September 7, 2008

Press Release

Barbarism Of President Kufuor’s Personal Security

On Saturday, September 06, 2008, at the Fetu Afahye festival of the chiefs and people of the Oguaa Traditional Area, the barbarism and beastly acts of the NPP was once again at display in very monumental proportions.

This time around, it was not wee-filled and cocaine-choked irate NPP youth who showcased the violence and barbarism that is associated with the NPP; it was the Personal Security (PS) detail of President Kufuor, who, for very untenable reasons, beat up two of Professor Atta Mills’ bodyguards.

We believe that the beastly act was a deliberate attempt to show the NDC where “power lies”.

The temperature rose when for inexplicable reasons, the PS prevented senior party members from accompanying Professor Mills onto the dais to greet President Kufuor and other dignitaries. For a fact, had the NDC not restrained itself, there could have been a serious scuffle.

It was when President Kufuor was returning the gesture and moved to greet Professor Mills and members of his entourage, that the PS picked up the bodyguards and beat them up.

Instigated into the beastly act by Nana Ato Arthur, Central Regional Minister, the PS, labeled Professor Mills’ bodyguards “suicide bombers”, beat them up, tore their clothing, took their phones, and left them very bruised.

It has been detected that persons who have their numbers on those phones cannot make and receive calls. Obviously, some technology has been used to tamper with the phones of innocent Ghanaians who are minding their business.

Indeed, so severe was the beating that one of Professor Mills’ bodyguards had to be rushed to the Central Regional hospital where he was admitted. Indeed he was left for dead.

For security reasons, the said bodyguard has been transferred from the Central Regional hospital to another treatment center where he is currently undergoing extensive medical tests.

The NPP does not hesitate to tag the NDC as a violent party. However, events leading to the NPP’s congress to elect a flagbearer and events that characterized most of the party’s primaries to elect parliamentary candidates, with primaries turning into boxing rings and war zones, have made it abundantly clear that the NPP is the most violent political party in Ghana.

Indeed, the violence of the party reached a very high level, when a constituency vice chairman beat up and killed a party member.

The NDC is making it very clear to the NPP that if it wants to extend its internal violent acts into the terrain of the NDC, then they must be prepared for what they will get.

The NDC is very angry at what happened and we are serving notice to the NPP that we are more than ready to stand toe to toe with them and slug it out if that is what they want.

We are not going to allow ourselves to be intimidated in anyway and we mean it.

Realising that they are going to lose the election by a wide margin, the NPP is obviously trying to use the weapon of intimidation to cow the NDC into submission but that kind of Gestapo tactic will not work.

Again, the NPP does not hesitate to paint former President Rawlings black but what they forget, as a result of selective amnesia, is the fact that the former President handed over a peaceful and united Ghana to President Kufuor and the NPP.

After abusing the mandate the people of Ghana gave him, and leaving the country’s economy in tatters, the only thing we ask of President Kufuor, is for him to hand over a peaceful Ghana to Professor Atta Mills come January 07, 2009.

The silence of religious leaders and civil society groups on the extremely violent and barbaric acts of the NPP is too deafening and the NDC is calling on them to let their voices be heard.

The NDC pledges to continue to play the game by the rules and will do nothing to throw the country into a state of chaos but we also pledge to the NPP that any attempt on their part to play it rough, will be met with very strong resistance.

The NDC is urging all its foot soldiers to stay resilient and focused for victory is coming the way of the party and everything must be done to protect the victory so that we can move away from the, cocaine, corruption, kickbacks, immorality, crime, filth, negative change, kangaroo justice, elephantine behaviour, and build a Better Ghana.

Yaw Boateng Gyan (Deputy National Organiser) 0244-739265