By Margaret Jackson

Somebody with a shady character and a terrible past has been buzzing the airwaves lately by making a lot of annoying noise. He is doing that to generate free and unfretted press and probably cover his shaded past which forced him off the political limelight for a while when his “cup runneth over”. That noisy guy is back, thanks largely to the so-called yet-to-be-approved, National Democratic Party (NDP).

This guy who has been named as the interim chairman of the NDP which seems to be a direct copy-cat of everything NDC stands for, in terms of name and party colours, got the nerve to state in an interview that the level of mediocrity in President Mills’ administration was striking hence the decision of some disgruntled elements within the NDC to breakaway to form the so-called NDP.

The interim chairman of the NDP, Dr. Josiah Aryeh, was quoted as saying that it was incredible that the NDC which has a pool of talented, competent, good people would constitute a government with people of doubtful caliber and quality.

“If you check the bona fides of some of these people, you hardly have anything worth talking about in terms of background, in terms of even [experience] so you’ve got to ask yourself why should we have a party given the opportunity to enlist from the broad generality of Ghanaians rather not give the best of itself, “ Josiah Aryeh added. Josiah Aryeh however did not have the guts to name those with doubtful characters who are serving in President Mills’ government.

I am appalled that Josiah Aryeh is talking about the background of officials serving in the Mills’ administration when he has no credibility at all. For the benefit of readers, Dr. Nii Armah Josiah Aryeh was suspended as general secretary of the NDC after it was proven by a committee set up by the NDC that he took a bribe from the NPP and promised to defect to the party. It would be recalled that in the run-up to the December 7, 2004 elections, Dr. Aryeh Nicodemously met some NPP folks, led by Mr. Stephen Ntim, the then first vice-chairman of the NPP at the house of Nii Owoo at East Legon in Accra. During the said meeting Aryeh complained about issues in the NDC and expressed his desire to defect to the NPP. Buoyed by this information, Mr. Ntim gave Dr. Aryeh, a law professor a paltry sum of $3,000 to take care of his personal financial difficulties.

Dr. Aryeh after collecting the money from the NPP went about criticizing the NPP. This attitude of his did not enthuse the NPP which went ahead to expose his evil deeds. The NDC immediately set up a three-member committee led by Mr. Alban Bagbin, which presented its interim report. The stinking report led the NDC’s functional executive committee to suspend Dr. Aryeh.

Do you know what Dr. Aryeh said after his suspension? That he was set up by the NPP. I was surprised when he said that the NPP set him up to collect the $3,000 bribe to defect. Such a shameful individual would not go away and stop wasting our ears.

Today we have a disgraced, bribe-taking disgruntled person like Dr. Aryeh talking about mediocrity in the NDC. Lord Have Mercy On Us! We have a whole general secretary of a major political party who was bought for a measly sum of $3,000, now having the impetus of criticizing President Mills?

I guess President Mills is better off going with mediocre officials than bedding with bribe takers like Dr. Aryeh, who has no shame and today is moving from one radio station to the other and talking as if he is the monarch of all that he surveys.

I will not be surprised if Dr. Aryeh after getting a firm grounding in the NDP goes ahead to sell the party for peanuts. I wish the NDP good luck but with people like Dr. Aryeh in the helm of affairs in the NDP, the party is already a recipe for disaster.

http://majjacks80.blogspot.com magjackson80@yahoo.com