The ‘Dark Hand’ In Ghanaian Politics

The evidence of a ‘dark hand’ in Ghanaian politics is both intriguing and threatening. The fact remain that the fundamentals of any civilized government is to protect its territorial integrity including the lives and property of her citizenry. Most civilized societies adopt democratic political systems to determine the way they are governed. However, records of Ghana’s recent political history suggest that there is a ‘dark hand’ that constantly appears in our body politics. This ‘hand’ only appears to be at work when a certain political ideology is in opposition. Ghana was never a terrorized or a poor country until this ‘dark hand’ was unleashed on us. In the 1950’s and 60’s this ‘dark hand’ after failing to metamorphose into a credible political force lead Ghana, this ‘dark hand’ decided to operate almost as a terrorist organisation. Between 1954 and 1957, violence, murders and bombings, allegedly orchestrated by the NLM/UP/NPP, This reign of terror knew no boundaries; it claimed may lives and properties in Ghana.

Some people believe that the Preventive Detention Act (PDA) law in 1958 was an act to respond to specific threat to Ghana’s national security, just as the terrorism act in most countries today. It is believe that Krobo Edusei proposed the idea of the bill. The act was framed on that of the Indian Act on preventive detention. The ‘Rule 26’ of the Rules framed under the Defence of India Act 1939, which allowed the detention of a person if it was "satisfied with respect to that particular person that such detention was necessary to prevent him from acting in any manner prejudicial" to the defence and safety of the country. Known activists of the NLM/UP/NPP victims include Krobo Edusei’s wife, Mary Akuamoah and his sister Archie Caseley-Hayford and Dr Kwame Nkrumah himself whose house was targeted and bombed. It was latter alleged that personalities such as Modesto Apaloo, R.R. Amponsah and Captain Awhaitey were involved in these diabolic acts. In November 1958 both R.R Amponsah and Captain Awhitey who were members of parliament, were arrested on allegation of their involvement in the plan to kidnap and assassinate Dr Nkrumah and some other top government officials. Eventually, this ‘dark hand’ won the battle with the help of some greedy members of the CPP who helped to overthrow DR Nkrumah. The bombing appeared to have stopped when the NLM took control of the country, but the result of that fatal take over still lives with us. The NLM/UP/NPP introduced violence to our politics.

Prior to the 2000 elections in Ghana, this ‘dark hand’ took a new form. The appearance of copses of middle aged women in various locations in Accra. The appearances created a lot of panic and fear in the country. Most of the killings were reported to have taken place at around Mataheko in Accra. So deep was the situation that the Ghana branch of the Federation of International Women Lawyers (Fida) wrote to then President Jerry Rawlings and copied to parliament asking that the killings be treated as a "a national crisis". It became a political tool for the NLM/UP/NPP. Candidate John Kufuor, the presidential candidate of the NPP took full advantage of the situation and turned it into a ‘political football’. It is alleged that, some elements of the then opposition NPP made promises during their electioneering campaign rounds that the only antidote to the killings is NPP winning the 2000 general elections. We all know that sometime prior to the 2000 election, Mr Kufour went bought a slot on television and made a nation-wide TV broadcast on the matter of killing of women and variously accused the NDC government of doing nothing to stop the killings. Naturally, the situation fed into the psyche of some Ghanaians, the perception of uncertainty and fear was wide spread, and this helped the chances of the NPP in the 2000 election. Indeed, the killing appeared to have stopped after the NPP came into power in 2001. Until date, the mysteries of the killings remain unknown. One person have been tried and convicted under suspicious circumstances, the fact is that he was not jailed for the killing of all the women. There are rumours that, some of the copses might even come from outside the boundaries of Ghana. Some of the copses were never identified or claimed.

Currently, at the heels of massive corruption and mismanagement of the previous NPP administration, Ghanaians are demanding accountability from the NPP. There is wide spread believe that, the NPP wanted to sell Ghana to themselves and rent it back to Ghanaians, they were doing this by creating dodgy companies and transferring valuable national resources into those businesses .The perception is growing that, these people are going to going to keep the stolen assets . Emboldened by this perception, the NPP is gradually starting to abuse the peaceful atmosphere in the country by embarking on their usual tactics. The ‘dark hand’ seems to be back. It is taking the form of fires. Just read the ‘crocodile tears’ of President Kufour’ after the unfortunate fire that destroyed former President Rawlings’ home at Ridge in Accra. "The nation should feel relieved that he and his family escaped unhurt. This is one fire outbreak too many, coming on the heels of the recent ones at the Tema Oil Refinery, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the offices of the Ghana Education Service at Tudu, the Makola and Asafo markets in Accra and Kumasi respectively. I hope the security agencies will take immediate steps to get to the bottom of what happened last night and put in appropriate measures to forestall its recurrence anywhere else." Just as he has done before, President Kufour was only using the unfortunate incidence to tell Ghanaians that fire is the new weapon of the ‘dark hand’ No wonder the NLM/UP/NPP propaganda machine went into full swing. They started telling Ghanaians that almost everything in Ghana was going to be burnt unless the NPP is returned into power. The situation is so pathetic that some elements in the NLM/UP/NPP are openly suggesting that the seat of government, the Castle would be next to burn. If this does not sound like a threat to the sovereignty of Ghana, hence treasonable then we are in trouble.

As Ghanaians we must all recognise the potential of this ‘dark hand’ in plunging our country back into fear, chaos and set the clock of development back. This ideology thrives on the misery of our people, it is the best time for them to loot our resources and place then in the custody of their agents. We all stand to loose if we allow this ‘dark hand’ to take hold on us once again. Let us not be fooled, it does not matter how they manifest themselves; we must identify them and stop them in their tracks. We all have a responsibility to protect our country including the people and property from the acts of the ‘dark hand’. I urge all of us to become vigilant in order to protect others and ourselves. Report any suspicious act and activities to the law enforcement agencies. They have promised to do what it takes to destabilise the country at all cost. I urge the government never to be complacent about the potential of the ‘dark hand’ using fire sabotages and anything they can lay their dirty hands on as new weapons to destabilise the country. The government must be resolute, fair and firm on dealing with this issue. The saboteurs are at work and we need to act now. With God on our side, I believe the ‘dark hand ‘will not succeed this time round.

God Bless Us All

Kwame Agbodza