When Two “Lying Thieves” Trade Accusations, Who Do You Believe?

The Case Of NDC And NPP;

By: Otchere Darko.

Introduction: Throughout the combined 18-year period of NDC-NPP alternating administrations, Ghanaians have had the opportunity to know the two parties better than they knew them before the Fourth Republic began. Both parties have signed deals with foreign companies. And both, also, have divested State properties. Out of these two areas, and in a sketchy form, this article features one example each of the strikingly stinking commonalities that exist between the two dominant parties that constantly fool Ghanaians by blaming the other for the predicaments of this country, when the two must, in fact, be accepting collective responsibility and guilt for what they always blame the other for. With respect to deals signed with foreign companies, I have firstly selected the Vodafone deal of Kufuor’s NPP......which became massively talked about soon after the last change of government; and secondly, the recent STX deal of Mills’ NDC.....about which there is still negative talking going on. And with respect to divestiture of State properties, I have firstly selected the divestiture of State lands by Kufuor’s NPP.......which has recently become a subject of national debate; and secondly, the divestiture of Nsawam Cannery by Rawlings’ NDC.......the ownership of which has become a subject of fresh debate within the last one week, when the new cannery under its new private owners was commissioned by the Rawlingses. In these two sets of examples, any contrasts that exist between NDC and NPP may only be in terms of names. On the other hand, the similarities between the two parties in those two sets of examples clearly, and substantively show a common pattern of naked robberies against the State and constant lying by the two groups to hide them.

In the cases involving the signing of the Vodafone and STX deals, there is ample evidence that shows beyond doubt that both NDC and NPP accepted bribes and, in exchange for those bribes, sold Ghana cheaply to the two foreign companies they signed those deals with. In the Vodafone case, Hon. PC Appiah Ofori’s revelations are enough “inside evidence” to incriminate NPP. When the kingfish comes from the sea to say there is a large “shoal of sharks” in the middle of the ocean, on what basis can the kingfisher challenge the authenticity of such assertion? In the case of the STX deal, the “bribes” of $2000 paid to each member of the delegation of 12 NDC people sent to Korea were acknowledged by the group, except that they, the recipients, contended that the “bribes” were rather “gifts given to them for shopping”. “Gifts”, but not “bribes”? What a weak and funny argument! Using the two deals as proof, it is clear that both NDC and NPP accept bribes and, in exchange, sell Ghana cheaply to foreign companies and governments.

Concerning the divestiture of State lands by the Kufuor’s administration, the NPP members who benefitted from the divestiture have not denied their involvement. They have only tried to defend their actions and their rights. One of the defences is that NDC also did the same during their tenure of office. Playing “tit for tat” by using divestiture of State assets......and to the detriment of the country? Good defence! This is a good example of the Ghanaian politician’s version of “tit for tat” which, to them, means if your political opponents rob the State while in government, you must also rob the State when you are in government, to counterbalance their action. The other defence that the NPP members involved have used persistently is that they paid for the State lands divested to them. That is quite true. What they do not say, however, is whether, or not, they paid the market prices for them. And we all know that they did not pay market prices for these divested lands they bought. The divestiture of Nsawam cannery offers one monumental illustration of “the two faces of Ghanaian political leaders”......that is: one face of them that “shows them openly when they do good things”; and other face of them that “hides behind others to help them to do bad things and lie about them”. Forget about who, you think, killed the three High Court judges......which crime has been blamed on Amartey and others; forget about who, you think, financed the education of the children of the Rawlingses in expensive foreign universities......the financing of which has been attributed to “[anonymous] friends of the Rawlingses”; and also, forget about the regular complaints by Mrs Rawlings about their “homelessness”.....while an “anonymous expensive private estate” behind East Legon area, believed to belong to them, remains unoccupied. Just concentrate on the question of ownership of Nsawam Cannery......which ownership the Rawlingses have persistently denied. Let them say what they like, Ghanaians know that they own the Nsawam cannery......just as Ghanaians also know that Kufuor is the actual owner of the controversial hotel near his house at the Airport Residential area. The name used on purchase documents constitutes a legal proof of ownership; and this fact is usually deployed by our cheating politicians to establish legal defence. Let our thieving politicians continue to hide behind the law and lie to cheat. Ghanaians will always know who the REAL OWNERS of certain assets are, despite what the legal position is. The law will defend them; but Ghanaians, as well as their own guilty consciences, will not.

Conclusion: The truth is that NDC and NPP are both “thieves” and “liars”. We must, therefore, believe neither of the two. If either party were to win the 2012 elections, Ghana’s future, especially its oil revenue, would be in great danger. But, with nearly half of Ghanaians backing NDC and nearly another half backing NPP, Ghana’s future is truly at a risk. Of course, when it comes to choosing between the two parties, individual Ghanaians will always have their preferred “lesser of two evils”. That is true. And that is what we have since 1992 been doing every time we choose either NDC or NPP. *But, can’t we have any other alternatives? My friend, a former University don, has told me several times that my dream of having honest Ghanaian politicians will not materialise because we cannot get ten honest politicians in Ghana.....[JUST TEN].....that is: one from each region. My wife also tells me that I have to bring “angels from heaven” before I can join or back the party I dream of. Let the two say whatever they like, I still believe that we can get a new crop of Ghanaians to lead Ghana. And that is what I am going to hope for, till I die. But, we really need this “new crop” sooner than later, because neither NDC nor NPP can be trusted in 2012. *Let us, therefore, find replacements “NOW” for these two groups of thieving and lying politicians BEFORE 2012, instead of waiting to be forced to choose a “lesser of two evils” to supervise our new oil-backed economy.

Source: Otchere Darko. [This writer is a centrist, semi-liberalist, pragmatist, an advocate for “inter-ethnic cooperation and unity” and a community-based development protagonist. He opposes the negative, corrupt, and domineering politics of NDC and NPP; actively campaigns for the development and strengthening of “third parties”; and opposes a two-party only system of democracy in Ghana.]