ALEX AMOAKO-ATTAH
The lessons in the recently held Atiwa by election and its victims should never be in vain. As a Party we must organize ourselves to make sure the Party faithful do not become victims to NDC thugs with impunity in 2012. There should never be appeasement to bullies but rather, they should be confronted head on. Weakness breeds contempt. India and Pakistan have gone to war thrice over Kashmir and in each war, Pakistan went down in defeat. Last year, a group of terrorist from Pakistan attacked a Hotel in India killing many people but this did not result in a war. Why? The reason is the Pakistanis have the nuclear bomb now. The Soviet Union and the United States had a contentious relationship over the years but never went to war because both nations knew the might of their respective military and the type of weapons they could unleash on each other.
We will be a Party of fools if we only preach democracy and the rule of Law but fail to protect our base. We must equip and train our people to defend themselves and the ballot boxes at all the 230 constituencies in the country even though protecting the ballot boxes remain the duties of the central Government. We are dealing with a lawless Party which believes in killing Judges because their Government cannot win cases against their enemies. Make no mistake, the NDC do not regard the NPP as political opponents but they regard us as their mortal enemies. This is all the more reason we must be ever prepared for any eventuality.
We cannot allow ourselves to be bullied and get maimed and then complain to the very Government whose agents inflict such atrocities and mayhem on us. I am not advocating war but I am trying to stop lawlessness that can eventually lead to a civil war. If by defending our lives and our right to exercise our vote in peace and Ghana burns to ashes so be it. Those who may disagree with me should just see the pictures of the victims of Anita de Souza, the deputy women Organizer of the NDC. If we do not learn from Akwatia, Chereponi and now Atiwa, then we have no business contesting the 2012 elections. Can we as a Party, forget what happened to Dr. Ohene in the Volta Region so soon? How long are we going to allow such mayhem to be visited on our people before we react? These savages do not believe in the rule Law. Doesn’t the Constitution allow multi-party system in Ghana? Don’t we have the right to associate with any political party of our choice? Is it a crime to belong to the New Patriotic Party? Don’t we have the right to vote in Ghana as registered voters? If the answers are yes then we do have every right to defend our Party with our lives. Are we such cowards that we wet our pants any time we encounter the NDC thugs? We cannot live in peace with such sworn enemies who do not respect the very Constitution they have sworn to uphold. There is no way the NDC will relinquish power without intimidation and violence given the abysmal record of their stewardship as the ruling Party. They have woefully failed the people of Ghana and there is only one way they could retain power-VIOLENCE-the only language they understand. What message are they going to tell the electorate for their mandate for a second term? That Mills is a great guy and the best thing that ever happened to Ghana since independence? And that he is the ASOMDWEHENE sent from the Heavens above so he must be retained? Within two years, this pretender has been exposed for all to see. I am sure Ghanaians are now gleefully enjoying the better Ghana he promised.
Ghana is the only country we all call home so it behooves both political Parties to make sure those yet unborn come to enjoy it the way we are enjoying it now. This, however, does not mean that members of the UP tradition must continually fall victims to these anarchists in other to preserve Ghana. Mills is the president and Commander –in –Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and therefore has the constitutional duty to protect lives and properties during any by election and general elections. He is the one who promised to be a father to all Ghanaians during his inauguration and the last time I checked, the members of the NPP were all Ghanaians. It must be emphasized that members of the UP tradition WILL NEVER fall victims to the NDC thugs in any elections again. We will abide by the rules of the game and follow the directives of the Party leadership but let no one be deluded; we will forcefully and brutally respond to any threat that comes from the NDC crowd.
They continue to insist they will win the 2012 elections by hook or crook. The Civil Societies and stakeholders in the country must intervene because there is no way as a Party, we will not concede defeat to any election marred by violence in any part of the country that may alter the outcome of the elections.
Soldiers and police who will be sent to all the 230 constituencies to guard the electorate and the ballot boxes must execute their duties professionally without fear or favor. They must remember that they are paid by the tax payers and not the NDC party. They must therefore remain neutral and only intervene when a crime is about to be committed by anybody. Mills and his advisors must never take our love for a peaceful Ghana for granted. No that will be a miscalculation. Not this time. Enough is enough. Now the battle lines are clearly drawn. Can Ghana survive the 2012 elections? Will Mills be the president who set Ghana ablaze? Africa and the rest of the world will be watching.
ALEX AMOAKO-ATTAH
NEW YORK