Ask Ekua Kwansema

During electioneering campaigns politicians and some party faithful use all sorts of dirty political tricks and manipulations to give them the trump card over their opponents. Having become interested in politics, I used that opportunity to follow the just ended presidential and congressional elections of the United States. It was during that time that I realized that politicians are the same and that when a certain political party has its back against the wall but wants to win badly, the tendency is to use desperate dirty tricks or tactics to sway voters in order to survive.

I read about some dirty tricks used by Republicans to deceive Democrats and Independents in some rural areas of certain states in the United States. In one of their dirty tricks, Republicans sent fliers with the Virginia State logo and letterhead to many people living in the rural parts of Virginia that due to the expected huge voter turnout, the state has decided that Republicans would vote on Tuesday the election day, while Democrats and Independents would vote on Wednesday, a day after the election day. This ploy was devised to deceive the Democrats and Independents in staying home during the election day so as to give the trump card to Republicans. Fortunately, the information leaked out so it did not work for the Republicans.

In the State of Florida another ploy that the Republicans attempted to use but failed was warning those who have unpaid parking tickets especially Blacks, that they would be arrested if they showed up to vote on election day. I am saying all these to drum home the point that it is not every time that these dirty political ploys work, because when you are caught it makes you look bad while it raises the profile of your opponent.

Having failed in winning in round one, the NPP went to its political board room to devise some means of winning come December 28. It is okay to rebrand your message or reposition yourself when the going gets tough. Businesses and individuals do that all the time. But what is not acceptable is to use dirty tactics to deceive the very people that you aspire to serve. To do that is tantamount to political fraud.

First the NPP moved swiftly to reduce the price of petrol. The head of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) in announcing the reduction said it’s a Christmas gift to Ghanaians. A Christmas gift? When did something that Ghanaians rightfully deserve became a Christmas gift? Somebody refresh my memory. Does all Ghanaians celebrate Christmas? What happens to those who are not Christians and thus does not celebrate Christmas?

According to the www.bloombergnews.com, when the market closed last Friday the price of crude oil traded at $46.28 per barrel, which is 318% drop compared to the $147 per barrel sold about seven months ago. So why is it that if we have such a huge drop in the price of crude oil, the Kufour government would be so insensitive and uncaring in not adjusting the price of petrol in Ghana, but only waited until they lost round one of the elections? If they claim its’ not a means to sway votes, you better watch their lips, because that is what it is.

But Ghanaians are no fools. Radio stations were bombarded with calls from politically active Ghanaians who questioned the rationale behind the reduction of the price of petrol, but the NPP as usual had an answer; “We do not control the NPA”. Don’t tell me members of the authority are part of aliens who descended on Ghana one day and took the positions.

Next, rumours started circulating that some drivers who have been jailed for failing to pay their unauthorized parking fines are going to be released. This was being done so that the drives and their relatives would “appreciate” what the government has done by releasing them from jail to vote for the NPP. Nice try. I do not believe if you jail somebody and you release the person from jail he would be so happy and throw his hat around you.

Hawkers who sell on pavements cause a lot of nuisance in major cities notably Accra and Kumasi. This problem has been there for years and I remember every government that has tried to move them from the pavements have had a difficult story to sell to their hawkers. It was therefore heartwarming when the Kufour administration finally mustered some courage and cleared these hawkers from the pavements. However, when word leaked that the clearing of the pavement of these hawkers contributed towards the parliamentary defeat of the NPP, the government has brought them back. The main reason, for them to help the NPP in round two. If I were a hawker I should be smart enough to know that if I vote for the NPP to win round two, they would throw me away from the pavement even before the swearing-in ceremony.

In the United States I read that the Obama campaign shuttled some voters to the polling stations to vote during their presidential and congressional elections, so the NPP is resorting to the same strategy, which is okay. But while the Obama campaign provided only transportation, the word out is that the NPP would top it up by distributing money to those who would board the buses to the polling stations. I would encourage those looking for free money to go board the buses, collect the free money and vote against the NPP.

There have been so many prominent people who have been in Ghana for so many years if my memory serves me right. Bishop Palmer-Buckle is one of them. I remember when he was the editor of the Catholic Standard. Others like Dr. Mensa-Otabil and Bishop Dag Heward-Mills have all been around. They were around during the PNDC/NDC era and they are still around. Bishop Palmer-Buckle would tell you that if anybody would have harmed him, it would have happened in the heat of the revolution.

So why would the NPP suddenly out of nowhere come out with a hit list? For what? What have these men of God done against Professor Mills? If the NDC wants to eliminate people why would they not go for the NPP top guns but these men of God? Ghanaians should read into this and dismiss this garbage. It is sheer nonsense aimed at creating unnecessary panic and fear among the Christendom and drive them to vote for the NPP. All these three gentlemen who know Professor Mills very well can attest that this learned man would not harm them in any shape of form if he comes to power.

When the hit list story started to crack, now we have another ploy by the NPP, which to me is to mother of all tricks. Credible news sources has it that Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng, the man who supervised the collapse of his much trumpeted Ayensu Starch project but got away without being reprimanded, is at it again. Days after Akufo-Addo who is reeling under pressure, appointed him the new campaign overseer in the Asante Region, Kyeremanteng is going round distributing money to sway voters.

Does Mr. Kyeremanteng think people are fools? That they would collect the money and vote for Akufo-Addo. Of course some few voters would do that but majority would not fall for that ploy. They would collect the money, pretend that they would vote for the NPP, but when they enter the polling booths, whatever they do it’s between them and their God. Why would somebody whose presidential ambition was sunk by Akufo-Addo’s henchmen would be so bent in helping the same man get elected. If you don’t know, Kyeremanteng is doing that so that when Akufo-Addo wins he would insulate him from the Ayensu Starch debacle. You scratch my back and I scratch yours.

But I have a little advice for Kyeremanteng. If throwing money around wins election he would have been NPP’s presidential candidate because reports had it that he spent more money than 15 of the NPP presidential candidates combined. And if his money craze did not win him the NPP nomination, he should not think it would win Akufo-Addo the presidency. Ghana’s presidency is not for sale.. One thing the NPP is failing to realize is, this is 2008 and with the advent of so many radio stations, television stations and the internet, these dirty tricks have become appalling to voters who are looking for quality leadership and not necessary those who are out to buy their votes.

By the way did you see the out-going Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama meeting with chiefs in Bolgatanga and urging them to vote for Akufo-Addo instead of the NPP’s aspiring Vice-President Dr. Bawumia? Where is this man koraa?

ekwansema@yahoo.com