Opinions of Wednesday, 30 September 2015

Columnist: Listowell Nana Kusi-Poku

Open letter to President Kufour

Opinion Opinion

An Open Letter To H.E John Agyekum Kufour, Former President Of The Republic Of Ghana

Dear Mr. President,

I write with the maximum reverence to seek that you in your God's gifted wisdom call your successor Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the flag bearer of your party, New Patriotic Party, to order.

Your Excellency, I hope, if you have observed events very closely, you will notice that the very solid Ideological foundation that you, your predecessors and contemporaries laid which led to the formation of the New Patriotic Party, which I was a member, is uncontrollably trembling.

This I believe is as a result of bad leadership traits which I call "rulership" exhibited in the NPP after you handed over a very democratic political party that believed in the philosophy of Rule of Law to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. The attributes of rulership or bad leadership has deeply eaten into the good fruits of the solid and successful fruits of the NPP to the extent that it has moved from within its territory to national and unfortunately crossing borders of our beloved sovereign mother Ghana to International.

Your Excellency, it will surprise you to know that in a recent discussion with one of the ambassadors or foreign missionaries she described the NPP as a "notorious party" this I found so nerve-wracking.

Your Excellency, even though I think it would serve a good purpose to analyze the bad leadership character traits of your successor, I would, as a matter of importance and in the supreme interest of Ghana, want to stick to one thing that I find extremely dangerous for the future of this country of ours if not dealt with. This is about the precedent of demonstrating against the sovereignty of Ghana in another sovereignty.

Your Excellency, as we all know article 21(d) of the 1992 Constitution talks about "freedom of assembly including freedom to take part in processions and demonstrations. This means that as Ghanaians, we all have the fundamental right and freedom to demonstrate but the most worrying trend is demonstrating against the sovereign state of Ghana in another sovereign state.

Your Excellency, In resent times demonstrations have been organised by Ghanaian NPP members who have direct links with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo against the state in other countries. Typical amongst them are the ones that were organised by the United Kingdom and Germany branches of the NPP engineered by your flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. These unjustified demonstrations have given bad names to the country and if not stopped can decrease the hard won reputation of your party and the supreme interest of Ghana down.

Your Excellency, these demonstrations in other countries are mostly planned when the presidents of Ghana travel outside the country to seek positive and greener pastures for the country. In some cases the events are well orchestrated to present a very bad picture of Ghana to the international world.

Your Excellency, the big question is; how can someone who aspires to be the president of this sovereign country decide to draw the hard won good image of Ghana into the mud internationally?

Your Excellency, I hope you remember the last event of picketing the Electoral Commission to present a petition for a request for a new voter register that the Let My Vote Count Alliance in collaboration with the Alliance For Accountable Governance staged a few days ago.

Prior to the day for the demonstration, there were very bad communication pieces that were on the airwaves that sought to suggest nothing but lawlessness, recalcitrance, hooliganism and all the bad adjectives from leader of Let My Vote Count Alliance, Alliance For Accountable Governance, Movement For Change and NPP over their disagreement with the Police Service.

The Ghana police had insisted that the Electoral Commission and the Parliament house could not be the destination of the demonstration and had even gone further to court to secure an injunction restraining the picketers from using some particular routes. In fact, it is sad that the unfortunate thing happened causing someone his eye.

Your Excellency, I primarily and principally blame Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for all that which happened. This is because all these NPP groups were out there championing for what he Nana Addo had proposed and that their actions were to second his motion of the call for the new voter register therefore when they were out there arguing over simple directives from the Police that is the enforcer of the Law, he, Nana Addo, should have called them to order.
Your Excellency, to the best my amazement, it was not the case. After the clash he, Nana Addo, was so quick to blame everything on the Police Service without even finding out what really happened or transpired or what triggered the police to use what they describe as a minimum force. The questions I asked myself were;

How come a father whose children have gone out to face this brutality will not first ask his children why they were beaten and would just conclude on the presumption that the police does like his children?

Could it not have been prudent for the father to have asked the children whether they went wrong?

And further go to the police to ascertain what really necessitated their action?

Doesn't what he has put out there suggest that he is condoning and supporting the lawlessness of his children?

Your Excellency, as you are now a statesman I hope it would be fair to ask if this attitude can be a good attribute of a leader?

Your Excellency, despite all that which happened in the previous event, The of Let My Vote Count Alliance, Alliance For Accountable Governance, Movement For Change and NPP groups are still in the media shouting wanting to demonstrate again and Your Excellency, they are still using very foul and daring languages that are very provocative. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo still sits unconcerned. My fears are that the police willty per their training, not leave the demonstrators to do what they want and that can as well render the upcoming event bloody too.

Your Excellency, the information I have indicates that NPP members living in the United Sates have been organised by the LMVCA to demonstrate against the president at the UN assembly and petition the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations over police brutalities against Let My Vote Count Alliance demonstrators.

Your Excellency, as the saying goes "uneasy lies the head that wears the crown". As the most successful person in the UP tradition to have taking the mantle of leadership and brought the tradition from the over 30 year opposition agony, and successfully shown the people of Ghana some difference in leadership, even though I believe it is a very herculean task to call Nana Addo to order, I believe that with your quality good leadership traits you are more than better a person best fit for the discharge of this duty in the interest of mother Ghana.

Mr. President, At least if he would not listen, he should keep all the poor leadership traits in the NPP or home i.e. Ghana but to go the extra mile to disgrace the sovereignty of Ghana in the international world would rather deepen the worsening of his (Nana Addo) image and that of the party that you, your contemporaries and predecessors toiled and built without his (Nana Addo’s) sweet.

Mr. President, I am hoping and praying that you help save the situation before it gets worst.

For GOD and Country

………………………

LISTOWELL NANA KUSI-POKU

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

Cc.

NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL

ALL POLITICAL PARTIES CHAIRMEN AND GENERAL SECRETARIES

OTUMFOUR OSEI TUTU II

MEMBERS OF COUNCIL OF ELDERS; NPP