NPP's court action is good for our democracy

So the New Patriotic Party has finally ganered its evidence to head to the courts to challenge the EC declaration of John Mahama as President elect.

The party moved in time to meet the mandatory 21-day ultimatum given by the constitution for aggrieved parties in elections to seek reddress.

While condemning the initial lawless posture some party supporters adopted in crying the injustice it claims melted to it, the steps taken by the leadership is very laudable.

It is a demonstration that Ghana's democracy has come of age. We have always blazed the trail in pushing what democracy has to offer a continent struggling to keep pace with the world's democratic order.

In many ways, I anticipate a very long legal battle.

To be continued...

Investigate Karbo tape--RAP urges police (Unpublished)

Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP), a political pressure group, is urging the police to investigate a tape on which Mr Anthony Karbo, the  New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Youth Organiser is  allegedly  plotting  to hire mercenaries from West Africa and beyond to instigate violence during the 2012 elections.

The Convener of RAP,Mr Felix Kwakye Ofosu, told the Media at a press conference in Accra.“The recording shows that as many Ghanaians try to assess the political parties on the promises they are making and whether they can be trusted to deliver on them or not, the NPP is plotting to create a state of insecurity in a bid to rally together five regions they consider their own, with the aim of  creating a state of fear and panic to make the NDC unpopular,”

On the approximately three-minute tape suspected to have been recorded with unidentifiable party members the purpoted Mr Karbo voice said  “Now, that is what I am working on now. I’m meeting with the bad boys; some of them are NDC boys, some of these guys from Libya, some ayigbe boys who have come in from Togo. There are some guys who have come in from Benin and Liberia.”

“So I’m just trying to consolidate that by the second week of October, I’m done with the whole country. We’ll be able to consolidate the bad boys because what they are going to try to do is to try to instigate some fighting,” the voice said.

The voice continued: “ Our party people too they talk blah-blah-blah but they don’t have people that now now now if they say there is something and call people; NPP people can’t call anybody so we just want to focus on that one. Ashanti Region, Western Region, Eastern Region, all five Akan regions, those are our strongholds and we need to protect that quickly.”

It did not end there. “By October ending, first week in November, we need to start attacking particular national institutions, like the police, like the military and the National Security and the BNI. We need to start attacking those institutions to make it known that they are going to be used in this elections.”

The alleged voice of Mr Karbo who is also the aspiring member of Parliament for the  Lawra Constituency “I am saying that we have to hit particular offices in the EC, Director of Operations,CID boss and this Hamidu guy. These are key; some of the Brigadiers, ‘Ayigbe brigadiers: we need to attack them about secret meetings they held there, even if is not true.”
Mr Ofosu said the recording were serious revelations which required immediate actions by relevant state agencies especially the security agencies.

“As part of the efforts to help investigations into this matter, the Research Advocacy Platform will lodge a formal complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police to  Service and other state security agencies with a view to ensuring that Mr Karbo is brought to book,” he said.

He listed a  number of similar tapes which he said indicted MP for Assin North, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyepong and Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah , MP for Asokwa,for engaging in activities that undermined the country’s democratic process.

The RAP Convener pointed accusing fingers at the NPP flag bearer , Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo saying “it is inconceivable that such a serious plot will be hatched by his Youth Organiser and other officers of his party without his express instruction or at least approval as leader of the party.”

In that regard, he urged Nana Addo to speak directly to the contents of the tape as failure to do so would “only undermine his credibility in the eyes of decent minded Ghanaians who are unwilling to thrust the destiny of this country into the hands of a group of people who see political power as na end and as a result want to win elections at all cost.”

Mr Ofosu made references to Nana Addo’s “all-die-be die, “comment saying such utterances provided the basis for other party functionaries to urge their supporters to engage in violence.

“Evidence available to the Research Advocacy Platform makes it abundantly clear that these statements are not mere political rhetoric intended to incite party supporters to violence but rather the opening phase of an elaborate plan by Nana Addo and the NPP to plunge this country into chaos and violence as a way of ensuring that when he loses the elections, the victor is unable to govern a united, cohesive country.”
Meanwhile, Mr Karbo has denied ever engaging in such plot and challenged the RAP to produce the authentication of the tape, the venue and the people he was alleged to be planning the plot with.

Secret tape recordings have become part of the country's political menu. In September,
a tape that dominated national discourse was a 35-minute tape was suspected to have been recorded in a meeting with an unidentified party foot soldiers and had Mr Boateng-Gyan, the National Organiser of the NDC discussing plans to draft them into a Special Force of the Ghana Armed Forces and  later be given National Security identification cards to enable them to infiltrate the ranks of some parties especially the National Democratic Party (NDP).

The plan according to the voice, was to find information about the strategies of the NDP and its likely impact on the fortunes of the NDC in the December elections.

It also made reference to issuing the operatives with National Security identification cards but was not sure about the support from National Security, since in the past such provisions had been abused by those the party recruited for a similar exercise.

But asked the difference between the two tapes, Mr Ofosu said the Mr Boateng-Gyan tape was not as damning and treacherous as the current tape which he described as a threat to national security

 

When parties undermine the EC

I am not trying to be high and mighty about this issue but what the heck. I share the frustrations of many Ghanaians who do not understand why the Electoral Commission is rushing to create 45 new constituencies just three months to the 2012 general elections.

But I feel rather disgusted that some prominent people  you expect to know much better are already tagging the Electoral Commissioner, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan and the EC as pro-government.



Rather sadly, the man has mentioned that he is receiving death threats for just fulfilling his constitutional mandate albeit in a rush.

My heart bled listening to Mr K.T Hammond, the member of parliament for Adansi Asokwa accusing the EC of being in bed with the government.

Such comments, might mean to score cheap political points but the ramifications in the future could be disasterous.

For an MP, undermining the credibility of the electoral commission at a period like this should be the last thing on his mind.

Whether CI 73 or 77 is passed or not, whether we need new constituencies at a moment like this in our history where school children continue to learn under trees and senior high school infrastructure is in deficits, our priority should be keeping this country in our peace.

There will be no Adansi Asokwa constituency in Burkina Faso, Cote d'voire or Togo if the unfortunate happens and the elections turns violent.

I witnessed enough from the Madina riots in the Greater Accra Region where angry moslem youth confronted the police over a parcel of land. I also remember vividly  the scenes from Hohoe in the Volta Region where the indigenes were basically at war with the Zongo community over the right to burry their dead.

Those scenes don't depict a country of peaceful people. Enough said for our politicians to watch their mouths and not to sacrifice this country on the altar of self interest.

Christmas:has it lost its relevance

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” This prophecy in Isaiah 9:6 heralded the birth of Jesus Christ more than 2,000 years ago.

Indeed, years on, Jesus did not only live to fulfill the prophesy but amassed such a great following that his supposed birthday is celebrated annually by Christians across the world. His teachings have also become life’s manual for many who have found comfort and hope in it.

Christmas is, therefore, the symbolic day to celebrate the birth of one man whose name has brought deliverance, joy and inspiration to God and has drawn mankind to God. But, what do we see today? The celebration has become so commercialised that sometimes one feels that it is all about food, booze and reckless living.

Days preceding Christmas are seen by drivers as a ‘cocoa season’ when they can make more money by compromising the safety of passengers. Speeding, drunk driving, disrespect for roads signs and other road users become the hallmark.

  At this time of the year, old and young, rich and poor, pious and vulgar, saint and sinner, with boundless energy, race with the coming of Christmas day like the waters of a flooded river, submerging everything before it. Modesty is thrown out of the window.

On the day itself, the solemnity that should accompany the occasion is swallowed by the zeal to satisfy the desires of the flesh than the will of God.

 Some people see the day as a license to loosen their zips, gloat in self gratification and many other activities that will put horse whips in the hands of Jesus Christ if he was physically in our midst today.  In short, our moral compass has lost its bearing and we’ve almost lost our way to our maker.

In all these, I believe Christmas should be a period to make a retrospective journey into our life, take stock of our relationship with God and our fellow human beings, and our achievements and failures.

We also need to ask ourselves a few questions as to whether our lives impacted positively on others and reflect on our relationship with Christ whose birth is the foundation of the celebration.
Similarly, the festivities should be a means to be a blessing to the several underprivileged people in society.

Let us use the yuletide to put a smile on the face that child whose parents died in that forgettable accident; to take care of that boy who dropped out of school because his parent could not afford the fees and to provide for that family who can barely have a plate of food daily.

How about putting a morsel on the table of that widow whose daily struggle to survive you have never taken notice of. That orphanage, that leper’s home, that witch camp, that aged home, will sing chorus of blessing in your name, if you could be of help.

As the clock ticks towards Election 2012, our major concern should be the negative political banter that has eaten deep into our political fabric. Let not the sermons from our pulpits be in vain for posterity will be the biggest judge. Our politicians must use this period to assure us that next year’s election will not be a blood bath as other countries in Africa have witnessed.

Finally, may we find strength in the symbolic birth of Christ to make our society better than we met it and may Christmas be a moment to renew our zeal to put our hands on the wheel to push the progress and stability of Ghana in 2012 and beyond.