Time To Withdraw “All Die Be Die!”

Part One, Feature Article,

by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

The NPP is aware of the fact that its public image is in tatters. And that it is primarily in tatters because of its belligerent and warlike posturing throughout a thoroughly civil exercise. They proved once more to be more of a political army, than a political party, and that is what put most people off. One positive pattern that is slowly emerging in the 4th is the fact that Ghanaians seem to be systematically and consistently rewarding the candidate who exhibits a peaceful and calm comportment. The first time we saw it was in 2000 elections, when the NPP candidate John Kufuor was dubbed "gentle giant" as opposed to the perceived aggressive posturing of the NDC candidate, the late Professor Mills.

In 2008, Professor Mills had transformed himself into "Asomdweehene" whilst Nana Akufo-Addo and his body guards became the most dangerous people to cross at any time, anywhere! Their "achievements" included beating up the body guards of the "Asomdweehene" in his Cape Coast home turf, during the Oguaa Fetu Afahye. Beating again of the Rawlings' cameraman in a hotel lobby in Kumasi, with Akufo-Addo looking on! Beating of Rawlings' body guard at the Manhyia Palace! The people of Ghana voted for the "Asomdweehene". In 2012, some of us have been advising Nana Akufo-Addo to withdraw his "all die be die" slogan and replace it with a more intelligently calibrated message of vigilance at the polls rather than a call for senseless aggression as contained in "all die be die!" It fell of deaf and arrogant ears.

Well, naturally, Ghanaians chose the affable, humble, and peace-loving President Mahama, who has given Akufo-Addo, an even greater fall than what he experienced in Kumasi. What he needs to do to kick-start his road to political recovery is to unconditionally withdraw the "all die be die" threat to the people of Ghana who want peace! He must also apologize for the use of those unfortunate set of words that have drawn so much bad blood and mutual suspicions to the extent that we risked a real civil strife and post-electoral violence! No individual must be allowed to put their political ambitions over and above the rule of law, and Nana Akufo-Addo is no exception. It is in his own interest to make a declaration withdrawing all signals calling for violence he has been making in the past, such as "all die be die" and clearing affirming and directing his supporters to observe the laws concerning unlawful attacks on journalists and innocent passers-by.

The leadership of the NPP ought to be reminded of the legal, moral and political culpability of being the aggressors, as a simple result of the slogan inciting its members to violence, that they are not only responsible for the act of the aggression itself, but also of its consequences. There is something essentially evil about aggression that makes is so repugnant. As the chief American prosecutor of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, Robert H. Jackson, stated, during the trial:

"To initiate a war of aggression, therefore, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole."

Those who initiate aggressive behaviour are ultimately responsible for all the accumulated evils of battle. It is simply for this reason alone that some of us took upon ourselves to demand an unconditional withdrawal of Nana Akufo-Addo's infamous “in 2012, all die be die! All die be die! I say, all die be die!” There is no democracy that is not based on legitimacy, popularity, peace, and social progress.

At the end of the day, what happened to their so-called “all die be die”, as they cry foul? How can the NPP cry foul without taking the blame, if indeed they were cheated, when, instead of preparing their agents to be vigilant, they were preparing them for a street fight?

If the elephant is unwilling to respect the basic principles of civil behaviour, such as non-aggression, it is dangerous to chase it into the bush. It must be quarantined. If the NPP is counting on the neutrality of the Ghanaian civil society, they counted wrongly. The attacks on the media and journalists from JoyFM is a clear admission of complete failure by the NPP to make its case peacefully. The reason why this was so is not far-fetched. What do you expect from a political party whose campaign slogan is “all die be die”? This incitement for indiscriminate killing is an act of aggression, which is a crime against peace.

The NPP lost all credibility throughout the campaign, when Nana Akufo-Addo refused to withdraw his “all die be die”, mantra. Strangely enough, in reaction to calls to withdraw those unfortunate and irresponsible set of words, Nana Akufo-Addo only claimed that he did not want a single blood to be spilled! So, in that case, why “all die be die”? Does it mean he was inciting the Akans to kill their imagined opponents with malaria? Instead of simply withdrawing it and absolving themselves of all blame, they simply now claim the NDC is taking advantage of their aggressive slogans to commit mayhem and make it difficult for themselves to govern the country! It is like the mafia accusing one of their victims of mortally stabbing himself in the back seven times and causing his own death! We all know who wants to make Ghana ungovernable because they feel cheated, and it is not the NDC, that is why the NPP needs to rise above the suspicions as they proceed to the courts, and formally withdraw the “all die be die”!

Forward Ever! Backwards Never!

For Life, the Environment, and Social Justice!

Nana Akyea Mensah, Ghana Steering Committee | P-AI, Social Media Campaigns

Friday, 21, December, 2012 | SocialMedia@panafricanistinternational.org

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