Opinions of Sunday, 3 August 2008

Columnist: BISHOP Dela

What NPP Is Actually Worried About In Election 2008

Fellow Ghanaians, do you all know that NPP has some very serious issues, which its members are very worried about? You would find out some of them soon by reading through this short article.

WHAT NPP IS NOT WORRIED ABOUT:

1. NPP is not worried at all about the eloquence of its presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo. In fact, members of NPP know that Nana Akufo-Addo can rattle the Queen’s language with such ease and, in such a special tongue that even if he mangles it, many ordinary Ghanaians would not notice it and would rather applaud him. NPP counts very much on this to confuse a lot of voters.

2. NPP is obviously not worried about Nana Akufo-Addo’s debating skills and ability to make electoral promises that would mesmerize a lot of Ghanaians and confuse them to vote for him as President. Nana Addo could promise to transform Ghana into something like a western developed nation within one year of his presidency and this may sound credible to a lot of voters. NPP counts very much on this ability of Nana to confuse a lot of voters.

3. NPP is not worried at all about Nana Addo’s campaign strategies. Members of NPP know very well that with the ever-dwindling fortunes of the party in this year’s election, Nana Akufo-Addo’s campaign team would adopt very dynamic and superior campaign strategies such as giant billboards, radio and TV commercials, beach parties for the youth, special campaign messages, online interactions, etc. to confuse a lot of voters that he is indeed, the best candidate for the nation.

4. It is not one of NPP’s worries that Nana Akufo-Addo would not get adequate media coverage. Indeed, the party can go to sleep knowing that the State media, including GTV, Graphic, Times and others would be heavily biased in favor of Nana Akufo-Addo to the detriment of the other candidates, and especially, Prof. Mills.

5. Undoubtedly, NPP is not worried in the least about campaign resources for Nana Akufo-Addo’s presidential bid. The party is in power and has been receiving kickbacks from major government contracts for 8 years. They have wasted millions of dollars to buy hotels for the President’s family; to build a Presidential Palace; to purchase Presidential jets; to celebrate Ghana @50; to produce national awards; etc. They have also made deals from Ghana Telecom/Telenor useless association; they are believed to have already made a big profit from the sale of GT to Vodafone; and there are several similar deals. Additionally, Nana Akufo-Addo and many of his NPP friends are well-connected with all kinds of international business people who are believed to be doling out cash to the campaign as if they are sharing popcorn to the homeless. We all remember the NPP primaries and how they spread hard cash. They are counting on their spending power to confuse a lot of voters that Nana Akufo-Addo is the best candidate for the presidency.

There are a few more issues that members of NPP are not worried about in this year’s election. Let’s, however, discuss their main worries. WHAT NPP IS ACTUALLY WORRIED ABOUT:

1. NANA AKUFO-ADDO’S RUMORED DRUG HABITS:

Top members of NPP are really worried about rumors of Nana Akufo-Addo’s drug habits, which he has not been able to deny several months after it has surfaced in the news media on radios and in newspapers. In the eve of NPP’s primaries last December, one top NPP discussant on Ghanaweb Say It Loud, who campaigns for NPP under the name of A.k.a. Kasapa, assessed all the top candidates in the race and made the following comments about Nana Akufo-Addo. "Stop smoking weed and you are in the running. Reduce you pompous attitude and you are in the top 3 candidates. Show that you are not greedy and you are the winner! But until then BACK OFF!" --- A.k.a. Kasapa

Anyone who cares to read A.k.a. Kasapa’s full comments about Nana Akufo-Addo and others can reach them through the following link:

http://sil.ghanaweb.com/r.php?id=3912953&thread=3912826

2. NANA AKUFO-ADDO’S PERCEIVED ARROGANCE:

Another serious issue that is bothering top members of NPP are Nana Akufo-Addo’s arrogance or perceived arrogance. Most Ghanaians believe that Nana Akufo-Addo is extremely arrogant because of his family background, which he would not stop referring to in his presidential campaign. If you look at A.k.a. Kasapa’s comments quoted above, you would notice that he lamented about Nana Akufo-Addo’s “pomposity.” Many Ghanaians have also heard NPP’s Kofi Coomson of Chronicle said that he would be unable to sleep for a single night if Nana Akufo-Addo became the President of Ghana. Kofi Coomson believed Nana Akufo-Addo was too arrogant and might abuse the office of the presidency.

Also, the campaign coordinator of Alan Kyeremanteng alluded to Nana Akufo-Addo’s arrogance and temperament in the following statement:

“MR. MICHAEL Ampong, Campaign Coordinator for Mr. Alan Kyerematen says Ghana will be plunged into chaos should the New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates consider Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo for the flagbearership slot of the party and eventually elected president.

According to him, the former Foreign Affairs Minister is arrogant, temperamental and hot-headed for the number one job of the land, the Presidency, and therefore, it will be suicidal for the NPP to parade him as its presidential candidate.”

CHECK THE STATEMENT FROM THE LINK BELOW:

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=135552

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, NPP’s chief advocate on Ghanaweb say It Loud, the popular and respected Kwaku Azar said the following about Nana Akufo-Addo just before the NPP primaries in Legon last year.

"At the verandahs and stadia, people are asking if [Nana Akufo-Addo] can verbally attack an MP and minsiter when he is not even the President, what will he do when he is the President? . . . .

The issue then is squarely whether the NPP or the country can afford a President who is perceived as arrogant . . . in the Castle, or wherever the brand new $75M India-built Presidential mansion will be located." – Kwaku Azar (NPP’s chief Advocate on Ghanaweb Say It Loud).

One can access Azar’s full comments on Nana Akufo-Addo through the following link: http://sil.ghanaweb.com/r.php?num=1&id=3448755&loc=0&thread=3448755

3. NANA AKUFO-ADDO’S PERCEIVED WOMANIZING:

There are a lot of stories in Ghana about Nana Akufo-Addo’s womanizing tendencies. So many people acknowledge this as an open secret, which is damaging to the reputation of Nana Addo. Not many are prepared to discuss this matter because they think it is his private life. Unfortunately, a presidential candidate does not have that much private life. Also, NPP’s chief advocate on Ghanaweb Say It Loud thinks that Nana Akufo-Addo’s trait for womanizing is an important issue especially when during his campaign for NPP’s nomination he alluded to his potency more than once. Kwaku Azar cautions Ghanaians as follows: “Nana's second problem is he has run an ineffective and incompetent campaign that has promoted his potence(sic) rather than his ideas and vision. In a race that was his to lose, he has, for unkwown(sic) reasons, failed to electrify the crowd like he did in 1998 choosing rather to emphasize worthless themes like his potence(sic). While the emphasis of potence(sic) was made in humor, serious political analyst are flabbergasted that a politician of his age, pedigree, and experience will emphasise, not once but twice, this potence(sic) which only start and fuel the speculation of lack of judgment, at best, and womanizing, at worst.

The issue then is squarely whether the NPP or the country can afford a President . . . who promotes his potence in the Castle, or wherever the brand new $75M India-built Presidential mansion will be located." – Kwaku Azar (NPP’s Chief Advocate on Ghanaweb Say It Loud).

FELLOW GHANAIANS, never mind that these top NPP members now wish to swallow their candid opinions about Nana Akufo-Addo and pretend that he is the best on the scene. They only have a bad case on hand. They are marketing a defective product, and they are using all kinds of tactics to confuse voters. They are now saying those matters they were previously concerned about are not the important issues in this year’s election. They are lying; these matters have always been important issues that have been splitting their minds. Read Kwaku Azar’s full comments on Nana Addo carefully and you would see that he is cautioning Ghanaians that being perceived as arrogant, and having been very childish in promoting his potency in the campaign, Nana Akufo-Addo is not the best guy for the job. Azar seems to be afraid that Nana Akufo-Addo may turn the $75M Presidential Palace into a brothel. I reproduce Azar’s full comments below:

"But Nana has two major problems. First, he is perceived as arrogant and having a bad temparement. While there is little evidence to support this perception, Nana's recent harsh verbal attack on Asabee in Parliament has only fuelled this perception. At the verandahs and stadia, people are asking if he can verbally attack an MP and minsiter when he is not even the President, what will he do when he is the President?

Nana's second problem is he has run an ineffective and incompetent campaign that has promoted his potence(sic) rather than his ideas and vision. In a race that was his to lose, he has, for unkwown reasons, failed to electrify the crowd like he did in 1998 choosing rather to emphasize worthless themes like his potence(sic). While the emphasis of potence(sic) was made in humor, serious political analyst are flabbergasted that a politician of his age, pedigree, and experience will emphasise, not once but twice, this potence(sic) which only start and fuel the speculation of lack of judgment, at best, and womanizing, at worst.

The issue then is squarely whether the NPP or the country can afford a President who is perceived as arrogant and who promotes his potence(sic) in the Castle, or wherever the brand new $75M India-built Presidential mansion will be located." – Kwaku Azar (NPP’s chief advocate on Ghanaweb Say It Loud). While NPP folks are trying very hard to stop Ghanaians from considering such character traits and habits of the personalities that are seeking the people’s mandate to become the President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo’s campaign has recently distributed flyers in the Northern Region to attack the character of Prof. Mills. The flyer allegedly called Prof. Mills names and described him as a failed father. At the same time, they are urging Ghanaians not to question the drug habit of Nana Akufo-Addo. They are urging Ghanaians not to question the womanizing habits of Nana Akufo-Addo. They are urging Ghanaians not to question Nana Akufo-Addo’s arrogance. NPP top hierarchy is very worried about these deficiencies of Nana Akufo-Addo and is working very hard for voters not to look at that direction. But, in light of the flyer Nana Addo’s campaign has released to attack the personality of Prof. Mills, I suggest as follows: If possible, one of the foreign branches of NDC must also sponsor the printing of flyers to be distributed to voters in Ghana. The flyers must merely rehash the words of the top NPP men that have been quoted extensively in this write-up. They have said a lot about Nana Akufo-Addo in a few words that would make a good campaign flyer for NDC. The only little addition I would suggest for the flyers to contain is:

1. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians how he feels about Kufuor's NPP govt.'s $75M Presidential Palace when there is abject poverty in Ghana.

2. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians how he feels about the purchase of Hotel Kufuor by the President's family 2 years into his term of office.

3. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians how he feels about spending $15M on national awards of which President Kufuor wears a 33,000 pounds worth in his neck.

4. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians if indeed it is true that some NPP women from Dzorwulo had been arrested with drugs but were released when he was the Attorney General.

5. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians how he feels about the purchase of presidential jets at the cost of millions of dollars at this time.

6. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians about why it is necessary to sell Ghana Telecom just 5 months before election.

7. To challenge Nana Akufo-Addo to personally tell Ghanaians what exactly NPP government had contracted Telenor to do at GT, and which has plunged the company into huge debts. I will pause here for now. Next, I shall scrutinize the fairness or otherwise of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) in the presidential debates they are organizing. NPP WILL GO!

BISHOP Dela

efodela@bishop.com