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Opinions of Friday, 23 July 2010

Columnist: Sangaparee, Clement

The NDC Must Not Commit Intentional Political Suicide -Part 1

During the 2008 general elections, the NDC was so UNITED that it was impossible for even a fly to pass through their midst because there was no space and the slogan was a change for a Better Ghana. Former President Rawlings was leading his campaign team, candidate Mills was also leading his campign team in his capacity as the flag bearer of the NDC. The third campaign team wsa led by Hon. John Darmani Mahama then Vice Presidential candidate with the same message and the NDC message went down well with Ghanaians which led to the NDC winning 8 good regions leaving Ashanti and Eastern Regions which represent the TYPICAL “Mate-Meho” NLM/NPP Regional Headquarters since the struggle for independence in the 1950’s. even there, the NDC won 40% of the total votes cast at the backyard of Nana Akuffo Addo the NPP candidate in the Eastern Region.

After the results were announced by the Electoral Commissioner, there was no clear winner in December, 2008 and we went into a run-off, and the following day, Johnson Asiedu Nketia led Former President Rawlings to Tain in the Brong Ahafo Region and used the occasion to invite the NPP to meet them there. They refused and used their embittered lawyers to issue a writ of summons against the Electoral Commissioner, simply put, the NPP sued the EC at the Supreme Court to prevent them from announcing the results-Ex President Kuffour sensed danger and ordered the EC to do its lawful duty. Note that the NPP filed their suit on a Saturday which was a non working day-what happened? The NDC was declared winner of the 2009 general elections even though the NPP pumped a whopping 47 million dollars into their campaign, but Ghanaians chopped the money and booted them out of power. Now the rest is history. The NDC really worked very hard in unity and won the general elections convincingly to the shock of all those NPP gurus who bragged that the NDC will never come to power again, today the NPP is still dazing, because they printed pictures of what Rawlings did in 1979 depicting him as a murderer, but Ghanaians called the NP’s bluff and voted for the NDC .

After only one and a half years in opposition the NPP is complaining about lack of resources, whilst there is in fighting, backbiting, suspicion and division in the once vibrant NDC which attracted floating voters to the amazement of NPP in 2008.

NOW WHAT WENT WRONG
All well meaning members of the NDC thought that the NDC will remain more united than ever to consolidate its grip on the 8 regions to retain power in 2012, but this is not what is happening-we rather hear abusive remarks coming out of the mouth of Former President Rawlings like “greedy bastards” NDC government being too slow like a snail” and the latest one was “Konongo Kaya” in reference to the sitting President-what went wrong that has led to this cold war that have now degenerated to the President and the Party founder not to be on speaking terms as alleged? As for this answer, it is only the two Statesmen who can provide the right answer to it.

Does Rawlings think that he can MAKE and UNMAKE a President who has been elected by majority of Ghanaians No, this can never be possible because the President and his vice are now the property of the State. On the other hand, those who also attack Rawlings can never never make him unpopular or take him to the cleaners because of his natural charisma and if they like they should assembly the CNN, NBC, DW TV, BBC, GTV, Metro TV, TV3 and all the FM stations in Ghana to ridicule him, it will never work, he will surpass and survive all negative publications against him because he ruled this nation for 19 solid years and still have a large following.



The big question now is, whom were all of us campaigning for them to win the 2008 general elections? They were Professor Atta Mills and John Mahama-today, they are now leading the country-why this division in the Party now? Is it right for an NDC member to answer his opponent in the NPP or a floating voter who complains of suffering by accusing President Mills government “that is it really TRUE that the government is not delivering on its numerous promises it made in 2008 at a time inflation has dropped to a single digit which is the first in 3 years? Have we so soon forgotten that the NPP under Kufour could not bring inflation to a single digit in 2 years? Have we forgotten that Kufour used 150 billon cedis from the TOR recovery levy to bribe journalist to praise his government for 8 years. Whilst NPP Ministers and their numerous Special Assistant were eating with both hands.

SOME GOVERNMENT APPOINTEES AND THEIR UTTERANCES
Some government appointees have started pointing accusing fingers at CADRES by calling them Rawlings boys and girls, we will not sit down for any non-performing government appointteee to give CADRES a bad name and hang them, if they should try those tricks, it will backfire and CADRES will rather make those appointees transparent for the President to see the sort of blackhearts they have in them because ALL CADRES VOTED FOR PROFESSOR MILLS and JOHN MAHAMA, so those appointees MUST not try to tell Ghanaians that they are rather the TRUE SUPPORTERS of the NDC than the CADRES, because we know where we came from, where we are going, and how to get there even MORE THAN SOME OF THOSE APPOINTEES. This is a fact and no CADRE worth his salt will ever think of undermining the very government that we sacrificed to bring to power, so CADRES must be left alone because President Mills himself is a Rawlings boy and if you doubt it, go and ask him, to all those appointees who think that they can use the CADRES as their morning chewing sticks must think twice and stay clear from trying to destroy CADRES to praise themselves because CADRES are RATHER ASSETS to the NDC and NOT liabilities like some opportunist in the various constituencies nationwide. Cadres are trained as Patriots and NOT sycophants, so you DARE NOT ATTACK, FOR WE SHALL FIGH BACK IF YOU TRY IT.

PROFESSOR MILLS FOR EIGHT (8) YEARS AND NOTHING MORE.

The real enemies of the government and the NDC Party are all those who tag some people as “mills Boys” and “Rawlings Boys”. Do we have such factions in the Party after the National Congress at Tamale? The answer is a big NO . Ex-President Rawlings was the leader of the Revolution from 1981-1992 and he was supported by the Cadres but he never appointed more Cadres to responsible positions like President Mills have done since coming to power in 2009-why then should Cadres decide to work against him by undermining his government? With their FACTIONALISM in the NDC, the Party is trying very hard to COMMIT AN INTENTIONAL POLITICAL SUICIDE that will send it out of power for over 20 years, if these vengeful losers in the NPP are allowed to win the 2012 general elections, therefore sanity must prevail in the Party, if we really want to retain power in 2012. Cadres are not fools, to be used by any ambitious politician for his selfish ends, so the BATTLE CRY by all Cadres and NDC supporters must be ATTA MILLS FOR 8 YEARS and nothing more, nothing less period.
It will be recalled that when the PNDC returned to constitutional rule in 1992, all Cadres including this writer were asked to TAKE THE REVOLUTION, WHILE THEY TOOK THE MONEY and it is the same way that a particular aspirant will also tell Cadres to take their Party whilst they also take the money and the do not believe that President Mills, will ever treat Cadres like that because he has already appointed several Cadres into responsible positions and if he is given more support, more Cadres will rise to the top.

We must ensure that President Mills and his Vice President goes UN-OPPOSED in 2012 to complete their 8 years term-just like the NPP did to Ex-President Kufour, so the NDC must take no chances at all in this important matter, for the benefit of all those who can not identify some of the appointed Cadres by President Mills in 2009, let me provide them with their names:

(1) Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary of the Party who refused a ministerial appointment in order to serve the NDC


(2) Dr. Kwabena Agyei, National Chairman who also decided to serve the Party instead of taking an appointment as a Minister of State.

(3) Comrade Martin Amidu, Minister of Interior
(4) Hon. E. T. Mensah, Minister of Employment & Social Welfare
(5) Hon. Yileh Chireh, Minister of Local Government
(6) Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, Eastern Regional Minister
(7) Hon. Nyamekye Marfo, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister
(8) Hon. Ama Benyiwah Doe, Central Regional Minister
(9) Hon. Ahmed, DCE of Juaben
(10) Hon. Dan Abodakpi, An Ambassador
(11) Mr. Kofi Portuphy, NADMO Boss
(12) Hon. Samuel Sarpong, KMA Boss
(13) Hon. Kwesi Ahwoi, Minister of Agriculture
(14) Hon. Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader in Parliament, just to mention only a few.
We must therefore congratulate the President and NOT condemn or try to undermine his government. When we lost the 2000 elections, a cabinet minister in the NDC regime under Ex-President Rawlings bought a brand new double cabin pick up and donated it to the new NPP administration, so all those government appointees who feel uncomfortable with the presence of Cadres in the various constituencies will easily buy the same double cabin pick ups for the NPP if they should win the 2012 general elections-God forbid-such appointees are the characters that should be carefully watched by the government because of their utterances and general behavior and NOT CADRES in the NDC at all because we have nothing to hide, but our accusers have everything to hide in order to make the government unpopular-you either take it or leave it, but it is the stubborn truth- I swear to God. Keep your fingers crossed-I will be back with more. ALUTA CONTINUA!!!!


………………………………………
CLEMENT SANGAPAREE
Municipal Organizer
United Cadres Front
c/o P. O. Box 32, Obuasi
E-Mail: clementsang@yahoo.com
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