GhanaWeb Feature

Call it mere political talk or comments that incite violence or not, one cannot help but notice how the two main political parties: the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), have been in the news for the past few days over derogatory comments made by some individuals in their respective parties.

These individuals include ministers, statesmen, party executives, among others, with the latest of such controversial utterances made by the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, at the NPP’s Arise and Build Unity Walk.

The minister was captured saying in Twi, "We will show the NDC that we have the men if they want to intimidate, harass us, or do anything foolish during the 2024 elections...It will not happen that we will hand over power to NDC. We'll use any means for NPP to stay in power."

Since then, the two parties have thrown jabs at each other. Whereas the NPP supports the minister, the opposition NDC has made several calls for the police to have Bryan Acheampong arrested.

The NDC has described the comments by the minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Abetifi, as offensive, treasonable, and a catalyst for violence.

But the NDC has not been alone in this, as a lot more individuals and groups have also called Bryan out over the controversial comments he made.

Experts, analysts, and even the National Peace Council have all added their voices to the conversation.

Yet, the use of comments with subtle ‘war inviting’ meanings is not new to Ghana’s political arena.

More than once, some known faces in the governing party NPP, while on different platforms, have made comments deemed troubling and ones that have the tendency to incite political tensions.

Giving a little background to this, in 2012, when the sitting president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, was the flagbearer of the NPP, he made a comment that, for a long time, became a mantra around him.

“… They [NDC] have intentions to intimidate us in 2012 because they believe that we are soft and cowards. If they are thinking, then we shall see. At least, during the Atiwa by-elections, we showed a little of our colours there. You must understand that this party was formed by courageous people. Our leaders who formed this party that has now becomes the biggest political movement in Ghana were not cowards. So, in 2012 we need to be courageous, because all die be die…all die be die…” he said during a campaign event.

The infamous 'All Die Be Die' became a reference point for a lot of conversations about violence and war-mongering for so long thereafter.

And then more recently, in 2022, during the NPP's Delegates Conference in Kumasi, the Director of Operations at the Presidency, Lord Commey, also made a similar statement.

“… this is the time. If we can’t say these things in conference, I don’t know where else we would say them. I charge you… break the eight, break the eight… it has become a slogan... I, who stand before you now, so far as I live, I am not breaking any eight… the power, I say, I will not hand over to them today nor tomorrow…” he chanted to the teeming supporters of the party.

As expected, those comments also received a lot of backlash and condemnations, but that did not stop others in the party from also choosing to follow in this line.

Just a year later, the Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, has become the newest culprit.

The National Democratic Congress' John Dramani Mahama may have also recently said that he and his party would match the NPP 'boot for boot' in lead up to the 2020 general elections, but it is not enough justification for the ruling party to still want to maintain a stance on comments that fuel tensions in the country.

It is, therefore, worrying that the only justification the NPP continues to make to, especially, the recent comments by Bryan Acheampong, is their reference to Mahama's comments, and those of the National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, during his victory speech in 2022, where he said 'we are prepared to sacrifice everything… including our lives.’

What remains an unanswered question is, if members of the NPP are not comfortable with other politicians making similar utterances, why make them yourselves?

The tradition of campaigning has been that candidates or parties sell their messages and achievements to the citizens with the aim of getting their votes.

The warmongering comments must be rebuked, called out and stopped before they escalate into full-blown violence in the country.

Political parties must note that power comes with responsibilities. Whether you retain it or hand it over to the next, utterances with subtle ‘war inviting’ meanings and controversial comments must be made with a pinch of salt.



NW/AE