– FINAL PART.
WHY THE CADRES LEFT NDC IN 1999 TO ORGANISE THE REFORM MOVMENT WHICH BECAME THE NATIONAL REFORM PARTY.

The NDC cadres said they acquisced in the sky rocketing of Professor Mills from OUTSIDE THE PARTY to become the President’s running mate in 1996 because the NDC party at that time had enough controversy on its hands.

The cadres pointed out that the political furore generated by President Rawlings ill – fated Vice President Arkaah was sufficient for any other pain in the heart to be stomached. During the heat of the 31st December Revolution in 1982 the then PNDC Chairman, J. J. Rawlings made a statement at Tema that in case of any eventuality at that time, Goosie Tannoh were to step in his shoes. It was ONLY Goosie who behaved honourably during the events that led to the formation of the NDC. In 1990 it became clear that the revolution and the pervasive powers it conferred on its activities would cease in 1992 when constitutional rule was to come into force where upon some of the revolution’s front liners came up with the idea of transforming the revolutionary apparatus into a political pary.

The then Chairman Rawlings told all the proponents of the idea that they should show their readiness to meet the prerequisite consistutional provisions and also commitment to the party idea by first resigning from their workplaces. Out of the lot, it was ONLY Goosie Tannoh who resigned as Financial Controller of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC).

Goosie Tannoh’s 2000 Presidential dream was short circuited by internal wranglings in the NDC that manifested in court actions aimed at seeing constituency and Regional party positions being taken by democratically elected party men prelude to the party’s last congress in Sekondi. When the cadres realised that party positions were being allocated in the homes of District Chief Executives, Ministers and the Party Head Quarters in Accra, they gave Goosie Tannoh an utimatum to leave the NDC and lead them in a New Party or find himself ALONE. Goosie could not ignore that utimatum because the cadres were the footsoldiers who constitute an advance party in political campaigns cadres were the people who killed the snakes before parliamentary candidates came to cut the heads of the snakes.

Political parties should provide avenues for growth by allowing democratic norms and principles to guide their own parctices. Dissent and intra-party competition is one of the surest vehicles for party rejuvenation it enhances the party’s chances of attracting virile membership, weeds out sycophancy and stiffles tyranny. By 1999, the NDC under President Rawlings had driven a huge nail in the coffin of democratic discipline and this was led by the former National Treasurer and Attorney General Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah who was always ordering people who wanted to contest the various positions in the party from Regional and National positions. Four of such examples were John Willian Agyekum who was asked to dump his Naional Organizer ambitions which led to a demonstration against Obed Asamoah, Nana Boateng Aboraa was asked by the same Obed to make way for Jacob Baba in the reckoning for Deputy General Secretary. Mr. Aboraa complained bitterly but to no avail and so it happened to Squadron Leader Clend Sowu who solemnly declared “Just” as it happened in 1994 in Kumasi, if one found himself in a situation where he wants to serve in a group, but people think other wise, then he has to step “down”. His dreams of becoming one of the NDC’s six vice chairmen had been shattered. The then Eastern Regional Women Organizer, Madam Faustina Offei gave vent to her frustrations and stated thus “What we are saying is that we want TRUE DEMOCRACY, but how democratic was the NDC under Rawlings and Obed Asamoah in 1999? Both of them were dreaded democratic dictators having used the cadres to win power from 1992 to 2000 after having used them and dumped them. President Mills has given appointments to most leading cadres in his administration, why won’t cadres throw thir weight behind him to achieve his Better Ghana Agenda? Dictatorship caused the NDC in 2000 and the two dictators were Jerry Rawlings and Dr. Obed Asamoah and it was the later who imposed several unpopular parlimentary candidates in the constituencies in 2000 and we lost power because the arrogance, greed and even disrespect to the cadres who made the party what it is today was too much to bear and cadres were fed up with their dictatorship.

Incidentally, Dr. Obed Asamoah was voted out at the NDC Regional Congress in Koforidua and he complained bitterly of dictatorship out of pique at not winning the Natinal Chairmanship Position, Dr. Obed Asamoah formed the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and was able to lure a few disgranted cadres to his new party using millions of cedis belonging to the NDC which he refused to account for after he was voted out from the NDC with imponity. Every cut – throat fears to lie flat on his back, so Dr. Obed Asamoah, was it a painful defeat in Koforidua or a sweet one there? I pause for an answer from you. The then President Rawlings, with political gravity and a splendid patri-archal figure in the NDC PROPOSED Professor Mills candidancy at the Swedru Declaration to pilot the NDC ship for the year 2000. No question, No contest, No noise, every NDC member and its cadres MUST remain DEAD SILENT or be compelled to remain SILENT by using the BNI to arrest dissenting cadres and dump them in cells and even military guard rooms – were the cadres regular soldiers in the army? No, so if today, your “ONLY BEGOTTEN SON” has now been elected as the President of the Republic of Ghana after suffering 2 electoral defeats in 2000 and 2004, why do you cry over spilled milk by describing the very person as a “Konongo Kaya”? If he is really a “Konongo Kaya”. It is you Jerry Rawlings who made him what he is today, so if President Mills is bad, Rawlings is worse and if President Mills is Worse, then Rawlings is the worst. Please stop insulting and condemning the sitting President in public because the man has suffered, sacrificed and was even prepared to die for the NDC party from 1996 – 2008. If you advise him and he refuse to listen, you have no right to insult and describe him as a “Konongo Kaya” who can not carry the load and will not allow ANYBODY to carry it. Please leave President Mills alone!

By the way, do you think that the cadres will allow you to impose ANOTHER candidate on the party as you did in 1996 at Agona Swedru again? Not at all and if you insist, the NDC will rather collapse as a party in this country in your presence before you finally die one day. You under-rated the intelligence of the revolutionary organs or the cadres in 1996 and 1999 – Have the cadres NOT been vindicated? Nobody made you the “Presidential Adviser, Nobody made you the Presidential Supervisor; Nobody made you the Senior President of the Republic of Ghana because the 1992 Constitution bars you. So simply stop insulting the President in public, because when people retaliate by also insulting you, we the cadres always feel ashamed and embarassed because those who always insult you are NOT EVEN QUALIFIED ENOUGH to polish your shoes and that of your wife, so please leave President Mills alone to focus on his Better Ghana Agenda and stop breathing over his neck.

President Mills is a God fearing man and he is so honest and patroitic political that if he is really very sick and cannot even see as ALLEGED BY HIS political opponenets, he will inform Ghanaians who elected him and serve only ONE TERM because of his alleged illness. Anything sort of that it is President Mill for 8 years and nothing else.

When the once United Friendly Forces in the NDC in 2008 have suddenly become Divided Enemy Forces now that we are in power – then we are in trouble and there is a serious work to be done. The utimate goal of individuals winning political power can only be guranteed if elections ae conducted in a manner that accords credibility, legitimacy for elections to be FREE and FAIR. President Mills is a lawyer and not a soldier so he cannot behave like you. Whatever be the case, President Mills has recognised the important role played by cadres and we hope he will continue with it, since cadres will NOT allow any future government to use them and DUMP THEM in the rubbish containers to be carried away by workers of the Zoom Lion Company into their refuse trucks and burnt with fire.

Is Dr. Omane Boamah, current deputy minister for Enviroment Science and Technology listening to what I have written in this article? How can you join the NDC as a political novice from NPP just yesterday and have the guts to tell Ghanaians that Rawlings is NOT the Founder of the NDC? Where were you all these years? You must APOLOGISE to Rawlings and his cadres or resign completely because a fool remains a fool whether he goes to University or not and will remain a fool until he dies finally to be buried as a DEAD FOOL, How dare you tell Ghanaians that Rawlings is not the Founder of the NDC? Is your father now the Founder of the NDC or what are you telling Ghanaians? You must get lost and bury your thick head in shame. Please for heaven’s sake, you must stop provoking cadres in the party by blindly attacking Rawlings, if you try it, the cadres will open fire on you. Is that very clear? Who Born Dog? If you HATE RAWLINGS, you must leave the NDC because Rawlings is a gem and must be preserved. In conclusion, whether President Mills is a “Konogo Kaya”, Anloga Kaya”, Tibani Kaya, Kumasi Kaya, “Wa Kaya” or “Sunyani Kaya” he is going UN-OPPOSED IN 2012 because he deserves it and the cadres will campaign for him to complete 2 terms in office. Well done, a good one there “Jaanbie Iwaii”. This is the END of the Rawlings story for now. I am done.

Aluta Continua!

……………………………
Clement Sangaparee
Municipal Organiser
United Cadres Front
Obuasi C/O Box 32
Distribution
All Media Houses
Obuasi

E-mail: clementsang@yahoo.com