Politics of Friday, 24 September 2010

Source: Daily Post

How NPP plans to kick NDC out of power

That the NPP is miles ahead of the NDC when it comes to adopting and implementing
Machiavellian solutions to political issues goes without saying. And, they get the
desired results. Thus, if the NDC is to retain power after the 2012 elections, its
leadership needs to sit up and beat the NPP at its own game.

Currently, intelligence picked up by the Daily Post indicates that the NPP, as part
of its plans to oust the NDC from government, intends to use the many identifiable
organizations in the country against the ruling party.

Their modus operandi is going to be simple; get as many members or supporters of the
NPP into executive positions in the identifiable organizations who would adopt
uncompromising stance towards the Mills government when negotiating on labour
issues. After ensuring that negotiations break down, they would lead their
unsuspecting members to embark on sit down strikes and demonstrations.
The strikes and demonstrations would not be aimed only at paralysing the Mills
government but also portraying it as one that is not capable of taking care of
workers.
The media, which is largely pro-NPP, will be at hand to ensure that news and
information regarding the strikes and demonstrations will not favour the Mills
government.
Some of the identifiable bodies in Ghana which are targets of the NPP plan include
the Trades Union Congress (TUC), National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) Polytechnic
Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students
(GNUPS), Civil Servants Association (CSA), Civil and Local Staff Association of
Ghana (CLOGSAG) Maritime & Dockworkers Union (MDU) and Ghana Union Traders
Association (GUTA).
Others are the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana Registered Nurses Association
(GRNA), the Tema Districts Council of Labour (TDLC), the Ghana National Association
of Teachers (GNAT) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) among
others.
Already, the NPP has some of its members working in some of these associations. A
notable example is the Civil Service Council which has a Mr. Richard Bampoh Addo as
a member. Bampoh-Addo also happens to be the NPP’s Polling Station Chairman for the
Kaneshie one & four Primary Schools in the Kaneshie-Awudome Electoral Area in Accra.
His membership of the Civil Service Council is a clear violation of the Civil
Service rules which forbids members to engage in party politics. Intelligence picked
up by the Daily Post indicates that he is behind the current CLOGSAG agitation
against the Single Spine Salary and the vulgar attacks against the Minister for
Employment, Hon. E.T. Mensah.
NUGS, a few weeks ago, became an appendage of the NPP when the latter sponsored one
Anthony Afriyie Abotsi to vie for the vacant NUGS President position at this year’s
congress of the student body held at Wa.
The NPP, according to intelligence picked by this paper, spent huge sums of money on
Abotsi’s campaign. The party’s National Youth Organiser, Anthony Kabo, was in Wafor
many days making sure that the NPP favoured candidate won the elections.
The NDC, instead of realizing the dangers inherent in having a pro-NPP NUGS
President and ensuring that it does not become reality simply was nowhere to be
found.
Now, the NPP, as part of its invidious agenda, has NUGS firmly under wraps and would
be using it effectively next year to cause disaffection for the Mills government
next year.
Already, the new NUGS President has began dancing to the tune of the NPP by issuing
a one sided statement that calls on the Deputy Youth Coordinator of the National
Youth Council, Prince Derrick Adjei, to resign from office after he replied gay
allegations against him by the UK/IRELAND branch of the NPP with gay allegations of
his own against some NPP honourables.
During the Kufuor years, from 2001 to 2008, the ruling NPP succeeded in getting
their supporters and members into executive positions of the various identifiable
bodies in the country. Those who were not members or sympathisers of the NPP were
corrupted to ensure that they tow the line of the Kufuor government to the detriment
of their members. As a result, there was no labour agitation against the NPP
government. The few that occurred were sabotaged.
NAGRAT, and to a little extent, the GMA, were the only organizations that raised
their voices against the Kufuor government for the low salaries and other working
conditions of their workers. The once vociferous TUC, led by Mr. Adu Amankwa, became
a toothless bulldog. GNAT, through its General-Secretary, Irene Adanusa, was kept on
a leash by the NPP to the extent that even when the NPP government refused to pay
salaries of striking teachers, there was not even a whimper from the teachers’ body.
All these organizations, which went into hibernation once the NPP was in power are
springing back with vengeance with NPP apologists in executive positions ready to
make Ghana ungovernable for the Mills government.