After many months of pretending to be new, the real, old NDC is back! In preparation for this election year, the NDC and its spin doctors had gone to great lengths to create a supposed “new” image. They got some new songs. They touched up their logo and they shouted their newness from the rafters.

Throughout this exercise in mass deception, we in the NPP pointed out that there was nothing “new” about the NDC. The leaders are the same old ones from the PNDC and the NDC eras. None of the old ideas have been abandoned. The old attitudes, down to the lack of remorse for human rights violations, including the murder of the judges still remain. Indeed, last week, in response to the conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction of Tsatsu Tsikata, some in the NDC orchestrated the issuance of threats through radio call-ins and text messages to Justice Abban who presided over the case. These threats were disturbing echoes of those made by then Flt. Lt. Rawlings to judges who were overturning some of the extra-judicial convictions of the AFRC a few weeks before he overthrew the government of President Limann. Within months of the assumption of power by the PNDC, those threats led to the murder of the famous four whose deaths we commemorated on June 30th. Given the history of threats followed by violence, we must take the threats to the judge seriously. Despite all these, many Ghanaians, eager for reconciliation, hailed the “new” NDC. Over the last week, the real NDC has resurfaced in full force, warts and all.

First, the NDC Flagbearer, Prof John Atta Mills, after pledging to accept a state award offered by President Kufuor, backed down after pressure from his mentor, former President Rawlings. After Mr Rawlings and Ex-Capt Tsikata condemned the awards, many Ghanaians who wish the cause of democracy and the NDC well, hoped and prayed that for once, Prof Mills would stand with democracy, the “new” NDC and for his principles by rejecting the “ Edict of Ridge” by accepting the honour he had agreed to accept. As a “tro-tro” driver said perceptively a few days before Prof Mills announced his decision “If Massa say ino for go, ino go go!” Alas, he did not. He could not and he is not yet his own man. The question that must be asked by every Ghanaian before casting a vote in December is “Does a vote for Prof Mills mean a third term for President Rawlings?”

Second, former President Rawlings had a Press conference yesterday during which he put the real, old NDC back on centre-stage. During his rambling speech, the former President made the following points amongst others; - That the NPP administration had committed serious human rights violations and that Ghana was worse than Zimbabwe in human rights violations. - That the NDC had rejected his advice in the past “not to turn the other cheek”. - That increasing the police force was unnecessary to the maintenance of law-and-order. - That under the NPP administration, there has been mass terminations in the security forces based on ethnicity.

First, the charge that the NPP has violated human rights, coming from the man who had eight senior army officers, three judges and thousands whose graves are only known to God and themselves executed, tens of thousands jailed and hundreds of thousands subjected to whippings and other indignities is breathtaking! He claimed that crime was less during his regime even though his government could not solve the serial murders of many women in Accra. Amongst a long list of examples he cites is that of Tsatsu Tsikata, who has been on trial for the last six years and has just been sentenced to a prison term by a court of competent jurisdiction. He is appealing the sentence. Mr Rawlings said Tsatsu’s case was “the last straw”. Instead of blaming the NPP government for Tsatsu’s trial, the former President must join all Ghanaians in thanking the Lord that today, we have democracy and the rule of law and an accused person can face his accusers in court. Under the revolutionary Justice system that Rawlings and Tsatsu et al operated, Mr Tsikata might not be alive to face his accusers in court. While the operation of the rule of law has not been perfect, the miscarriages and omissions under the NPP administration has never been sanctioned at the highest levels of government. Never. Indeed, the days when extra-judicial killings were planned and directed from the highest levels of government are no more. Others may seek to return us to those days but the NPP will not. Despite the clear lack of complicity in the deaths of the YaNa and his advisors, the NPP government has repeatedly expressed sorrow and regret for those deaths. Now let Mr Rawlings and the PNDC, who were directly responsible for the murders of so many publicly apologise for those murders!

The comparison of the current Ghana to what is happening in Zimbabwe is an affront to the dignity of every Ghanaian and the hard work we have done in the last sixteen years to come this far. As the former President said during his address “Any lizard can rule a disunited people”. While that is not happening now in Ghana, we agree with the former President that it has happened before, in our recent past.

Second, the former President’s complaint that some in the NDC had rejected his advice “not to turn the other cheek” should worry every Ghanaian. That piece of advice was a clear call for lawlessness that must be condemned by every Ghanaian, including Prof Mills. We have come too far and done too much for anybody to tack us back. We are moving forward, not backwards.

Third, the former President attacked plans by the NPP Flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo to double the size of the Police force. According to Mr Rawlings, we must rely on the social conscience of people to obey the law. No wonder the Police force was decimated and demoralised under Mr Rawlings. While social factors play a role in crime, appropriate policing is the anchor for maintaining law and order around the world and throughout history. From Azerbaijan to Zanzibar, from developing to developed countries, the Police are seen as indispensable to the maintenance of law and order. Therefore the next NPP government under Nana Akufo Addo is committed to doubling the size of the police force, increasing their equipment and training, reviewing their pay and making them a first-class police force, focused on the maintenance of order, the apprehension of criminals and the protection of the innocent. The NPP believes in the flowering of ideas and democracy, not of violence.

Fourth, on the former Presidents charge that there have been ethnic-based terminations in the security forces, that is false. Indeed, we urge the appropriate authorities to let the public know the truth in these allegations. The NPP believes that regardless of our ethnic origins, we are all equal citizens of one great country, Ghana. Finally, the NDC was never new. It was, is and will always be the party of Rawlings, conceived and born in violence, and always pre-occupied with its dark and disturbing past. It cannot take Ghana forward. It can only take Ghana backwards. Some say Prof. Mills may be in the wrong party. We say he is right at home in the NDC. Prof. Mills is a very intelligent man. He could have joined the NPP which is the party of freedom but he did not. He could have left the NDC after the identification haircuts, the Koforidua congress or any of the other anti-democratic occurrences in the NDC but he chose not to. It is time to accept that Prof. Mills is right at home, ideologically, philosophically and temperamentally in the NDC. It is his natural and chosen political home.

From what we have seen of the NDC in the last week, it is obvious that it is the party of Rawlings and the past, not of the future. A vote for Prof Mills and the NDC is a vote for another Rawlings term. Let us move forward!

Yenko yanim!

Won ya wor hie!

Arthur Kobina Kennedy

( CHAIR, 2008 NPP CAMPAIGN COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE)