Former Member of Parliament for the Kumbungu constituency, Ras Mubarak, has posited that Alan Kyerematen, former Minister of Trade and Industry and New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, lacks the moral right to complain about intimidation and violence in the political arena.
His comment comes after Kyerematen withdrew from the race for the NPP's flagbearer position, citing incidents of intimidation among other reasons.
Speaking in an interview on Okay FM on September 6, 2023, he contended that Kyerematen, as a senior member of the government, remained silent when violence marred an election in the country that resulted in casualties and injuries, particularly during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election in January 2019.
He further argued that Kyerematen benefited from the government's actions as a senior member during that time, making his current complaints about violence appear inconsistent.
"Yesterday, Alan said that, he won't contest again, and the reason he cited was that there was a form of violence and brutalities, and so for that reason, he is withdrawing. But, Kwame (host), I am surprised because Alan Kyerematen was a member of the government when, in January 2019, Ayawaso West Wuogon people were beaten, and some were even paralyzed.
“Alan Kyerematen was a senior member of the government when the verdict of the people of Ghana was stolen in the 2020 general elections. What happened in the 2020 general elections, we are all aware. So, now that it has happened to him, he is crying over it, and as far as I'm concerned, having been a beneficiary of a violent election, he lost every moral right to complain."
Mubarak pointed out that Kyerematen was a beneficiary of an election marked by violence that resulted in harm to others, and thus questioned why he had not spoken out or complained during those incidents.
He further extended this criticism to other aspirants in the race, including Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia and Kennedy Agyapong, asserting that they are not fit to lead the party due to their involvement in events that have caused pain to the country.
"Alan Kyerematen was a beneficiary of the violent election that caused the lives of others and most people also got injuries and are now bearing the pain of the 2020 elections. All those times he never said anything; he never complained. He and other aspirants who are part of the race and are now crying that their party people are using violence to win an election are so surprising.
“Where were they when all of these things were happening in the country? My position is that Alan, Bawumia, and Kennedy Agyapong are not fit because they have caused us pain and are beneficiaries of violent elections."
Alan Kyerematen announced his withdrawal from the race on September 5, 2023.
Kyerematen cited various reasons for his decision, including the alleged intimidation of delegates during the recently held Super Delegates Conference on August 26, 2023.
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