Nana-Addo’s clique tried this under the tutelage of one lawyer Atta-Akyea and appendages of the same Akufo-Addo Chambers who tried and failed, thrown out of court because of the English language and chronology as was aired from the recordings of Radio Gold. And subsequently, thrown out of court and Nana Akufo-Addo conceded soon after it was so quick that many have forgotten already.

This time around it is Akufo-Addo Chambers with Gloria Akufo and other lawyers, the gang of three but I would say two because on meeting the press after the writ I heard Nana-Addo said the third was his party Chairman Jake “O-r-t-e-ga” Obetsebi-Lamptey and I asked myself when did this Okanta sometimes mistaken as Otanka become Ortega may be of Nicaragua.

If Ortega was actually used either by strategy or mishap in the current writ then there will not be just this problem but also an arithmetic miscalculation. And just like in the 2008 English language problem of the “Atta-Akyeas,” who could not do the serializing under the MLA format caused them to be thrown out of court which led you to concede defeat momentarily. The NPP will face a losing battle again this time as the NDC has won the joinder in court.

So let us all ask ourselves what is therefore the motivation? The answer came from the horses own mouth, the best of the best of Ghana law the Akufo-Addo Chambers, and himself the litigant and the two others a chairman and an economist who is to blame if everything went wrong.

Remember Nana-Addo had the answer in the same press brief “it is not for our sake but for the sake of generations to come” it will go into the annals of Ghana’s history that he wanted to go to court for going to court sake. Really, you just want your name to be “gazette” because of a frivolous issue filled with such a “bogus” claim. No, Ghana, no!

I wish to say that Nana-Addo did everything well this time around to win the elections but was haunted by a certain ghost because he wanted people to die and someone died. He refused to apologise to Ghanaians for the “All-die-be-die” chant even when his good friends, in my article before the elections and the BBC interviewer Stephen Sackur requested him, as if to do so. Beating the war drums song was also sang during the NPP-Europe tour, on London airwaves and in a speech delivered in Germany like, we will “use all our weapons” to win the elections.

He has himself to blame because in politics one must show not only by your action, also learn to forgive and apologize. The Germans apologized to the Jews and for the “poor” Japanese who were “atomic bombed” have apologized on numerous occasions to many Asian countries paid reparations to South Korean government, gave technology to China but some of these countries including China don’t seem to have forgiven Japan.

Nana-Addo, if you are listening I still have your business card you gave me in 2000 after the Ghana State of the nation’s economy report symposium in Accra, Ghana archives by lead speaker Dr. Asenso-Ortchere then of ISSER before NPP won the elections. You remember inviting me to your Chambers after I made poignant contribution about how the country should go and my experience with the Asian-Tigers. I will finally honour the invitation if you do me this favour by listening to the peace that Ghanaians want.

If you have the courage to rescind your decision before you fall in the deepest hole, withdraw and annul your demand from the court I will be grateful. Also it is sometimes magnanimous to listen to wise counsel of colleagues, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey, Dr. Spio-Garbrah etc.

The same like you listened to President Kufuor in 2008 in the midst of a scuffle in Nima and at Ridge. We know NPP how this year vigilantes almost prevented him from leaving home for the swearing-in of President Mahama.

I must say although, I am not a fun of Brobbey because he disappointed in what we could have gained from Energy sustainability in Ghana many decades ago. Instead he veered course by not vigorously pursuing his solar ideas when he returned from overseas studies to the detriment of Ghana when he was given the chance.

He could have done to our energy fortunes/futures what we supported Dr. Frimpong to do with the cardio-thoracic centre at Korle Bu. But he failed to so even at the VRA. I always say to politicians if you want to partake in politics the burden is “the future is ours to write” so grab this opportunity it is but once.

Source: Doe, James W.