Threats On Ras Mubarak Are A Threat Against Free Speech.

The National Democratic Congress has once again proven their intolerance and lack of capacity to engage with Ghanaians with alternate views and opinions about the manner the government delivers it better Ghana agenda programme. This time, a leading youth activist of the Party and a known critique of the New Patriotic Party, Ras Mubarak is under intense Pressure and chastised by leading members of the NDC for calling on the government to do more to get over some of the Problems of the country. Ras particularly referred the government to the NDC manifesto and challenged the President and his cabinet to indicate any tangible policy initiative by the government all the social issues captured in the NDC manifesto. He also unequivocally described the President as not up to the task and called on his Party to start a debate about the way forward and demanded that; for the Party to regain its lost strength, the President must either sit up or be changed as leader and flagbearer of the Party for the 2012 general elections.

The problem with the NDC government and Party is not akin to the NDC alone. The Mills government is guilty of the same mistakes of Kufuor government where essentially, people with dissenting voices are ripped to shreds.

It has become difficult in our Politics today to criticise your Party or government without being seen as disloyal. If anyone exercised their voices, they get ripped to shreds. This is totally unacceptable and unfortunate. This nature of politics betrays our nation and democratic values fought for by Ghanaians.

The Chairman of the NDC disciplinary committee, Professor Kofi Awoonor who doubles as the chairman of the Council of State has written extensively and spoken his mind on issues of national interest. It would be interesting therefore to see, how it would play out if Ras Mubarak is dragged to the disciplinary committee of the Party for equally “speaking his mind” on the direction of government.

It is also unfortunate for government junior Minister for information and former member of Committee for Joint Action (CJA)who were critical of the previous government tell Ras Mubarak to shut up. All the more unfortunate was the fact that Ablakwa failed to address the issues raised by Ras Mubarak, but instead went ahead to accuse his colleague of making demands on the government. This is the most unfortunate statement to make and clearly demonstrate how persons like Ablakwa think the current government is infallible. The naivety of the likes of Ablakwa about free speech in a modern democracy has been exposed. Ghanaians from across the political divide including members of the ruling government are duty bound to keep government on its toes by constantly speaking out on issues of national importance. I think the likes of Mubarak are doing the government an enormous favour. If government officials want to make the government more unattractive to the citizens, they would have to have room for dissent.

Political Parties need people within their ranks to independently examine the policies of the Party and government. We are still bogged down by old fashioned ideas about politics, which is that members have to shut up or get out. The past NPP government spent a lot of resources on research and failed to listen to the interpretations of the findings.

Governments/Parties that want to change have to move away from this kind of mentality and attitude that do not appeal to the vast majority of the people. Calls by the Western Regional Youth wing of the NDC and recently the Greater Accra Regional Youth Wing to disown Ras Mubarak are completely nonsensical, out of place and grotesquely pathetic.

The pronouncements of some leading members of the NDC and the reaction of some members Youth wing of the Party on Mubarak’s blunt assessment of his own government do not embody change and indeed clearly breach Article 21 sections (a and b) of the 1992 constitution which guarantees free expression, freedom of thought, conscience and belief.

The days of quiescence in our politics must be a thing of the past. Thank you

Signed

Iddrisu Musah Superior NPP Member +447875575399.