RE: As Usual, Alban Bagbin Plays Out Of His League

As Usual, Okoampa Plays Out Of His League*Feature Article | By Nana Akyea

Mensah, The Odikro.**(**Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheOdikro)

A Rejoinder to: As Usual, Alban Bagbin Plays Out Of His

League,

Columnist: Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.

Hi grandson,

This is the fourth rejoinder in a row. None of them have been kid blows! And

Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., is no where to be found! In his latest article,

Okoampa pretends that a recent call-in to the Radio Gold's current affairs

program “Alhaji and Alhaji,” by the former NDC parliamentary majority leader

asking the “Minority group in Parliament [to be] grateful for the fact that

President Mills…includes them in decision-making and public projects,

...demonstrates that the substantive Minister for Water Resources, Works and

Housing appreciates pathetically little about the participatory culture of

parliamentary democracy." And here? I suppose that for heaven's sake,

Okoampa's definition of a parliamentary democracy is not limited to the

business in parliament, but is extended to cover every aspect of a healthy

parliamentary democracy.

In that sense, I wonder why it is not Okoampa but rather Bagbin who is out

of his league! I wouldn't bother the reader with the litany of the woes of

the opposition and the Ghanaian patriots during the eight years of the NPP

misrule. Just mentioning Vodaphone keeps my blood boiling up! It is clear

that from what Okoampa is saying, the NPP has not even given itself any

chance to recognize their mistakes, let alone to learn from them. The reason

why the elephant must once more be returned to the bush is because they

still have no clue about why they were removed from power. The sinner

remains not only unrepentant but also unaware if his sins, and is not even

asking for forgiveness. The sinner has resorted to telling stories that have

neither head nor tail!

If you want us to talk about parliamentary democracy, why don't we begin

with the most topical issue of the week? This Saturday, the NPP is electing

its flag-bearer to contest for the 2012 Presidential Elections. It is a very

strange pity that a party that trumpets and extols the virtue of democratic

governance is having a lot of problems being transparent, open, free, and

even minimally fair! With barely two days to go to the Congress, The Ghanaian

Chroniclereports:

*"PROFFESSOR Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, one of the presidential aspirants of

the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has accused the leadership of the party of

making the moves to direct the results of Saturday's Congress a particular

direction. According to him, the executives were trying to woo the delegates

to vote in a certain way, warning that the decision would be a recipe for

chaos." *(See: NPP CONGRESS WILL NOT BE FREE & FAIR,

*… Accuses execs of directing results

in a particular

directio,

**By: Bismark Beble**,** *Wednesday, August 4, 2010, Source: Ghanaian

Chronicle)

I find it very interesting that none other than a leading member of the NPP,

fit enough to be considered a potential flag-bearer of the party is bitterly

lamenting about the undemocratic nature of the NPP! We all know that charity

begins at home and not from the comments of Mr. Albin Bagbin on Radio Gold's

current affairs program “Alhaji and Alhaji”! And the so-called "charity"

going on at Okoampa's home does not look very good. Professor Frempong

apparently is not going to take it without throwing his own punches:

"He regretted that a party that is touted as being adherent to democratic

principles, would now use foul means to coerce delegates to dance to their

tune, when indeed, no credible and scientific survey had been conducted to

prove that the particular candidate would generally be accepted by

Ghanaians."

What the professor is saying is not different from my own analysis in a

rejoinder to your article The “Rascal Four” Must Be Censured For Crying

“Wolf!”,

Feature Article of Wednesday, 21 July 2010:

"If I were Akufo Addo, and I was very sure of myself of victory, I would do

everything to ensure transparency as much as possible to ensure my political

legitimacy. But Akufo Addo is not me, and it appears he has other campaign

issues higher on his agenda than a dangerously transparent, free and fair

elections that stupidly run the risk to scupper what seems to be a very

elaborate and expensive scheme of rigging the elections in his favour. So

far, it is not clear whether Akufo Addo really wants to win the 2012

elections or this is just a personal ego trip, irrespective of the results.

If this is true, then he does not necessarily need any form of cooperation

from the recalcitrant four. So why not, it is very necessary to insist on

party procedure and doing nothing meaningful about the complaints until

after the Congress, when, hopefully it might be too late, and as everyone

knows today, Jake would be on stand-by to issue another four-liner."

(See:Re: The “Rascal Four” Must Be Censured For Crying

“Wolf!”by

Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro, Tuesday,

July 20, 2010, A Rejoinder to: The “Rascal Four” Must Be Censured For Crying

“Wolf!”,

Feature Article of Wednesday, 21 July 2010 by * *Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame)

It is quite interesting the the NPP formula for defeat was defined by no

other person than Akufo Addo himself. In a recent meeting with party

delegates at the Tip Toe Gardens on Wednesday, 21st July 2010, in the

Ayawaso Central constituency, Nana Akufo-Addowas reported to have told them:

“I am confident that by the grace of God, and with unity within our ranks,

if you elect me as flag bearer into the 2012 general elections, victory will

come our way as a party,” he said. (See: *NPP primaries would determine

Ghana’s future -

Akufo-Addo,

Myjoyonline,

*Last Updated: Thursday, 22 July 2010, 15:70 GMT)

I still stand by the following comments:

"After reading the latest feature article on the elusive unity in the party,

The “Rascal Four” Must Be Censured For Crying “Wolf!”, Feature Article of

Wednesday, 21 July 2010 by Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame,

I propose the following changes to the Nana Akufo Addo speech:

“I am confident that by the grace of God, and with unity within our ranks,

if you elect me as flag bearer into the 2012 general elections, victory will

come our way as a party,” he said.

Should rather read:

“I am confident that by the grace of God, and with disunity within our

ranks, if you elect me as flag bearer into the 2012 general elections,

failure will come our way as a party.”

There will be time when someone would be regretting the errors, not me, if

no one speaks to people like Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. !

A word to the fool is not enough, but I do not have the time go give more,

please take it or leave it! After all, I am not the one running for office."

The Akyem Mafia may win the NPP Congress by fraudulent means, but that is

where it is all going to end. How do you expect those who feel cheated to

play ball? And where is the "unity within our ranks" going to come from? You

people cannot stop cheating even when the very life of your party is at

stake! Whilst preaching to the NDC about democracy, take a look at the NPP

Congress, where you even need "democracy" in order to win, with the word

stuck in your throats like "Amen" in the throat of Macbeth! Yet it seems

Okoampa is not out of his league! At least, not yet. Who says a fool's

paradise cannot be sweet? Not until he realizes there is going to be a

rejoinder to every single article he writes from now on!

Cheers!

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!* * **(The original version of this article

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