You are here: HomeWebbersOpinionsArticles2014 10 17Article 330852

Opinions of Friday, 17 October 2014

Columnist: Anane, Richard Winfred

RE - Nii Adjiri Blankson Versus Dr. R. W. Anane

My attention has been drawn to media publications from Mr. Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson ostensibly in rebuttal to some statements attributed to me.

In the said rebuttal, Mr. Adjiri Blankson, my very elder colleague, has called on the media and the public to disregard my comments with contempt. He has sought to trivialize the issues raised and has even gone further to conclude that I am a 'LIAR' (emphasis mine). Surely, Nii could have done better!

I wish to emphasize that I am a trained Medical Doctor, trained to keep confidences, and not to lie for anything!

Nii does know me very well, and is not unaware of the fact that I am not known for flippancy. Nii is very much aware of the 'lead heaviness' of my tongue! And that I may only be pushed to speak in very rare circumstances!

Nii also does know the respect we have for each other, and that I do not stand to benefit in any way from coming public with the statement attributed to me apart from its historical relevance and the need to learn from its lessons.

I wish to reiterate in reaction to his intervention that:

1. I stand by what I said,

2. I maintain that he led the team to the two eminent persons I mentioned,

3. I will even now add further that H E Odoi Sykes eventually mentioned the said request in passing to then Candidate Kufuor,

4. Present at the time when that was being conveyed to Candidate Kufuor was Mr. Kwadwo Mpianim.

There are therefore three living eminent personalities who could be contacted on this matter.

Indeed, what I expected my elder colleague to have done was to have gently accepted what he must have now realized to be a mistake and to have conveyed to the younger generation the lessons of such mis-steps!

Nii is very much aware of the too many lies that have been spewed to under-mine the hard-won reputation and integrity of many of our own by our own! The destruction of the efforts of very well-meaning colleagues and eminent citizens have been dragged under the mud just so the ambitions of a few could be bolstered, as if the others do not matter!

Take for instance the lies that:

1. H. E. President Kufuor did not support the Presidential bid of Nana Akufo Addo in 2008 only for Nana Akufo Addo to come out in 2014 that indeed, President Kufuor did support him. Why this admission in 2014 when President Kufuor had been so unfairly maligned and denigrated by a people he led to POLITICAL POWER after almost THIRTY YEARS in opposition?! Why?

2. His Majesty Otumfuor The Asantehene had been involved in a so-called bribery glitch with some Members of our nation's Supreme Court. Why?

Surely, these LIES must be stopped! The BLAME GAME must come to an end! The Party must move forward.

Nii is very much aware that I am not wont to trivialities and that there are a lot more that could be said, but which in the interest of Party cohesion and unity have been brushed under the carpet.

I have been constrained to take to this course of action, to bring those acts to a close; for us to carry on with a clean bill of health.

This Party deserves to be told the truth, and especially, the young deserve to be told the truth so they do not unwittingly traverse those old and reprehensible pathways!

...........AND IN TREADS MY VERY GOOD FRIEND ABDUL MALIK KWEKU BAAKO!

My attention has also been drawn to the entry into the on-going fray, of my very good friend, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako.

It is with a heavy heart that I enter into a diatribe with my friend, but for the sake of history and truth!

I wish to emphasize to my very dear friend that unfortunately that arena was not accessible to him at the time hence he did NOT have the opportunity of playing a part, of seeing or of hearing first hand. No documentation evolved out of those happenings hence there is none to refer to, but for the current discourse!

I do note that the submission of Abdul Malik was speculative and was based on the logic of possibilities.

I do wish to emphasize to the edification of my friend, however, that EVERYTHING he heard from me on the issue, no matter how incongruous they may have sounded, DID happen!

I wish to also correct to the benefit of the cherished readers and listeners of political discourse on Ghana that:

1. in addition to the said ACT led by Mr. Adjiri Blankson,

2. Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo NEVER SUPPORTED the Kufuor campaign from 1998 till December 2000 when he attended the LAST RALLY,

3. Nana Akufo Addo had been prevailed upon that Candidate Kufuor was winning the 2000 election hence it would be unfortunate if he were not part of the victory,

4. It was Nana Akufo Addo's statement at this last rally 'ome cheke me.....' that attracted the publicity my friend, Abdul Malik, must be referring to!

I wish to also clarify that President Kufuor's appointments were based on his usual sense of magnanimity and the wish to:

1. Satisfy all the factions in the Party in order to,

2. Unify the Party, and even,

3. Stretch beyond the boundaries of the Party to broaden the support base of the Government and hence,

4. Unify the nation under his watch!

Therefore, for the Kufuor administration, the argument of '..........if X did not support him why was he appointed to such and such positions'! had no basis.

The question has been, what did those interest group representatives in the Kufuor administration do for the people they represented?

With no shame, some of these 'faction representatives' only turned round with a 'what did Kufuor do for you?' and/or '........and for polling station agents' rhetoric.

I wish to call on the people, and on the foot soldiers in particular, to ask what these people who were afforded the opportunity of serving in the Kufuor administration did for them? Did President Kufuor have to literally invade their offices to 'dole out any largesse', so to speak? That is, if those accusations had any basis?

I wish to re-emphasize that the above are for the education of the young and the new and for historical purposes. We must endeavor to stand by the TRUTH.

I do not intend to pursue any further discourse on them since further discourses could only open wounds which would not inure to the benefit of the great Party we all cherish.

I thank you.

DR. RICHARD WINFRED ANANE, MP, CV

15 October 2014

To:

All The:

1. Print Media

2. Electronic Media