Nana Akuffo Addo or Alan K

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 Source: Opoku-Agyemang, Samuel

WHO IS MORE ELECTABLE CANDIDATE FOR 2008- NANA AKUFFO ADDO OR ALLAN KYERAMATENG?
It is very unfortunate that people are trying to sabotage the candidacy, competency and integrity of Nana Akuffo Addo at this crucial time of NPP’s Congress. Strangely enough all that his opponents are using against him are the very qualities the nation in general and the NPP in particular have been advocating for in the rightful president Ghana needs now,-courage to speak ones mind.
They say Nana is arrogant. This is preposterous. Nana is not arrogant rather he is a-no-nonsense person. He doesn’t tolerate nonsense or bend to compensate others incompetence. What Ghana is used to is the false humility approach, the so-called gentility that leaves people unaccountable. Lets call it “the give it to God syndrome.”
The fact that President Kufour has been able to stomach all the cat-calls without hitting back has not made the opposition calmer, effective or appreciative rather it has made them think his presidency is a weak one. There is no indication whatsoever that Nana Akuffo Addo’s administration will turn back on reason to warrant any rebellion from the opposition, to wit, Rawlings’ NDC; but one can be sure that Nana’s government will not tolerate any unlawful acts of the opposition. He would not turn a deaf ear to their propaganda and slothfulness but he would respond in kind based on the powers offered him by the constitution of the land. As a legal counsel, Nana is known to be very competent and meticulous in what he does.
There is this rumor and old women’s tale going around, being instigated by Allan’s camp that Nana has issues with the former President, Mr. Rawlings and that if he is elected he would try to use his position to settle those scores and eventually plunge Ghana into a civil war. Come on!! How myopic! Only those who do not know Nana will buy this hype.
Nana was in the same dormitory with Rawlings as his junior. As a good and competent house prefect Nana did his best to discipline Mr. Rawlings and kept him out of trouble to safe the good name of his House and Achimota College as a whole. I am sure Rawlings is grateful for what Nana did for him because he cannot say that Nana Addo did not play a meaningful role in his life as a student; at least to have completed school then.
As if this was not enough, Nana Akuffo Addo was one of the leading counsels for Rawlings when he was being tried after his first failed coup. If Nana did not care for Rawlings he would not have defended him. Tell me how many lawyers would risk their lives to defend a condemned prisoner of the state? But Nana Addo put his life on the line for Mr. Rawlings. They may not be friends today but sure, Nana does not have anything to settle with our former President. If there is anything at all, it would be making sure we all abide by the laws of the land. I can vouch for Nana that when it comes to enforcing the laws of the land he would not bend. This is one area that makes Nana’s candidacy for President attractive as compared to all the other candidates.
It is true that some of us believe that Nana might not have done anything extraordinarily as a minister of state like all his colleagues but it cannot go without saying that he has lived above expectations when comparing the same with his peers. At least no one can raise a finger against his integrity. He has not condoned and connived with anyone. He has kept his good name. In fact, many of those who accuse him of arrogance may be the very ones Nana would not bend to support their nefarious schemes.
One reason why Nana Addo is a force is that he does not owe any allegiance to any party elder, not even the President except for his duties as a minister of state, a party elder and a senior cabinet member then. Of course, no sitting president wants his successor to have a mind of his own where he cannot control when he leaves office. This is the reason why Allan is so favored by the sitting President than Nana Addo; and Rawlings is so comfortable with Professor Atta Mills. This is the area Nana stands very tall;-he cannot be controlled by anyone of the above. Period.
We cannot say that Nana Addo is not visionary. In the politics of Ghana in particular and Africa in general, it is not easy to display ones visions and dreams for the nation if you are not the president or if the president does not buy your vision. And if one does the credit goes automatically to the President. The constitution is such that a minister becomes the subject of the sitting president. You stand the chance of reshuffle if you don’t agree with the president. Therefore, it is not fair to base ones whole judgment on the basis of inclusion. Albeit, Nana has excelled as a foreign minister for Ghana all these years. It would be preposterous to accord all the credit Ghana has scored internationally to the President alone. Ghana’s foreign relationship successes, including HIPC success and the many international gratis must throw light on Nana Addo’s negotiation skills and competence.
Talking of experience, even the very child born in Ghana today would agree that Nana Addo is the most experienced candidate among the lot, not only by virtue of service but preparation for the highest office of the land. He is the most probable unifying candidate among the lot. As a Ghanaian, he speaks other languages of the land besides his dialect-Ga, Hausa, etc. As an international figure for his country’s leadership, Nana speaks and understands the second most powerful international language in the world, French with ease. In fact, he practiced law in France which even makes him hot and expensive.
Can you imagine having a president who does not need an interpreter when it comes to signing international accord with a Francophone country? And Ghana is surrounded by Francophone nations. Perhaps you would understand how critical this is when you look at the many contracts our leaders in the past have had to sign, be it a cabinet minister or a president, when they did not fully understand the language of the letter or the right interpretation thereof?
At this time of Ghana’s history, if we have to compare Allan Kyeremateng to Nana Addo as the flagbearer for NPP, I would dare say Nana is the right candidate to unify Ghana. Nana is the right candidate among the establishment who would understand the plight of the grassroot members of the party when it comes to doing the right thing in the interest of the NPP. The fact that the president is alleged to be solidly supporting Allan Kyeremateng’s candidacy at this crucial time should make Allan’s election suspect.
It was Nana Addo who ran neck-to-neck with Kufoour in 2000. In fact, tradition has it that Nana would have won in the second round had it not been the same accusations Kyeremateng’s camp is fooling the delegates with today, his temper. Give me a break! Do you expect your President to be quiet when citizens are suffering? Nana would always speak and argue out his case, not concede defeat. Yet in the interest of the Party in 2000, he buried his ego and came out openly to support the candidacy of Kufour to win the general elections for the general good of the NPP. Delegates should not forget this when they are making their decision on Saturday. We need such a principled leader in Ghana today.
Guess what would have happened to the families of those whose children and relatives were massacred in Gambia by the Gambian government? Do you think Nana or Chairman Rawlings would have let the sleeping dog lie without any due process of law? At least, get the families involved some compensation. Yet even up to today the issue has become a foolish case, even in the midst of all the eye witness accounts the Ghana government is buying the notion that we can’t find any evidence against the Gambian President. Which more evidence is stronger than eye witness account?
To those of us who have bee campaigning assiduously for a younger candidate or a new blood, we are now settled from the events on the floor that the electorate is not truly ready for this change. The pools in fact show a strong skew towards the Establishment still.
At least Allan Kyeremateng and Nana Addo are the two probable candidates for a second round come this Saturday December 22, 2007. Notwithstanding, the young candidates like Kennedy, Botwe, Apraku etc. would most likely be co-opted and respected under Nana Addo’s government than Kyeramateng. I personally think these party assets would be most effective under Akufo Addo’s government.There is no way Nana’s Indigenous Capitalism would fly if he des not co-opt the ingenuity of these youthful candidates; not because they contested against him but simply because they are good and clean.
A strong moral cabinet would be an asset for our next President, and the President must live the same. I dare say that among the established candidates Nana Addo comes out the cleanest. Only an incorruptible president can preside over a ‘zero tolerance’ regime. Above al, between him and Kyeremateng, Nana Addo is the most viable candidate to win over NDC’s Atta Mills in 2009.
I entreat NPP delegates not to buy into any lies and dirty politics when it comes to voting on Saturday but rather to weigh all the options including what I have outlined above. Let’s give Nana Addo the nod if we have agreed to settle for the devil we know than the angel we do not know.