Press Conference By The Tertiary Education Confederacy Of The New Patritic Party (Ucc) Branch

.

Since the announcement of a second round in the presidential elections, a new development has emerged within the political landscape and we deem it necessary to let all and sundry know and address their minds to since this development is not a positive one and has the tendency to destroy not only the social fabric of the country Ghana but also to destroy the nascent democratic culture in the country. I think as Ghanaians we hold our heads high among the comity of nations when the conduct of the just ended elections is talked about either in the International circles or on the local front.

PRESIDENCY FOR FANTIS AND THE CENTRAL REGION

It is unfortunate that despite this feat chalked, some Ghanaians are gradually sacrificing the cohesion that has existed in the country for decades on the expedience of selfish political interest. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the last few days has been waging a campaign based on ethnicity in the Central Region. On Tuesday December 16, 2008 at exactly 8:30 am, a Kia mini bus packed with sound system was parading the streets of Cape Coast calling on fantes to turn out and vote for Professor Mills because he is a fante. In addition to this, they are going about with a hand bill that has the Ghana map on it and divided into regions with former heads of state in Ghana apportioned to the various regions indicating which region has had one of its own being a president.

The NDC says ("ade wofie a oye") meaning Atta mills is a Fanti so fantis should vote for him since fantis also deserve to be president. No one is denying the fact that every Ghanaian irrespective of where one is coming from can become a president and the constitution acknowledges that, but is that the only reason for becoming a president? Absolutely no is the answer. It is rather competence that matters and if that is the case then Atta Mills has had the chance to prove his worth and he was a major disaster comparing him to Dr. Kwesi Botcwey and as to why Rawlings would prefer Him to Kwesi Botcwey or even Dr. Spio Gabrah it is only Rawlings and his cronies that can answer.

The situation has become so alarming such that the editorial comment of the Ghanaian times issue no. 15597 condemned and called on all well meaning Ghanaians to speak against it.

It is not the mere publication that is of concern to us but rather the conscious attempt by the NDC to incite fantis against all other Akan ethnic groupings in Ghana. This is quiet dangerous since all Akans including fantis have a single ancestral lineage and in any case the Central region does not only comprise Fante speaking people.

The NDC today is pretending to have the people of the Central Region at heart just because Rawlings through his influence has endorsed Professor Mills as the presidential candidate for the NDC but all discerning Ghanaian know too well that there is no way the NDC can claim to love the people of the Central Region more than his own. We strongly believe that the only reason why he is strongly behind Professor Mills is simply to use him as a means to an end which he seeks to achieve at all cost.

To set the record straight, never in the history of Ghana has any group of people or political party antagonized Fantis more than the NDC led by JJ Rawlings. The first humiliation to the people of the Central Region was when former Vice President Kow N. Arkaah a very respectable member of the region was assaulted and beaten up by Rawlings at a cabinet meeting in 1995 for simply disagreeing with him on some issues.

The sad aspect of this issue is the fact that when the beating up of Arkaah was taking place, there were a number prominent people from Central Region present and yet none of them went to his defense. Among some of the personalities present at that time are Dr. Mrs. Mary Grant, Ato Dadzie (chief of staff), Dr. Spio Gabrah among many others.

It must be put on record that when people talk about the central region having not had a president, the blame can be laid squarely on the door steps of the P/NDC regime led by Rawlings and this is because in 1981, when Liman’s administration was overthrown by the PNDC, the Vice President at that time was no less a person than a prominent personality from the Central region. The argument is that perhaps, if Rawlings had not overthrown Dr. Liman but had allowed him to serve his full term, Mr. De Graft Johnson, might have emerged as the next president taking a cue from Professor Mills’ example.

It is an open secret that in spite of Rawlings' claim to love the people of the Central region, he is a singular person to have assaulted most fantis in his administration more than any one else. Personalities like the late Ato Austin, Ebow Tawiah and Kwesi Botchwey were all battered and assaulted by Mr. Rawlings. If this is not humiliating, then we do not know what our fellows from the Central region consider this. All Ghanaians bore witness to how Dr. Kwesi Botcwey was assaulted during their presidential primaries at Legon in 2003.

Why is Rawlings so attached to professor Mills? Is’t because Professor Mills is sober and always ready to listen to his master's voice? Why is it difficult for Rawlings to co-exist with assertive personalities like Dr. Kwesi Botcwey and Kow N. Arkaah? Why would Rawlings openly antagonize personalities like Ekow Spio Gabrah and Dr. Kwesi Botcwey for the presidency? Is't because he can not remote control them? This are questions that all fantis and people from the Central region must address their minds to.

Perhaps if there is any one group of people who have also greatly benefited from political patronage, then it is people of the Central Region and yet the region had nothing to show until the NPP came into government. Let us ask our people including Dr. Kwesi Botcwhey, Dr. Spio Gabrah, Ama Benyiwaa Doe, Totobi Kwakyi, Ato Dadzie, Dr. Mrs Mary Grant and Professor Mills among many others, how they used their positions in government to influence development for their people.

Did Professor Mills not know that the Saltpond Ceramic Works, Pomadze Poultry Farms and the Kommenda Sugar Factory were all strategic development assets for the people of the Cental Region and yet as the Vice President showed no concerned when it was being runned down and later placed on divestiture?, Did he not know that his own people had problems with good sources of drinking water, good roads and massive unemployment and what did he do about it as the Vice President? Let him come out and tell the whole world about it.

There are lots of proves to show that the NDC led by Rawlings is only inciting fantis against other ethnic groups in Ghana to achieve its parochial interest and this is not in the interest of the people of the Central region and fantis in general.

Isn’t it ironic that Professor Mills is traversing the whole country telling people that he would be a President for all and not just a group and yet has not had the courage and conviction to call his party people in the Central Region to order since Ghana is not only made up of fantes as his people are portraying. This smack of double standards and all discerning Ghanaians must notice this and be weary of the NDC.

We are therefore calling on the Central Regional House of Chiefs to openly condemn this shameful act being perpetrated by this shameless entity known as the NDC.

We also call on the National House of Chiefs to put its feet down and call all political parties to order since tribal politics in the short term may seem to benefit a particular group, its future consequences may be too huge to be contained by all Ghanaians. We are also calling on all discerning Ghanaians to reject any political party that seeks to come to power on the back of ethnic division for we are all one people with one common destiny.

PROFESSOR MILLS AND THE POVERTY POSITION OF THE CENTRAL REGION.

It is quiet preposterous and disingenuous on the part of Professor Mills to have stated on a radio central programme yesterday (17th Dec. 2008) around 5:45pm that the Central Region was the third poorest region in Ghana. We expect that a person of his stature will be abreast with developments in the country. We are not surprise because we know the good old Prof. may either be playing mischief or is still living in the past where they left Ghana as a whole. It is a fact that no one can dispute that the Central Region has its status changed from the fourth poorest to the fourth most endowed region in the country and this can be verified by all who care to know.

Isn’t it surprising that the NDC that vehemently opposed the implementation of the National Health Insurance and spelt out it doom all of a sudden are all about telling people they started it. The facts are that the Catholic Church through its own private initiative started a pilot scheme in the Brong Ahafo region and not any political party muting out the idea. It is evidently clear that the NDC realizing it left absolutely nothing for Ghanaians, after 19 years of ruling, are desperately clinching onto virtually every success the NPP government under President Kufuor has achieved as they starting it but we know majority of Ghanaians are discerning and can see through it.

Finally, we seize this opportunity to inform all students who were unable to cancel their voter transfer before going home to show commitment by traveling back to Cape coast to vote massively for Nana Akufo- Addo. Buses would be made available at vantage points to convey you to and back to your various destinations. In spite of this special arrangement, we are also appealing to the E.C to take a second look at the arrangement for the cancellation of the voter’s transfer such that every student can do that their home district in other not to disenfranchise students.

NPP WE ARE MOVING FORWARD. VOTE NANA ADDO. Arise and be counted God bless us all. Thank you for coming.

Signed by: Davis Opoku Ansah (Tescon President, UCC) tesconucc@gmail.com