Rawlings and NDC are confused – A Rejoinder

NDC-USA RESPONDS TO NPP-USA

The NPP-USA's article of Monday, July 3rd , 2009 published on ghanaweb and other media primarily tries to make the rather ludicrous case that the former President of Ghana, H.E. Flt. J. J. Rawlings should just shut up. May the NPP-USA and indeed all who hold similar views be reminded, that the right to freedom of speech and expression is a cornerstone of any functioning democracy. It is not only a fundamental human right enshrined in Ghana's constitution, it is recognized in international and regional human rights law, notable among these; the Magna Carta, the international Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, the American Convention on Human Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

For a Ghanaian political party that continues to hold itself out, rather obnoxiously, as the only true vestibule of superior piety in all things democratic, such oligarchic reasoning is revealing, it betrays in our opinion the elitist and arrogant traditions of the NPP. The claim that the former President should “keep his mouth closed unless he has something tangible to say” says more about NPP and NPP-USA than it does about H.E Flt J.J Rawlings or the NDC. It is the opinion of the NDC-USA that, like every Ghanaian the ex-president has a right to speak his mind, and this right is not a function of whether NPP likes what he says. It must be pointed out for the incredible short memory of the NPP-USA that the 1992 constitution which is the basis of the current democratic dispensation in Ghana was promulgated and signed by H.E. Flt. Lt Jerry John Rawlings.

In the above-mentioned article the NPP-USA seems to be completely shocked by the possibility of any impropriety, being attributed to the NPP administration in connection with the 2008 general elections. The underlying truth of the former President's assertion is that there was substantial resistance from powerful quarters within the NPP led administration to the tide of change, propelled by the votes of a majority of Ghanaians that swept them from government. It is widely believed and indeed not without reason that left to its own designs, the NPP leadership would have simply elected to remain in power, notwithstanding the apparent loss of popular support they had suffered at the polls. A cursory look at the writings of some independent minded Ghanaian journalists during this period clearly illustrates this view. On his blog, Voodoo child, Dzifa Hiatsi wrote three articles that mirrored the suspicions, concerns and fears of Ghanaians during this time, titled “Service Commanders, the President or the Constitution”; “Nana Is Losing Leverage, Credibility; Party Leaders” ; and “The military factor in this madness”. One has just to read the headings of the articles written by Ato Kwamena Dadzie during this period, they include, “Nana Addo: Just bow out” and “Now, Rawlings looks like an angel”, to refresh one’s memory.

In their above-mentioned article the NPP-USA also claimed that Ghana's economy grew from 3.2 in 2001 to 7.3 in 2008, this perhaps was a botched attempt to quote the annual GDP growth rates of 2001 and of 2008 respectively which the IMF's figure in fact put at 4.184% for 2001 and 7.164% for 2007. It is a fact that Ghana's annual GDP growth rate has hovered at an average of about 4.5% from 1993 till date, as NPP USA sought to claim the years 2006 , 2007 and 2008 were substantially good years for Ghana primarily because the price of gold and cocoa saw substantial hikes during this period on the world market.

The import of the article by NPP USA, that the NPP led administration measurably improved the economy of Ghana during 2008 clearly begs the question as to why the good people of Ghana will reject the NPP even as they (Ghanaians) were enjoying the fruits of the so-called good economic policies of the NPP leadership. Was it as a result of the NPP led administration squandering resources, which if prudently used would have improved the lives of the ghanaian electorate substantially?

Dr Dufour, the Minister of Finance has recently noted that “the economy is more stable now than it was at the beginning of the year.'' The minister said that the key macro-economic indicators continued to show positive signals, resulting in the gradual stabilization in the cedi exchange rate and the rate of inflation. He also stated that as at the end of June, the budget deficit dropped to 3.4 percent of GDP as compared to 5.7 percent of GDP during the same period in 2008. The rate of depreciation of the dollar/cedi rate at the interbank market, which stood at 5.4 percent in January, dropped to 0.2 percent while at the Forex Bureau market if fell from 6.8 percent in January to 0.13 percent in June. It is his assertion that the economy has stabilized and the rate of inflation is expected to continue to fall.

We, of the NDC USA admonish our NPP USA brothers to be more introspective, and take a closer look at the leadership they have offered Ghanaians especially with regards to the level of corruption that continues to be revealed on a daily basis. It is not an NDC lie or exaggeration that there were serious problems with the Ghana @ 50 organization, that has led to the loss of resources which could have been put to much better use in the fight to better the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.

The Honorable Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa at a press conference recently commented about the mismanagement of resources that has occurred in the local government sector during the NPP regime under former President J.A. Kufuor. He also cited the example of a school has been documented to have been built, but cannot be found! As a result of such corrupt practices most of the District Assemblies are saddled with burdensome and huge debts. There is also the example of the former Information Minister, who is accused of mismanaging about $15 million in shady contracts. Although most of these cases are still being processed, it is clear that the immediate past administration had some major players whose corrupt, diabolical and greedy acts has caused Ghana dearly.

The incessant refrain from certain quarters within the NPP that such investigations, or the prosecution through the law courts of such misdeeds amount to persecution of the NPP leadership is ridiculous. Under the present constitutional democratic dispensation in Ghana, the NPP and its operatives must account for its their stewardship as a matter of necessity and not of choice; and in cases where grievous impropriety is proven, they will have to bear full responsibility for their own actions or inactions. This is not the time for the mantra of Zero Tolerance for Corruption that they so bold espoused to be abandoned. By now, NPP-USA must know that the era of empty political rhetoric and chants is no more. The expected change has come to stay with us, Ghana is now moving forward, and the forward march for better governance for a better Ghana will continue unabated. Ghanaians deserve better governance and undiluted accountability regardless of which political party is entrusted with the mandate to rule. Ghanaians will never, ever go back to the days when narcotic drug barons operated with impunity, under subtle NPP government protection and supervision to the detriment of their sons and daughters.

Osborne K Sam General Secretary NDC USA