Atta Mills and Victor Gbeho have disgraced Ghana

Ivory Coast: Atta Mills and Victor Gbeho have disgraced Ghana

The crisis in Cote d’Ivoire has been going on for while where Gbagbo and Ouattara have been fighting for power. Thus, far the western Media has portrayed it as a story of a greedy leader doing everything within his power to hang on. As it is, all organizations have recognized 68 year old former IMF economist Ouattara as the winner. The problem is, in accordance with the constitution of the Ivory Coast Gbagbo is the winner because, the countries constitutional council, the most supreme body, observed the vote and claimed to have noted irregularities thus , took their constitutional duty to remove those from the totally tally given to them by the Electoral commission. When this was done Gbagbo was declared the winner and sworn into power.

More recently, the Western powers, AU and, ECOWAS have declared Ouatarra the winner. The biggest problem is all of them have declared Ouatarra the winner of the Election without even reading the report of the Constitutional Council. Has Atta Mills read it? Has Victor Gbeho(president of ECOWAS) read it? The answer is a resounding NO! The media has told us that the Constitutional council is filled with Gbagbo appointees. What many have failed to tell us is that the electoral commission was stacked with Ouatarra supporters according to credible sources. The problem is, this side of the story is never told anymore. This is so because, if having people who potentially support a camp is reason to “delegitimize” an institution then, the whole election lacks legitimacy. Thus, why is Ghana not taking a leadership role or at least staying neutral and not taking sides on a very complicated issue? Why did the UN not read the constitutional councils report before declaring a winner? Why did everybody fail to read it? History will surely judge all these institutions poorly because, when it is written objectively it will read as a case of Neocolonialism with the African slaves/puppets backing their Western/UN/French masters to impose a leader on a country.

Even more disgracefully, Victor Gbeho in his role as the president of ECOWAS read a report coming from the organization stating that if Gbagbo does not get out of power ECOWAS will use force to remove him! How dare they after all the evidence suggests that this is not a cut and dry case? Do they think they have the power to pick the leaders for other countries and remove leaders from power with impunity? The question must be asked, who are they working for? Have they simply been chosen as Black faces to promote a fascist agenda in the Ivory Coast? Do they think that if this precedent is set were the UN/France and, others can pick your leader is made the norm they will be spared? This is potentially a dangerous case of neocolonialism, paternalism that must be checked by all men of integrity. Atta Mills as a man who I believed was of integrity has shocked me by not raising these points.

At best, there should be an enquiry to understand all sides instead of presenting it as a criminal vs. a Just man. A deeper look into both of their backgrounds would suggest that such a simplistic view of the situation is a disservice to the Ivorian people and, the democratic process in Africa. We need men of integrity like Nkrumah who in 1961 led a group of Black African nations to put a UN draft resolution condemning the “white supremacist government of South Africa.”

Source: http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=yhIrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=VZwFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6610,1623629&dq

As you can see, this was opposed by some nations in the region and others but, looking at it from today’s context it was the right decision. Thus, why does Atta Mills back the ECOWAS solution by his silence? Should he not rather seek to read the constitutional councils report, meet both leaders and, get a better understanding of the situation? As it is, the western powers have set the stage for human atrocities to occur by making the only option Gbagbo’s exit. This is irrational knowing that even some European observers said they were not allowed to observe parts of the North in the country.

I will conclude by saying I support no group in the Ivory Coast and, have no interest in any party there. It is a situation of concern because they are our neighbors thus; we should take the time to understand the situation better rather than just going with the group. Since not one member who went to the ECOWAS meeting had read the constitutional councils report I think it is best that Atta Mills and Victor Gbeho do that and, gets a good understanding of the issue .History will surely not judge them well if they don’t do the right thing.

Penname: Transient Justice