The NPP and its affiliates are really frustrated

By Michael J.K. Bokor, Ph.D.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Folks, these NPP people are really at their wits’ end. Having been rejected at Elections 2008 and 2012, they are really hurting beyond measure and so frustrated in the political wilderness as to lose their bearings. They are doing and saying anything at all to ratchet up their “rogue politics”.

We saw how they reacted to their loss at Election 2012 with vigour, violence, and determination only to be pushed further down the precipice. Ever since they revealed that they can’t tolerate this Mahama-led administration and will do things to make the country ungovernable, they have resorted to many acts of political mischief: vain propaganda to undermine authority, wild allegations to create enmity, and vain threats to cause public panic. None of those acts of derring-do has turned the tide in their favour.

They have used street demonstrations but not succeeded in making any gains. Their use of surrogate institutions and personalities has yielded nothing. Now, their trump-card is to create the impression that President Mahama has failed and must RESIGN within three months. (Why not within a day, week, or one month but three months? On what basis did AFAG choose the three-month ultimatum?)

Two days ago, rumours circulated that President Mahama had resigned. Today, their baby—the Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) is calling on President Mahama “to resign to save the country from collapse”.

In a statement issued in Accra on Wednesday, AFAG said, “Ghanaians must not continue to suffer under the “precarious economic situation due to ineptitude of government… Mr. President, you will save this country a great deal to resign. In this difficult moment, it’s not a show of muscle, it's an appeal to your conscience. You have failed Ghanaians woefully”.

AFAG said it will not hesitate to petition Parliament to invoke Article 69(ii) of the Constitution to impeach President Mahama if he fails to resign. (Does our Constitution even allow for such a course of action on the basis of AFAG’s claim of failure?)

In addition, it said “will not hesitate if the need be to petition NDC's 2nd highest decision body to consider saving Ghana by breaking any such convention that allows the president to run automatically as a flag bearer. Be it as it may, and as participatory as the NDC has been to development of this mess, certainly there are some clean hands there who can better manage the economy. In this regard if we resort to this action, we shall request for a change of flag bearer. (The most ridiculous intention to have been made by political opponents!!)

Then again, AFAG said it holds and supports all mass movements, which can draw sufficient attention to the international community to consider piling sufficient pressure on the president to resign. (See: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=315212)

MY COMMENTS

It is not difficult to conclude from what has come from AFAG that the NPP camp is really chafing. It is really feeling the pinch of being in the opposition and is more worried that it will continue to be there. As its ventriloquist, AFAG is doing the yeoman’s job and betraying that cause. The NPP camp is really apprehensive of its political future as far as governing Ghana is concerned.

I wonder how these people think to tell us that they will petition the NDC’s 2nd highest body not to present President Mahama as the party’s flagbearer again. What are they afraid of that should warrant this waywardness? If President Mahama is a failure (as they claim), shouldn’t they rather be happy if he stands for re-election (in which case he should be rejected by the electorate in favour of their own candidate)? Are these AFAG political neophytes and their desperate handlers sure they really know how to do politics?

As for their declaration of support for mass movements and the drawing of attention in the international community to happenings in Ghana, I won’t bother my head assessing it. Have they not already used such means to no avail? Who doesn’t know that they are experts in damaging Ghana’s interests in the international community just to serve their narrow and failed political cause?

There is nothing new from these anti-Mahama elements to surprise anybody. By their declarations of intent and physical acts, they have given us all we need to know about them. Unfortunately for them, all that they have up their sleeves won’t change their Fate for as long as they continue to do “rogue politics”. Asking President Mahama to resign is ridiculous; worse still is their intention to appeal to the NDC not to present him at Election 2016.

For their information, President Mahama will serve his full term and contest Election 2016 if he so chooses. If he doesn’t heed their call to resign within three months, they can attempt removing him from office by any means at their disposal. Then, in that attempt, we shall all see who will be running away from his sandals. Desperation paaaaa nie?

I shall return…

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