Alex
Amoako-Attah
May 6, 2011
Nana Konadu Rawlings Must Run As An Independent Candidate In 2012.
With all her
former close allies and hangers on crawling on their bellies to Mills’ camp,
the former First Lady and an icon of the NDC should stand firm on her
convictions and run as independent candidate in the 2012 general elections in
the event she loses the primaries to Mills in the July congress at Sunyani.
This Yaa
Asantewaa of Ghana politics must soldier on in spite of the odds and prove to
her now detractors and former colleagues that politics is not about the stomach
but about principles and convictions. Only yesterday, close confidants like
Sherry Ayite, E. T. Mensah, Fifi Kwetey, Betty Mould Iddrissu and many more
were all lying postrate begging for positions in her 31st December
Women’s Movement and her husband’s government and now that she is not in a
position to dish out such hand out, they have deserted her in droves to Mills
who has heavily buttered their bread. Such
betrayal must not deter her of pursuing her dreams and aspirations, principles
and convictions if she really believes that Mills has provided a weak
leadership and that corruption have become chronic in his government and that
there is much despair and hopelessness in Ghana more than ever before. Being a
pioneer and a trail blazer in what is
exclusively a man’s world, she must develop a thick skin to absorb the mudsling
that is coming her way from her own Party.
To these
stomach politicians, Nana Konadu will be a traitor if she decides to run as an
independent candidate in the general elections in 2012. But in reality, she will be
helping to deepen
democracy in Ghana. This is where FONKA,
Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman must come in to give her a morale booster to
push her to the highest height of her aspirations. I am therefore appealing to
guys like Dela Coffie, Amenga Secut and others at the vanguard of FONKA to
stand with Nana Konadu at this crucial moment of her political life. I call on
my brother Cornelius Akwumey a.k.a Corney and my good friend Fela O Fela to
support Nana Konadu to pursue such a noble cause. If ever there was a time the
Rawlingses have needed your support, this is the time. Your support for this
couple has been unflinching and unalloyed. All of you must remember she will be
blazing
the trail for our daughters and give hope to those girls who may wrongly
presume women cannot become president in Ghana if she decides to go
independence. This is a noble cause worth embracing by the followers of the NDC
Party who also believe in the core values and principles of the Party and have
faith in the Founder of the Party.
This is not
about vote-splitting but about principles and convictions period. The vast
majority of the foot soldiers who have been left out of the 2008 electoral
booty must rally to Konadu’s cause. They have been the mainstay of the NDC
Party but once victory was achieved, they were dumped only for those who had
deserted the Party when it was in opposition, to claim the lion’s share of the
booty. These selfless foot soldiers who gave everything to the Party are now only
foot notes of the 2008 battle for the Castle whiles those who sat on the fence
are now building mansions and amassing an unimaginable wealth. If they ever
loved Nana Konadu, this is the time to rise up and be counted. Why should the
hard core NDC foot soldiers fight to win the Castle only for the CPP elements
to claim the sweetest portion of the victory pie? Is the Party an amalgamation
of NDC and CPP or is it purely an NDC Party? This is the question the mass
followers of the NDC must answer.
If the
answer is the Party is purely NDC, the foot soldiers must then take back their
Party by giving everything they have by supporting Nana Konadu to go
independence. Do not let anybody convince you that by giving your support to
such an icon of the Party going independence, you are splitting the votes in
the general elections of 2012 and that will amount to betrayal of the Party. Do
not listen to such nonsense because those “greedy bastards” do not care about
you. They only think of their stomachs and their family. They only see you in
relation to what is called monkey dey work baboon dey chop syndrome.
Obaa Panin,
independence is the only way forward to you and your teeming supporters who
look up to you for a real change. You have never failed them so you can’t fail
them now. Your name will be etched in
Ghana’s political history if you give Mills and Nana Addo a run for their
money. The Nkrumahist Parties are too disorganized to give us a viable third
Party. This is where Nana Konadu can
make a huge political contribution by providing a viable option to the Ghanaian
electorate. Nana Konadu, it is not
selfish to go independence because it will be your contribution to the
deepening of our democracy. Your detractors will definitely not see you in such
a positive light but posterity will judge you in a brighter light. This will be
unprecedented. This will be historic. Adwoa Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, this is the
fate destiny has entrusted to you. Independence, you must go.
Alex
Amoako-Attah
New York.
