By: Otchere Darko

I sit in front of my laptop and browse through Ghanaweb News Archives for last week’s, or couple of weeks’ news. And piece by piece, I seem to be reading George Orwell’s “Animals Farm” in a human version, and with a new name: “Mills’ 2010-Ghana”. EVERY BAD NEWS I READ KEEPS DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPING UNTIL, FINALLY, ITS POINTER LANDS ON THE “SNOWBALL BEHIND ALL PROFESSOR MILLS’ PROBLEMS”. I copy here below some of these staggering and bemusing self-destructing developments that are unfolding around the Mills administration......developments which, like in all dramatic ironies, the Learned Professor is seemingly unaware of: -

(1)“Konadu's campaign posters” drama:

(i) *A group calling itself Foot Soldiers of the ruling National Democratic Congress has started a campaign to put forward former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings as presidential candidate for the party. [Ghanaweb General News General News of Sunday, 24 October 2010 Source: peacefmonline]

(ii) *NANA KONADU PLEASE SAVE THE NDC The movement for NANA KONADU AGYEMAN-RAWLINGS 2012 Presidency *wants to reiterate its stance regarding our clarion call on the former First Lady of Ghana to save the NDC by coming out to bear the NDC flag towards the 2012 general elections. ...... ....... .........

*We have not heard a response to our call from the former First Lady. We have made frantic efforts to meet her and to convince her. But there are forces that are preventing us from reaching her. We only hope she hears us as we talk in the news. She must heed to the call of the foot soldiers. We call on former President Rawlings to inspire her and encourage her to hear the call of us the foot soldiers. We want to call also on all individuals, groups and organizations who agree with us to stand up and speak for a new movement. They must join us to move in our original direction by supporting this movement. We hope Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings will not disappoint the teaming masses of our party who are yearning to see her restore hope.
Signed: Henry Oware
P.R.O (Movement for Nana Konadu 2012)
0244784524 [Ghanaweb; General News of Sunday, 24 October 2010]


(iii) *The Central Regional Communications Director of the NDC, Ben Allotey Jacobs, alleges it is the desire of some NDC elements within the party that the NDC goes back into opposition. [Ghanaweb General News of Monday, 25 October 2010 Source: peacefmonline*


(iv) The ruling National Democratic Congress's General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah is asking former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings to dissociate herself from campaign posters seeking to promote her candidature for the 2012 general elections. *The posters, sponsored by a group calling itself the foot-soldiers of the National Democratic Congress, claim the time is up for Nana Konadu to take over the party. [Ghanaweb General News of Tuesday, 26 October 2010 Source: Joy Online]



(v) *The General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito has described the raging leadership squabble within the party as a “dangerous suicide mission” that has the potential of tearing the party apart ahead of the 2012 elections.*The NDC is currently in a crisis of some sort, following growing agitation from some foot soldiers for delegates to replace President Mills with former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings as flagbearer for the 2012 polls. [Ghanaweb General News of Wednesday, 27 October 2010 Source: citifmonline



(vi) *Two supporters of the New Patriotic Party in the Eastern Region have been arrested by the police for allegedly circulating posters of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.*The District Chief Executive of the Kwahu East who is also the chairman of the District Security Council caused the arrest of the two men, Friday.*According to him, stocks of posters were found at the New Patriotic Party constituency office in Abetifi. [Ghanaweb General News of Sunday, 31 October 2010 Source: Joy Online]



(vii) *Koforidua, Nov. 1, GNA - Two people, found pasting posters of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, former First Lady, as a presidential candidate for the 2012 elections, have been arrested by the Eastern Regional Police to help in their investigations.*The two, Nana Oboadie Opambour Boateng, the New Juaben South constituency Parliamentary candidate of the People's National Convention (PNC), for the 2008 elections, and a New Patriotic Party (NPP)activist of the Abetifi Constituency, Kweku Afrifa. [Ghanaweb; General News of Monday, 1 November 2010; Source: GNA]


(2)“Kintampo 'mass rape'....”drama:

(i) *Armed robbers forced male passengers aboard a Tamale-bound bus from Accra a fortnight ago to have sex with female passengers after robbing them of virtually everything.
*The horrifying experience occurred on Monday, October 11, 2010 between the hours of 1am and 2 am at a spot near Kintampo where the armed robbers struck. [Ghanaweb General News of Thursday, 28 October 2010; Source: Joy Online]

(ii) *President John Evans Atta Mills has expressed utmost disgust at the recent spate of robbery cases in the country making special reference to the Tamale-Kintampo road incident during which some passengers were allegedly forced to have sex with each other, including a man and his daughter.
*The President met with his security chiefs on Friday, October 29, to ascertain the veracity of the story or otherwise and charged them to declare war on crime in the country. [Ghanaweb General News of Friday, 29 October 2010; Source: citifmonline]

(iii) *The presidency together with security chiefs have cast doubts on reports of armed robbers forcing the mass rape of passengers aboard a Tamale-bound vehicle two weeks ago.
*According to Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications at the Presidency, they are convinced the report was made up..... ....... .........
*“And so His excellency the president has instructed the police the military and security services to dig into this matter. Whoever or which persons are behind this attempt to disgrace the nation must be brought to book.”
*“The president is 'red-eyed' on the matter,” he said, adding "this matter will be pursued to its logical conclusion for those who want to destroy this nation, not only be exposed but disciplined appropriately." [Ghanaweb; General News of Saturday, 30 October 2010; Source: Joy Online]

(iv)*The woman at the centre of the Kintampo mass rape and armed robbery incident has been picked up by the Police to assist with investigations.
*Amina Mohammed was picked up together with an Adom FM reporter who broke the story..... ...... ......
*Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications at the Presidency told press men; “very extensive investigation has it that this story is coming more than likely that this is a creation of some people who we don’t know.”
*“And so His excellency the president has instructed the police the military and security services to dig into this matter. Whoever or which persons are behind this attempt to disgrace the nation must be brought to book.”
*“The president is 'red-eyed' on the matter,” he said, adding "this matter will be pursued to its logical conclusion for those who want to destroy this nation, not only be exposed but disciplined appropriately." [Ghanaweb General News of Sunday, 31 October 2010; Source: Joy Online]

(v)*Another passenger is reportedly pregnant from the inhuman ordeal. The two suspects were picked up from the Tema-based radio station and dispatched to the CID headquarters in Accra for questioning last Saturday after police had initially rubbished the robbery claims..... ....... ........
*Yesterday, Kofi Adoma Nwanwani announced in a sort of ‘breaking news’ that he was saddened because a female passenger on the ill-fated bus had called to say that she had ‘missed’ her menstrual cycle because of the forced sexual intercourse inflicted on her by the armed robbers. He said he had so far spoken to three other persons including Amina’s mother and a certain Issaka who would speak to the radio station this week when he arrives from Tamale.
*‘I can tell you that a lady, a married woman called to inform us that she had missed her period as a result of the sexual intercourse she was forced to have with a male passenger and was scared her husband might divorce her if he found out,” Kofi Adoma said. When asked if she saw the father having sex with his daughter, she said she did not because she was engrossed in her own problems......... ......... ..........
*He remarked that Amina also mentioned to him that it was on the plea of the man who had sex with his daughter and others involved in the sex with his daughter and others involved in the sex saga that they lodged a report to the police but failed to mention the ‘rape’ scene because of the shame associated with the whole episode. [Ghanaweb; General News of Monday, 1 November 2010; Source: GNA.]

(vi)*According to Amina, the incident was reported at the Ejisu Police station but they did not report the rape as a result of an agreement reached by all the passengers not to talk about it for fear of stigmatisation...... ...... ......
*Amina’s detention and statements by the police which have sought to discredit Adom FM has created tension between the two sides.
*Already spokespersons for the government are claiming the radio station and its sister station Joy FM concocted the story narrated by Amina.

How can the stories above be the work of “enemies” outside or inside the NDC? *With respect to the “Konadu for President” story, we all know that it was, at the beginning, associated with a known group within the NDC youth with a known leader. So why has it suddenly become a seeming work of “enemies” outside [or even inside] the NDC, when such political developments, premature or otherwise, are part of democracy? What is so criminal about people calling on someone they have faith in to put herself forward for the NDC flagbearership that such a call should lead to people’s arrest by the police? *And with respect to the rape story, could these poor traders of clearly innocent Northern disposition be capable of concocting a “hoax” of this magnitude just to embarrass a Government whose “number-two man” is from the North? Or did the radio station that ran the story pay the women to “concoct” it? Why should the alleged rape victims be arrested even before any investigations had concluded that they were lying, when the police and the Government ought to know that victims of rape go through initial psychological traumas that make them shy away from the public? *And why does the NDC always come up with “conspiracy theories” of all sorts, not only to tarnish the image of their political opponents and some key members of their own party but, also, that of members of the Judiciary, which is a completely separate arm of State?

When uniformed leaders use crude tactics to get the chance to bully people they fear, we use “ku me preko” to challenge and defeat them. When civilian leaders use these same crude tactics to find seemingly lawful excuse to bully innocent people, we must oppose and defeat them via the rule of law. Irrespective of our individual political affiliations, all well meaning Ghanaians must oppose this newest form of political witch-hunting that is going on in Mills’ administration and which seems to be irrationally blaming people in the opposition parties; some people in NDC; as well as members of the bench; for everything that happens which the President and his supporters don’t like.....as if they believe that they can use this technique to distract Ghanaians from the real problems swallowing the Government. I do appeal to all Ghanaians of social standing and independent mind to, please, advise President Mills to stop listening to the people around him who are giving him the sort of negative advice that is gradually pushing, not only his NDC party, but the whole country down the slide and making us a laughing stock on a continent where we, Ghanaians, [arrogantly] claim to be the champions of democracy.

Source: Otchere Darko. [This writer is a centrist, semi-liberalist, pragmatist, an advocate for “inter-ethnic cooperation and unity” and a community-based development protagonist. He opposes the negative, corrupt and domineering politics of NDC and NPP and actively campaigns for the development and strengthening of “Third Parties” in Ghana.]