The New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress at Heaven’s Gate. Who wins?
Patriotic Ghanaians, I speak to you on a matter which affects the life of every citizen of this country. Even though I do not possess any of the instruments of coercion, I am more than qualified to make this open declaration because I represent the down-trodden masses all over the country. In other words, I am the conscience of the people.
My First open declaration is to assure all Ghanaians of their personal safety and that of their properties. The Supreme Court will give its verdict on the Election Petition brought before it on Thursday, 29th August, 2013. The day will pass like any ordinary day. The heavens will not fall.
You see it is the actions and inactions of highly placed persons in Government and Society that has created this fear and anxiety. What was the need to parade soldiers in battle gear on the principal streets of the some cities? We have created the erroneous impression that “to cleanse a polluted society, you need the weapons of ruthlessness. We seem to have collectively accepted intimidation as a principle of government. Adoption of vengeful barbarity has become the foundation stone of public morality” (With special apologies to Femi Osofisan of “The Lagos Guardian)
The Religious bodies are also not helping matters at all. Well planned and scheduled programmes have been aborted abruptly because of the fear of the unknown. Why? The Church should rather pray and encourage its members to have faith in God and the system for nothing negative will happen. You see, when David wives and children were taken captives, the Bible tells us that “David encouraged himself”. What sort of encouragement is the Church giving its followers by cancelling scheduled programmes?
Again the United States Embassy gives routine warnings to its citizens in the country to be extra careful and all hell is let loose. Are we not by our actions heating up the body polity? I was happy to hear a Spokesman of the Ghana Police correcting the erroneous impression the US warning seems to have created in the minds of Ghanaians. The US has warned her citizens not to go near places like the Supreme Court and the Headquarters of both the NPP and the NDC. What is ominous about such a warning? The Police Spokesperson said, that his outfit (The Ghana Police) has issued a similar warning to non accredited persons not to go anywhere near the Supreme Court Building. So what is wrong if the United States echoes the same warning? I speak the truth the way it should be told. I cannot pretend that all is well with us in this country which we all profess to cherish and love. We have reached the crossroads and we must make the best out of a seemingly helpless situation. Life must go on in spite of numerous obstacles. We have been at each others’ throat. We have said harsh and unprintable words to one another. We have wished death for our political opponents and turned a blind eye to the plight and misfortunes of others. We looked down on them because we felt we were better endowed than they were. To those of us on the other side of the political divide, we were lily-livered, ugly, unintelligent, uncivilized, the flotsam and jetsam of society. In other words we were despicable!
Yes, the past has been full of sugar and bile, good and ignominies. The sugar made me regret the role I played in the debacle. The bile made me sullen and dejected. How I sincerely wished that the mirror of life would remain permanently closed.
But the journey which had been started by our ancestors could not be abandoned midstream. I see a gleam of light, but is it a ray of light or hope? My Pastor tells me that if I encounter an obstacle or a mountain on my way to the top, I should not lose hope. I should go round the obstacle for there might be an opening in the form of a tunnel.
But will the light glow till I reach the end of my destination? Yes, my friends on the other side of the political divide tell me they had practised honesty. I told them I too had been loyal. They had been unselfish whilst I remained clever. They had been truthful whilst I chose to be hard working. Nevertheless, such qualities could not guarantee us our El Dorado. Next, my opponents had practised egoism whilst I chose laziness. They further graduated into fraudsters, cheats and con men/ women but I became an Ananias. In a short while we have all been christened “Babies with sharp teeth”. We missed our way and chose not to talk of ambition, success and Grace any longer. Now I strongly believe that the ray of light and hope I now discern will surely usher us into our destination, for we are one same people with a common destiny. What then can separate us? Is it negative politicking? It sure will! But this time, I discern honesty, humility and truth in Kwabena Agyei’s posture when he went to the NPP’s headquarters in company of his party’s General Secretary of his party to deliver a solidarity message on behalf of the NDC during the 21st Anniversary of the founding of the NPP. Prior to this second appearance, Dr Kwabena Agyei had embarked on a similar peace mission with Mac Manu, then Chairman of the New Patriotic Party. That was during the Re-Run of six Polling Stations at Akwatia in 2009. There was every indication that the then exercise by the NDC chair to volatile spots at Akwatia was a façade and bound to fail. The power of incumbency was then at work. But we now have a newly “branded” and Born Again Dr Kwabena Agyei speaking his heart out, not as a Politician but as a concerned, genuine and patriotic Ghanaian. His latest attempts aimed at diffusing tension appear genuine to me. Thus his view on the issue of “Winner Takes” syndrome in our political arena has my unflinching support. It is not “Power Sharing”. I think he meant well when he made that open statement. I think he was referring to what Ex-President Kufuor did when he appointed Paa Kwesi Nduom, Rashid Bawah and Mallam Issah into his Cabinet. He also gave important portfolios to Professor Hagan and Mike Gizo. He spearheaded the campaign which culminated in the appointment of Ibn Chambers as Secretary General of ECOWAS. Such an initiative should be encouraged and not ridiculed it. This is the first time in the Fourth Republic that a member of the NDC has made such an open declaration that seeks to unify the country. Perhaps we should begin to think of expunging the winner takes all clause from our statute books. We must think of giving a few ministerial slots to members of the Minority Parties represented in Parliament. The slots must go directly to the respective parties who will then nominate their members for such positions. Inviting the members directly to take up Ministerial appointments is not in the best interest of the minority parties. It is Poaching. I do not think that was what Kwabena Agyei meant by his statement.
The next few days preceding the release of the “results of the Examination” we recently sat for, Kwabena Agyei’s Mantra is likely to become the topic for analysis by both radio and television commentators in all parts of the country. Yes, many state institutions are now enjoying a new lease of life. One of such institutions is the Military and the Police. I did not trust the Security Agencies at the initial period of the NDC administration. But with a little bit of “rebranding” I have come to accept them as some of the sine qua institutions in any functional democracy. When I remember the gruesome murder which took place right in front of the Abgobbloshie Police Stations and the latter’s refusal to apprehend the said culprits and bring them to justice, my heart boils within me and I regret being born a Ghanaian. The names of the culprits have been given to the Police more than four years ago, Sadly, not only have the police refused to invite the accused persons for questioning, but the perpetrators of such heinous crime are walking the streets of Accra as free persons.
I think it is the failure of the Security Agencies to deal with perpetrators of crimes such as the Agblobgloshie murder that has resulted in people thinking they can take the law into their hands to do whatever they want. And the time has come for those Agencies to give us adequate protection by doing exactly what they are paid to do.
To restore confidence in the Security Forces, Gbevlo Lartey and Nunoo Mensah should, as a matter of urgency, order the arrest of the culprits and bring them to justice. They should act immediately if their appeals to Ghanaians to go about their normal duties are genuine. This should be done before the Supreme Court comes out with its verdict. I have these few words of advice for the Security Agencies. Security presence in towns, cities and metropolis is not in doubt. Eruption of violence in such places will not be as rampant as in towns and villages. People are likely to start their negative and nefarious activities in such places where security presence is minimal. Please, we, members of the New Patriotic Party by our antecedents, are natural democrats. We should therefore not engage in any negative action that is anathema to democracy. We did not resort to violence when we realized that there was everything wrong with the Presidential Election Results that emanated from the Electoral Commission. We took our case to the Supreme Court. . The end is in sight. We believe we have a strong case. So is the other party. The fate of the two contending parties lies in the hands of the Nine Justices of the Supreme Court. All we need to do is to pray to the Almighty God so that the verdict does not turn out to be like that of Ahithophel. But beyond everything, let us realize that the battle is the Lord’s. When He speaks, who can challenge Him? Both contending parties have pledged their commitment to accept the verdict that will emanate from the Nine Justices of our Apex Court. I sincerely believe that the two political parties do not speak from both sides of their mouth. A genuine, radical and pragmatic politician is one who is committed to the peaceful co-existence of all individuals and ethnic groups who/which constitute the Ghanaian state. Such a person must imbibe the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Prophet Mohammed. He/She must realize that money cannot buy Happiness, Truth, Peace and understanding. He/She must tolerate the views of others even when they are at variance with his or hers. He/She is able to form an opinion based on experiences acquired through reading, observation and personal interaction with the other person. He/She does not just accept other people’s views, but weights them critically before arriving at an acceptable conclusion. Such a politician must have an in-depth knowledge of a particular topic/subject that he or she is speaking on. In short, he or she should know something about everything and everything about something. The pragmatic politician must go through life experiences with an open and unbiased mind because the attitudes one cultivates towards a particular thing is bound to influence one’s perception. If one’s mind is biased against someone or something, one will be forced to give an interpretation quite different from the actual event, no matter what happens. Every genuine and pragmatic Ghanaian politician should judge others based on personal interaction with them and not becloud his/her judgement with what others say about their neighbours. As right thinking political analysts, we have a duty to perform not just only to our respective political parties by telling the truth, but also to our families, neighbours, communities and the country as a whole.
Politicians and their Newspaper, Radio and Television analysts owe their neighbours and others at the other side of the political divide an obligation to be at peace with them. By this gesture, we can either lead them to the good path or lead them astray. How many of such people have we helped or led astray in our daily interactions with our neighbours? How profitably have we utilized the opportunities given to us by various Print and Electronic Media as members of our respective political parties?
Could we have been better off if we had joined a different political party? How do you think we can make amends for the wrong we have done through our actions and expressions?
The Landmark Supreme Court Verdict coming up on Thursday, 29th August, 2013 provides us this opportunity.
Are we ready to take it?
Daniel Danquah Damptey (0243715297) ([email protected])