The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, has observed that the members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have a phobia for recollection of their negative history, an attitude which amounts to intellectual cowardice.
According to him, members of the NDC can recollect the negatives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) when a subject of a debate suits them but when it is against them they quickly forget.
Commenting on the allegations levelled against the NPP on Peace FM on Wednesday that they are training thugs at the military installation in Asutuare, Baako advised that it will be better for the opposition to have the courage to confront their past, both positive and negative.
Recounting an incidence during the Chereponi by-election in 2009, Mr Baako indicated that Thomas Kwesi Nasah, who opened fire on the unprovoked members of the NPP was a member of the ruling NDC at the time. He added that the incidence which also occurred in Talensi under President John Mahama in 2015, had NDC members shooting at the members of the opposition at the time.
“The phobia you people have for history or at least recollection of your negative history amounts to intellectual cowardice, apart from it being dishonesty of the highest order,” he said to the National Communication Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi, who was on the show with him.
He added that some of these lessons of the past help the political leaders to do better things in the present and to prevent future occurrences.
Baako linked the violence which was eschewed in the past to a statement by the NDC Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, that the party will train strong-armed men to face the NPP if the violence that happened in Ayawaso West Wuogon repeats itself during the 2020 elections.
Kweku Baako noted that that statement means the opposition NDC has the capability to train strong-armed men which will be unleashed on the ruling party.
“If you say you are training people to serve as ballot box protection unit to prevent people from snatching ballot boxes and running away with it, how are you going to do that? Because it is the job of the police,” he said.
“Training party polling agents cannot be the same as constituting a ballot box protection unit that has the capability to prevent ballot box snatching... it is not possible,” he stressed.
Background
Former President John Mahama made allegations that the NPP was planning to wreak havoc during the 2020 elections when he met with the President of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) last week.
Mr Mahama claimed that a letter by the Upper West Security Council requesting that some members of the governing NPP be presented for combat training for next year’s elections was proof.
According to him, after following up on that letter it has emerged that the party indeed has sent these executives to Asutuare in the Greater Accra Region to be trained.
He described the situation as worrying, fearing that that singular decision can destabilise the country.
The NPP has categorically denied the allegations.
But the NDC, certain of their allegation, one they claim can be proven with videos circulating on social media, is warning of danger.
According to its Director of Elections, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, the party is under pressure from its supporters to arm itself ahead of the 2020 elections to counter what the governing NPP is doing.
