PANIC GRIPS NPP AS APPIAH KUBI STORMS AKROPONG

Captain Kojo Tsikata with Yaw Appiah Kubi

 By Duke Tagoe

Yaw Appiah Kubi, a Social Democrat and an aspiring Member of Parliament is causing waves in the Akropong constituency of the Eastern Region amongst both the NDC and NPP supporters. Indeed the young political activist who served as an assemblyman in the Osaebrom electoral area is seen as a fresh entrant into the political scene whose exploits as a clean, honest and ''can do politician has been unparalleled in the district since the inception of the District Assembly concept.

The aspiring parliamentary candidate for the NDC slot has promised to deliver the constituency to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the upcoming general elections of 2016, a feat which has never happened since 1996 when the NPP first took part in the parliamentary election in that constituency

Big wigs of the party are believed to be gearing up to put their weight behind his candidature should he win the primaries of November 7.

Mr Appiah Kubi has followed the party since his days at the Central University College and is believed to have studied at the feet of giants like Captain Kojo Tsikata, Dr Omane Boamah, Mr Ato Ahwoi, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Mr Kojo Twum Boafo and the late Professor Ansa Asamoah.

According to the former Assembly Member, he would exploit the huge potential of the Public-Private Partnership initiatives of government as well as the potential of the community to bring potable water to Akropong and its surrounding environs and this he started as an Assemblyman when he mobilized the community and private sector to bring cheap water to the people of Akropong.

Mr Appiah-Kubi has called on the teeming youths of the NDC across the country to mobilize an unprecedented number of votes to knock out the NPP’s flag bearer in the elections of next year.

In an interview with this reporter, he explained that the World Bank and other development partners of Ghana have absolute confidence in the administration of President John Dramani Mahama adding that the foundations have been laid for the take off and the absolute transformation of the Ghanaian economy.

“The Mahama fever has not only caught Ghana but the entire region of West Africa. President Mahama has become a beacon of hope for young men and women in Ghana and in Africa” he said.

According to the NDC parliamentary aspirant President Mahama is at the forefront in the fight against terrorism and was instrumental in bringing peace to La Cote d’Ivoire, the Gambia and in Burkina Faso following the ouster of Blaise Campoare and the recent attempted coup by the Presidential Guards. He revealed that the Ghanaian President led the way in drafting a road map for peace in that country.

Asked about his stance on the recent bailout of the government by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) he explained that “Europe was bailed out after the Second World War for infrastructural development and it continues to do so.”

According to him even Portugal and Greece have all been bailed out adding that Ghana is a member of the IMF in good standing and nothing must prevent the Mahama administration from seeking a bailout from them.

In reference to some historical event in Ghana he said that “Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, founder of the Republic of Ghana, borrowed from International banks to build the Akosombo Dam in order to kick start the industrial revolution that was bitterly truncated by the predecessors of NPP and even more disturbing, in spite of the fifty percent increment in the price of fuel, water and electricity tariffs and the privatization of strategic national assets in the first year of the Kufuor government in which Akufo Addo served as Attorney General and Foreign Minister, the NPP still managed to hang a chain of HIPC around the neck of Ghana”

In a sharp rebuttal to claims made by the NPP that the NDC has borrowed excessively from the World Bank and the IMF, he said that although the NPP are quick to refer to the United States as an economic power house, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest has warned that the United States will not be able to pay its bills and to provide water and electricity for its people if the US Congress does not increase the country’s debt ceiling by November 3.

He argued that in spite of the assurances by the NPP to wean off its mouth from the breast of the World Bank, it still took loans from them and had nothing to show for until it left power.

He made reference to the construction of school buildings, major road networks, the development of the agricultural sector and a stable economy as some of the aims of the recent bailout sought by the Mahama administration.

Nana Yaw is believed to be entering the race with an immense knowledge and experience in Local Government and grassroots mobilization.

Little doubt remain that Yaw Appiah Kubi is on his way to winning the parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Akropong constituency on November 7.

IVORIAN OPPOSITION BOYCOTTS ELECTION

Officials of the FPI mmets in Accra

By Duke Nii Amartey Tagoe

Ivorian Popular Front (FPI), the largest opposition party in La Cote d’I voire, has called for a boycott of the general elections scheduled for 25^th October.

They are also calling for an end to the state of terror and tyranny by the Western backed regime of Alhassane Quattara, the immediate release of all political prisoners and a halt to the detention of President Laurent Gbagbo.

On the 11^th of April 2011, rebel groups loyal to Ouattara supported by a combined team of French and UN soldiers and some armed mercenaries from Burkina Faso kidnapped President Laurent Gbagbo at the Presidential Palace in Abidjan.

A few days before Gbagbo was abducted, more than 1000 people in Duekoue had been slaughtered by the by Alhassane Quattara’s armed rebel group, The New Forces, as they moved from the North to South.

The abduction of the Ivorian President was followed by a series of demonstrations in many West African states with many human right campaigners calling for an end to the persecution and human right violations.

Speaking at a forum held in Accra, Emile Guirieoulou, a former minister of Public Service and Employment and Chairman of FPI coordination in Exile explained that credible elections could not be held when more than a hundred thousand (100,000) Ivoirians are spread across refugee camps in the sub-region with another thousand supporters of the FPI believed to be languishing in gaols across Ivory Coast.

According to Damana Picas, Vice President of FPI in charge of Youth, “credible elections cannot take place whilst genuine reconciliation has not been achieved. He cautioned that “Majority of Ivoirians recognize Gbagbo as their leader and it is impossible to achieve genuine reconciliation in La Cote d’Ivoire under the given circumstances so as long as peace talks have not started and Gbagbo is being held in The Hague against the wishes of the people.”

A former Finance minister, Kone Katina bemoaned the crackdown of press freedom and condemned the privatization of state banks to French finance corporations. He is convinced that the privatization of state owned institutions will only create troops of jobless youth and deepen the poverty of the indigenous people.

The Ivorian people have also suffered shocking exploitation of their resources under the regime of Alhassane Quattara. Former Minister of Forest and Water, Lazare Kofi, has revealed that more than 125,000 acres of land cultivated by farmers have been grabbed or taken over by foreign multinational corporations.

Kwesi Pratt Jnr

Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Editor of The Insight and Convener of the Socialist Forum assured the FPI of the full solidarity of progressive forces in Ghana.

He said the struggle of the FPI is a continuation of the African revolution which was initiated by great Africans like Amilcar Cabral, Sekou Toure, Patrice Lumumba and Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

“We are fully conscious of the consequences the people of La Cote d’Ivoire are facing and we are aware that these conditions have been imposed on the people of La Cote d’Ivoire by the French colonialist and other imperialist forces acting in collaboration with the local forces of reaction in La Cote d’Ivoire.

“Your struggle is like our struggle and it is like the struggle of the patriotic forces in Africa. It is a struggle to assert our sovereignty. It is a struggle to assert the fact that African resources ought to be exploited to the benefit of all African people,” he pointed out.

He said President Laurent Gbagbo is not facing trial because he is a criminal, but because he is an African patriot who dedicated his entire life to the liberation of African people from poverty and squalor.

“This is a struggle for the freedom of President Laurent Gbagbo, it is a struggle for the freedom of all those who have been unjustly imprisoned by the reactionary forces in La Cote d’I voire adding that he continued detention of President Laurent Gbagbo is intrinsically liked with the attempt of foreign forces to take control of African resources and to exploit those resources for the benefit imperial power,” he added.

According to him, so many things which are strange have happened in La Cote d’Ivoire. He explained that although all the human rights organizations in the world testify to the fact that the rebel forces ( New Forces) led by Alhassane Quattara committed heinous atrocities, it is rather the  legitimate government of La Cote d’I voire and it leaders who have been arrested and imprisoned and not the rebel forces.

 Mr Pratt said that the continuing trial of President Laurent Gbagbo by the International Criminal Court when the court itself had come to the conclusion that there is no evidence to warrant the trial and conviction Gbagbo is a travesty of justice.

Editorial

EBOLA

Newly confirmed cases of the Ebola Virus disease has been reported in Liberia claiming one life and leaving two others in severe conditions.

Between the years 2014 and early 2015 the virus has claimed the lives of more than eleven thousand people in West Africa.

We are deeply worried that in spite of the assurances from the Ministry of Health of Liberia and the World Health Organisation, the virus can still be found lurking in the dark.

Hundreds of cattle have also been reported dead in remote areas of the country raising suspicion that the virus can be transmitted through other agents.

We call on health authorities in West African states and in Ghana especially to maintain vigilance and monitor the situation in order to avoid any major outbreaks.

We acknowledge the contributions of Cuba and several other countries which are in the forefront in the struggle to rid Africa and West Africa from the scourge of the Ebola virus.

The struggle is not over but we shall surely win.

Election 2016: The Battle Lines are Drawn

Nana Akufo Addo

By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

I have been monitoring happenings on the political scene and noting salient points/issues that are gradually emerging to shape the strategies that the various political parties will use in their electioneering campaigns for Election 2016.

Without belabouring any point, let me say upfront that the battle lines have already been drawn: The NPP is poised to do all it can to drag the NDC down. From how it has been doing things all this while, it is clear that it will use any means available to it to undermine President Mahama. What does he and his government/NDC have to counteract such detraction?

On the surface, the picture is clear. The incumbent administration will dig in and present itself as championing the cause of Ghana and its citizens, citing development projects and national stability as its main accomplishments. In truth, the government has done a lot to prove that it is using the mandate given John Mahama at Election 2012 to keep the country together despite biting challenges that its opponents are quick to cite as instances of its incompetence. Unfazed by such detraction, President Mahama and his team think that they can pull together, solve pertinent problems (especially the energy crisis) and move on to justify why they should be retained in office.

But will that be enough to assuage doubts, fears, and concerns about the future? No!! A government that deserves a renewal of its mandate is expected to do more to assure the citizens that its handling of affairs will endure beyond its tenure in office. If it lays or consolidates the political structure and builds a strong foundation for the economy, it needn't fear losing the people's mandate. is that what the government is doing? Answers differ. The "Dumsor" crisis is a major negative for it to contend with; and those suffering from the scourge won't forgive it at the polls!! A lot is going on, which its opponents are glibly talking about but not offering any solution to, knowing very well how to whip up mere sentiments for political expediency!!

President John Mahama

On the other hand, opponents of the government are up in arms, doing everything they think will undermine it and saying just anything to reinforce their bitter opposition against it. They are led by the NPP and its legion of nay-sayers who are hell-bent on putting Akufo-Addo in office at all costs. And from how they have started doing things, we expect a lot from them to push the government to the wall. How will it rebound to reassert its influence?

A careful appraisal of the situation has revealed a lot to me, especially considering the current stentorian demand for a new voters register for Election 2016. The NPP has been abroad with its claims of that register's being bloated, flawed, and unsuitable for Election 2016. And its main architects have drawn one conclusion: unless the register is changed, there will be violence in Ghana. A scary proposition!!

Interestingly, it was this same register that has been used for bye-elections after Election 2012 that the NPP actively participated in. Could the register be regarded as flawed on a global scale but accepted by the NPP on a local scale for bye-elections that it participates in? The Talensi bye-election was held with that register. The NPP had hopes of retaining that seat but lost even though its Akufo-Addo and all those who matter in the NPP actively campaigned in the area. When there is no basis for an electoral victory, no amount of singing "Halleluia" all over the place will make any difference. 

The scenario will likely be repeated in the Amenfi West Constituency where the NDC's MP has passed on. Will the NPP participate in the bye-election with the very register that it is raising hell about? If it does, what does it say about it?

We can tell from what the NPP is doing that it is already geared up for Election 2016, using any means to push its case and relying on its lackeys in many sectors of  national life. It considers Election 2016 as a "do-and-die" affair. What for, I don't know. What I know is that by being so grounded, it is creating the impression that it will be nothing in the absence of Akufo-Addo. What happens if Nature calls him unto its own before Election 2016? 

Akuffo Addo

And in its pursuits, it is bent on mobilizing support from just any constituency that it thinks can help it prevail over the Electoral Commission to  renew the register. We already know of all that has happened, including the activities of its surrogates (Let My Vote Count Alliance and others in responsible positions all over the country) and the comments of notable Ghanaians---the clergy (Christian Council of Ghana, especially), Jerry Rawlings and his wife and former President Kufuor. The impression created by all of them is that the voters register has to be changed for Election 2016. Otherwise....

(As Dr. Amoako-Baah foolishly put it, the EC should declare President Mahama the automatic winner of Election 2016 even without any elections being held. Eventually, then, if the voters register is renewed, the EC should automatically declare Akufo-Addo as winner of Election 2016; not so? Such a lazy, lousy, and clumsy political thinker and lecturer at the KNUST!!).

We don't want to bother our heads over such inane comments (or threats) from Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and Dr. Amoako-Baah. They have openly predicted WAR in Ghana if the voters register is not changed for Election 2016 and come across as overly misguided. I wish they knew what WAR really is!!

To land, let me say that the NPP is already mobilizing support for its cause and doing all it can, using every means available while the Mahama-led administration and the NDC sit at the back burner. The NDC had initially made its position clear that it doesn't support such a move but has softened that stance. Others like Dr. Nduom and his PPP are not keen on a complete renewal of the voters register but the use of a consistent and foolproof national identification process to forestall electoral malpractices. The PNC and CPP are neither here nor there. As for the other political mushrooms, nothing has come from them worth commenting on.

So, folks, we are where we are now. The NPP seems to be raking up much dust; the NDC has taken the back stage, and the political environment remains agitated. And it will be more agitated as time flies without the NPP's demand being met. Although Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings thinks that the EC doesn't have the sole responsibility regarding the voters register, there is nothing anybody can do if the EC doesn't act on the NPP's demand.

For war, we may not be prepared; but if it has to be fought, it will be fought.

I can tell from how the NPP is doing things that it is poised and determined to use whatever it considers as an opportunity to push the government to the wall. From all the criticisms levelled against the government so far, it is clear that the NPP is implementing a strategy that will make the Mahama-led administration an underdog. The private media are more than eager to support it in this bid.

Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, Vice President

Meantime, the government remains lamely reactive instead of being proactive. Why is it so? Apparently, the very problems that it needs to solve to claw back public goodwill are either worsening or remain intractable. Unless it moves fast to deal with what is already angering the people, it risks being further torn apart, especially now that its critics have found a way to use the voters register as their main trump card to fight it. Credibility counts.

Folks, as public intellectuals, we will continue to comment on what we see and hear about happenings that affect our country's interests. No matter how we position ourselves, we know that we have a stake in our country's future and will ensure that our voices are heard.

So far, the government that is to provide funds for any exercise to renew the voters register hasn't bowed to the NPP's pressure. Already, the country's coffers aren't strong enough for such a venture. So, what can anybody do to "force the there to be there"? If only the NPP and all those calling for a replacement of the register can raise funds for that purpose, there will be good news to celebrate. But is anybody really thinking outside the box?

Kufuor's opinion that the country can borrow money to renew the voters register is as lame as coming from someone who ruled Ghana for 8 years but didn't do anything to reform the electoral process or retool the EC. Lousy talker!!

For now, let us be reminded that a renewal of the voters register cannot necessarily assure victory for those calling for it. Victory at the polls calls for more than the ugly noise that we hear from the anti-Mahama camp. My thoughts!!

I shall return…

E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com

Who founded the NDP?

Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings

By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

In my many years of monitoring happenings in Ghana---and having spent 16 years of my life serving Ghana, the majority under the Rawlings' administration----I have no shred of doubt in my mind that Ghana isn't being developed as expected, clearly because those in authority are either unsure of how to do so or have placed personal interests and quests above the national ones. We know how our politicians (mis)behave when in power and how they do things to return to the limelight.

Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings has gone down in history as Ghana's "longest-serving" First Lady. All that she did or didn't do when her husband was in power is in the public domain. Her profound influence on the society, using the 31st December Women's Movement, is ineradicable.

Scandals have also dogged her. The abduction and murder of the three High Court judges and retired Army Major Sam Acquah put her on the spot, but she survived.

Her role in the acquisition of the Nsawam Cannery by the 31st December Women's Movement landed her in court. But for the unexpected show of magnanimity by Kufuor a day before leaving office, her trial would have gone on for her Fate to be decided. She would have been sent to the slammer, though, granted that the matter had a huge political coloration as well.

We are even not talking about many other issues that would culminate in her leaving the NDC after being rejected as a flagbearer (She was already well-placed as a Vice Chair of the party before raising her political ambitions to a whole new weird level).

What happened thereafter may not be easily forgotten. We recall her vain attempts at damaging the interests of the NDC and why she would be more interested in joining hands with the NPP to bite the very finger that had fed her all these years.

The zeal with which she did things in the National Democratic Party (NDP) confirmed that she was avid for power. But she lost the bid because of technicalities that forced the former EC Chair (Dr. Afari-Gyan) to disqualify her. The rest belongs to history, one might say; but not so for Nana Konadu. She is still nursing an implacable grudge against Dr. Afari-Gyan as reported.

In her comments, she revealed a secret that is shocking:

"She also disclosed that she is not the founder of the NDP as has been speculated over the years… I did not found the NDP. In fact, I had traveled and when I returned I was told that a new political party had been formed. I listened to their objectives, and they sounded different from all the rest that existed already, so I decided to join".

So, who really formed the NDP for Nana Konadu to lead? Former President Rawlings? Who exactly did so? And why hasn't Nana Konadu bared it all till now? 

Opposition leader, Nana Akufo Addo

Is Nana Konadu's revelation likely to expose the grand agenda of those gradually being fingered as the real brains behind the NDP? We hear from the grapevine that some bigwigs in the NPP were actually behind the formation of the NDP, but we have no evidence to support it. So, will Naka Konadu tell us the truth? We are all ears!!

Folks, do you see how the Rawlingses do things? For Nana Konadu particularly, this disclosure will rock her all the more. It is a throwback to the fate of the 31st December Women's Movement which she didn't form but took absolute control of to serve her political purposes. Those who staunchly rolled along with her in those days are now her bitterest enemies. Why should it be so?

Truly, then, we now know that she is leading the NDP just because whoever formed that party ceded everything to her. What for?

Jerry Rawlings is known as the founder of the NDC, even if he was deftly supported by many others all over the country or abroad. Until he was divested of the accolade as the "founder-and-father" of the party, everything seemed right for him and his household. He still remains in the NDC while his wife is in bed with the arch political rivals of the NDC and behaving as if she really matters.

Zanetor Rawlings

Now that their daughter (Dr. Zanetor Rawlings) has staked her luck to have a place in the NDC, it is clear to me what the Rawlings want to accomplish and why they cannot just leave Ghanaian politics to others, having already spent decades doing it. They are planting their daughter to serve purposes that go beyond her representing Korle Klottey in Parliament.

From her campaign utterances, I can see much of her mother in her. She claims she is in politics on the ticket of the NDC to help solve problems in the party, some of which culminated in her mother's leaving the party. She has already begun accusing her opponents of sharing money to the voters. And at the launching of her campaign, she rode on horseback. I pray hard that she is rejected. Then, we will see more of the weird aspects of the Rawlingses.

We note that the Rawlingses are really adept at hiding their secrets, which is why despite all the efforts by their detractors (especially the NPP under Kufuor) couldn't expose them. Now that they have become attractive to Akufo-Addo and his cabal, it is clear that the plot will thicken all the more. By so doing, they hope to survive till Nature calls them unto its own. What happens thereafter is none of their business. Maybe, their children and their children's children will account for it all. What more are the Rawlingses hiding from us?

I shall return…

E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com

Editorial

CHECK THIS!

Reports of the rising rate of HIV/AIDS infection in parts of the country must come as a piece of disturbing news.

According to the Disease Control Unit of the Cape Coast Metropolitan Health Directorate three hundred and twenty nine people contracted the disease in 2014 up from the initial figure of three hundred and one in 2013.

HIV/AIDS until recently had wrecked havoc in many Ghanaian households and especially on the working population of the country.

More disturbing, the prevalence rate of the recent infections can be found in the younger members of our society.

We call for thorough investigation into the causes of the recent infections in Cape-Caose and urge the Health Ministry to move very quickly and arrest the situation before it gets out of hand.

GREENSTREET: WILL HE JUMP INTO THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE?

Ivor Greenstreet

Asks Ekow Mensah

All eyes are on Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, immediate past General Secretary of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) because his decision to contest the presidential race for 2016 could have earth shaking consequences within the party.

There can be no doubt that even if Greenstreet does not win the race, his participation would make a substantial difference about who will win.

Three people have already thrown their hats into the ring and are expected to begin vigorous campaigns across the country.

They are Dr. Abu Sakara Foster, the presidential candidate for 2012, Onzy Nkrumah, whose claim to being Nkrumah’s son is still being contested and Samia Yaba Nkrumah, immediate past National Chairperson.

The strength of Greenstreet is that he appears to have an extraordinary big war chest and has personally visited all the branches of the party and relates on first name basis with organizers at the grassroots.

Sources within the party say that Greenstreet initially wanted to contest for the position of National Chairman and leader of the party but had to abandon that contest on account of the overwhelming popularity of  Dr. Edmund Delle.

The CPP got less than one percent of popular votes in the last general election and observers insist that the party would have to rebrand itself to gain relevance.

This is a problem which Samia Yaba Nkrumah appears to recognize.

 In her handing over speech, Samia said the CPP would have to move further to the left and take a firm stand against the prescriptions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund for national economic revival.

Onzy Nkrumah’s claim to the presidential candidature of the CPP is simply just based on the unproven claim that he is the son of the first President of Ghana.

 He has said that he wants to be the Presidential candidate so that he can finish the good work started by his “father”.

 Informed observers say that the CPP can be positioned as the third force in Ghanaian politics to attract persons who are disillusioned about the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

 At the time of going to press, Dr Sakara had allegedly told the “Daily Dispatch” that he may not run for the presidential candidature of the party.

 There are no indications as to what will make him run.

Editorial

TROJAN HORSE?

 This must be very strange but it is happening in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) currently led by President John Dramani Mahama.

Ezanator Rawlings, daughter of Ghana’s longest serving President has refused to rate the sitting President insisting that she is not a rating agency.

The truth is that Ezanator can’t say that the President is doing well and she is also sure that if she condemns President Mahama  she would lose the contest for the Parliamentary seat at Korle Klottey.

 The real question is why Ezanator Rawlings is finding it very difficult to say that the President and therefore her own party is doing well?

 Could it be that she shares the criticism of the president by her dear mother and is only keeping quiet to enable her sneak through the Parliamentary primaries?

This question gains more relevance when she sets conditions for the return of her mother to the NDC.

Is she getting into the NDC to finish what her mother started?

Could her father’s endorsement of the NPP position on the voters’ register mean anything?

Somebody may be pushing a Trojan horse right into the very centre of the Mahama Administration.

Unfortunately the President cannot see what is happening and by the time he opens his eyes it may well be too late.