Opinions of Saturday, 7 November 2015

Columnist: Akwah, Nana

An Floundering Government Risks Igniting Ethnic Tensions

Ghana’s political stability, often tested by ethnic and quasi-religious power struggle, faces a precarious year as rival political blocs wait for the most ticklish general election in the country’s history.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC), which has ruled Ghana a total of 16 years since the advent of the fourth Republic in 1992, must vie against the increasingly powerful opposition National Patriot Party (NPP).

NPP, led by a former Foreign Minister in President Kufuour’s government, looks to build on its 2012 success, when it stripped NDC and President John Dramani Mahama of a valuable two-thirds majority in parliament.

The election will be dependent on competing economic visions for the country and spotlight the country’s long-running policy of affirmative action for the unemployed and despondent populations.

NDC has institutionalized corruption and ethnocentrism. A crime by NDC goes un-investigated and unpunished and is usually covered up. The police, judiciary, army are used to prop up the corrupt, criminal and tribalism regime.

It is open secret NDC have stolen all the wealth of the country and when the citizens start complaining, the government will inevitably create a distraction by inciting tribal tensions and violence. These have been the modus operandi of the NDC crooks that have made Ghana a country of kleptocracy or ruled by thieves.

NDC and the other partner parties like National Reform Party (NRP), the EGLE Party, and PNC are partners in crime, corruption and tribalism. Be that as it may NDC exceeds everybody else in its evil, bullying and violent tendencies but quick lay blame on the opposition.

NDC is not only tribalistic and corrupt it is also a criminal organization that has exploited the tribal and religious issue to hoodwink the Ghanaians into accepting its misrule along with a dishonest electoral process which makes a mockery of democracy. NDC members are gangsters, criminals, thieves, thugs and parasites.

The “judgment debt” scandals have been the source of all sorts of questions about Ghana. There is a huge gap between how the government perceives the problems and that of the people and the international community.

What began as one simple question of how a bloated voter register has been compromised with the inclusion of foreign names has now turned into a tribal issue between Akans and non-Akans.

Even politicians, intellectuals and former NDC President and ministers who normally side with the government at critical moments felt uncomfortable that some quarters are manipulating what is largely an issue of un-explained source of voter register tampering, corruption, accountability, and governance into politics of ethnic group.

It appears that there are attempts to manufacture a crisis to defend the indefensible. Ghana has reached a tipping point. It can go either way. How sad! A promising country ruined by bad governance. Ghana has been misruled by P/NDC government for close to 27 years of our Independence.

NDC rule have been characterized by narrow-mindedness and bigotry, the breakdown of the rule of law, criminal intimidation, human rights abuses where those who oppose are denied their legitimate rights for nonconformity, education and jobs, intolerance, use of the police as assassins as a pretext under a spurious ‘public order act’ in the scandalous case of the barbaric assault and causing blindness in the LMVC participant Justice Adzakumah. Fouling the environment with its kleptocratic governance, money laundering and crimes against humanity. Ghana under NDC is gradually becoming a pariah poverty state in the eyes of discerning citizens and even in the comity of countries.

I am a true citizen, a patriot who have served our country. The NDC and surrogates must make no mistake, majority of Ghanaian reject bigotry and playing with fire when dealing tribal politics. This tribal politics is fan by few in NDC to try to divert attention on corrupt practice within the party and its leadership with no accountability.

Our people must realize and recognize that NDC has over the years been playing with sectarian and tribal fires to extend shelf life of corrupt regime. The country is going through pitiful period of conformist elite and academician attitude which not checked will gradually lead to standard playbook for corrupt regimes which is soon followed by civil war and failure of nation state.

The NDC positive discrimination continues play positive role with regards to unemployment that if not addressed to some extent, later may grow like cancer affecting the very system it intends to cure.

A similar positive discrimination did convert into political minefield in Kenya, Rwanda and Ivory Coast.

We must not think that nothing will ever happen. Also those who think the military is capable handling should be wary of such presumptions. It is the infiltration of insurgency that aggravates internal conflicts.