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Be Resolute Mr. President, We Are Behind You

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 Source: The Herald

Before and after 2012, I shudder to think if there would be anybody who would be willing to die for the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Sometime last year, I wrote an article captioned “Does The NDC Pay its political debt”.

I did not envisage that eight months down the line we will be where we are today, with the NDC so gleefully, shamefully and hypocritically crucifying their own just to satisfy their opponents in the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Why the NDC is so quick to give their own up, really beats my imagination and that of the teeming supporters of the party.

The President, John Evans Atta Mills, last year in answering a question at the Castle about the state of the investigations and the prosecution of the murder of the overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, said among other things that the wheels of justice grind slowly, but it will eventually grind to a halt, and most importantly that, time erases evidence and makes it difficult to build a strong case, because some witnesses may die, others may forget with time accurate accounts of what happened, and gathering of anything of evidential value might be difficult.

I agree perfectly well with the President, I will also add to what the President said that justice must not be done, but must be manifestly seen to be done.

Before I proceed further, I would like to ask about the state of some cases the government started since it came into office in 2009.

1. The Ghana @50 case brought against Kwadwo Mpianim, the Former Chief of Staff under President John Agyekum Kufuor, and Dr. Wrekko Brobbey, who was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the secretariat.

2. The murder of the overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II.

3. The murder of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Northern Regional Chairman, Issa Mobila.

4. The case brought against Asamoah Boateng and his wife Zuleika.

5. Dr Akoto Osei, and the Oil Palm deal.

6. The dubious rice importation by Osei Adjei, former Foreign Affairs Minister

Is it not mind boggling that while Alfred Agbesi woyome was picked up in a Rambo style on Friday morning in Traffic on his way to the office and kept In the coolers for 15 days until he was able to meet the bail bond slapped on him by the courts, Osei Bonsu Amoah, former minster in the erstwhile Kufuor government and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Aburi-Nsawam Constituency was picked up on Sunday and granted bail the next day Monday. I smell a rat, but it does not smell funny.

Interestingly too, Madam Betty Mould Iddrissu, former Attorney-General and Minister of Education, respectively was also invited to the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) last Friday and around 5pm, she was made to go.

Whiles members of the NPP and Journalist sympathetic to them spearheaded by Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, the Managing Editor of The New Crusading Guide, are accusing government of political equalization, I am surprised and baffled that they are not looking at the context and circumstances surrounding this dejavu arrest and invitation, as well as someone like Osafo Marfo, former Education and Finance minister in the last government who voluntarily presented himself to the Police to help in investigation.

But hey why should I be surprised. If you sell your own cheap what rights do you have to suggest or attempt to sell somebody’s own expensively.

If we all believe in the rule of law, justice and fairness as the fulcrum of our democracy, Mr. Kweku Baako, why wouldn’t please just allow the wheels of justice to grind to its logical conclusion.

Ironically, Mr. Baako had chastised the government for hurriedly arraigning people and preferring wrong charges for the murder of Roko Frimpong, former Deputy Managing Director in charge of Operations of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), the late Ya-Na, the mysterious murder of women that became known as serial murder, and the EO Group saga.

The government beat a retreat in the EO group case because some greedy people allowed themselves to be compromised, it was not for lack of evidence or that the government had no case.

What was the essence of demonstration and the prison that Mr Baako went to, if not to help establish our democracy, the dividends of which is that, all over the world and other jurisdictions, criminals also get their day in court and sometimes walk free, if prosecutors fail to establish a prima facie case against them or if the criminal had a good lawyer? But it does not prevent the state from going ahead with the case.

Mr. Baako should save his energy and direct his passion to something more productive, instead of this rubble-rousing and pretending as though he is the repository of knowledge.

Some of us are aware of the documents, on the Woyome saga, that Mr. O.B Amoah has given to him to prosecute his case for him in the courts of public opinion. And as usual…”noko fioo go flow”.

So let O. B Amoah also go to court and prove his innocence, despite your reservations about the charge sheets. I chronicled all the above cases to find out if the government had shown so much interest in them and whether they were handled with the same dispatch and the sense of urgency surrounding the arrest of Mr. Woyome and three others implicated in the Woyome scandal.

What the President and his trusted allies who are behind the scene and playing the musical chess don’t realize is that, although, you are the President of Ghana, members of the NPP did not vote for NDC and would never vote for NDC, until thy kingdom come. So they (government) better wake-up.

Have they tried to find out what the floating and sympathetic voters are saying regarding these issues? The government is gradually coming across to them as one which is weak, indecisive and would always succumb to the whims and caprices of the opposition.

This jittery reactions and indecisiveness must stop, and people tasked to handle these things must be up and doing so that the level of ineptitudes will be reduced.

It stands to reason why Nana Akufo- Addo asked a fortnight ago at their (NPP) gargantuan rally at Mantse Agbona ‘Who is in charge’?

What he really meant was that is it the NDC that is in power or the NPP?. For me I sincerely think the NDC has the power but the NPP has the authority.

The floating voters are saying the government is on course, don’t be derailed by the demands of the NPP, to break your own front. A house divided against itself cannot stand.

The longer or the more energy you spend fighting and persecuting yourselves, the more time you lose to deliver in the promise of ‘Better Ghana. The NPP at the moment have you where they want.

Governments represent all the people of this country at every particular point in time, regardless of which political party is in power, but government is more responsible to those who voted for them. Voters believe in the ability of a particular political party; they have read and understood their manifesto and have the manifest believe that if given the opportunity, particular party could do better than their opponent.

So if you come into office and you live under the self-delusion that if I satisfy my opponent they would change their mind and vote for me, that is suicidal and means, then that you are and have not been a student of the history of politics in this country since independence.

Those within the NDC, who have become greedy and self-seeking and wants to entrench their hold and become power brokers in the party, must bear in mind that nothing lasts forever. If they doubt this, then they should go and ask former President Jerry John Rawlings.

I agree with Dr. Tony Aidoo, when he said that the “father for all” mantra is the bane of this government Mr. President you are turning your supporters into orphans.

The Lord admonished us in the Ten Commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, but not more than ourselves, there is wisdom in this. Let those to whom it is given understand.

Columnist: The Herald