An opportunity to serve ones country is one that must be considered as a privileged and a responsibility imposed upon one by God. Any attempt to use that position to subvert or steal in the name of service is an upfront in the sight of God.

Since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) came into power in 2009, members of the party have never done any positive single thing to itself than to remind members how comfortable and interesting opposition was for them and how desperate they are to go back.

From backbiting and shooting themselves in the foot to open confrontation between members, lives one wonders if they are interested in winning the up-coming elections.

Then entered Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and her blind and audacious ambition of leading the NDC for elections 2012, by challenging President John Evans Atta Mills in duel.

Since then, the party had never looked back in its quest to go back to opposition. Growing up and when I became conscious of politics in this country. I have come to a firm conclusion that the party best suited for opposition is the New Patriotic Party (NPP), but is my perception shaping now because of what is happening in the NDC?

After the Sunyani congress, tensions seemed to be simmering and taking shape until the biggest scandal to ever hit any government in Ghana came to light, which has now become known as the ‘Woyomegate’ ’ and the issue of the judgment debt.

Was someone sleeping on the job? Did some people renege on their responsibility? Because the fact out there as revealed by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), clearly betrayed the competence and capacity of some public officials who were ma ndated to protect and defend the interest of the good people of Ghana. Things have fallen apart and things do not seem to hold, from bad it is getting to worse with every passing day in the NDC.

My problem with the NDC really is that there seem not to be any form of control or what I will call a rallying force, around whom everybody and everything revolves.

There is no one to call people to order, when they go astray. The party is in a leadership paralysis. I have always and still want to ask where the party Chairman Dr. Kwabena Adjei and the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah alias General Mosquito are.

The President is saddled with a lot of economic and social problems that the NDC inherited from the NPP. His attention is needed in the day-to- day running of the country. And so the responsibility of bringing some sanity to the NDC extends beyond the President. The leadership of the party must step in and take charge of the party.

Since the Woyome or judgment debt brouhaha broke out, the party has never spoken with one voice and surprisingly enough when even the opposition NPP have had enough of the Woyome saga, the NDC are resurrecting the issue with Press Conferences and Press releases, accusing and pointing fingers at each other. There is this growing sense of betrayal and lack of trust with everybody looking over their shoulders to see who is doing what and who is masterminding what against whom.

The arrival of Betty Mould Iddrisu to the office of the Attorney-General (A-G), a distinguished woman and patriot of all time; I still hold her in high esteem; I believe Madam Betty had an intellectual prowess, discipline, good spirit and mind to change the weave of corruption and indiscipline in the country; unfortunately, her inability to put any member of the erstwhile NPP government, despite all the promises and pronouncement, seriously diminished all her efforts, to satisfy party faithful and well-meaning Ghanaians who expected more from her. To the extent that Madam Betty had to cry for sympathy, when the media sympathetic to the ruling government descended on her, demanding for her head. Madam Betty Mould Iddrisu, former A-G and Minister of Education (MOE), who superintend over the payment of the so-called gargantuan judgment debt, would not also let matters rest and allow the courts to take its course.

Being the former A-G, and a lawyer of good standing, and represented by a Former Chief Of Staff, Ato Dadzie, I expected her and her legal team to be a little decorous and circumspect in their responses to some of the allegations or otherwise statement made by groups and individuals mentioned to have received the payment.

Only last two week, Waterville held a ridiculous press conference to state their involvement in the construction of the stadia and the subsequent judgment payment made to them by both the previous NPP administration and the current government.

The press conference only exposed how dubious their claim was; they only left many unanswered questions on the minds of Ghanaians.

Not too long after their press conference, lawyers for Madam Betty Mould issued a statement in reaction to the press conference held by Waterville. This was as it was to dissociate her from the payment made to Waterville and to justify or explain her role when she was the A-G.

Before I could say what pettiness is this? The office of Alfred Agbesi Woyome also issued a statement ostensibly to discount and challenges the claims by Waterville. In the first place what are they challenging because to the minds of many Ghanaians Waterville did not fully exhaust the nagging questions still lingering in the minds of Ghanaians. Or are they responding to the fact that Waterville failed to tell the truth.

By Waterville disowning Mr. Woyome, does not exonerate them from any further liability that the government might deem fit to level against them, neither does it mean they don’t have questions to answer to the good people of this country. Mr. Woyome can also not suddenly find cover under the cloak of Waterville’s vile and unco-ordinated claims, the earlier he also puts his acts together the better. The press releases are becoming one too many.

An innocent man does not talk too much. The fact speaks for him.

All of us are sympathizing with him (Woyome) regardless of the merit or otherwise of his claims and subsequent incarcerations. But to abuse our sympathy by further dragging everybody who also has a side to the story down with him, would eventually rob him of all that sympathy and at the end of it all, NDC would be the loser.

When you are drowning, you don’t hold onto ants infested straw, and neither do you attempt to pull everybody on your way down with you. Reason must inform everything they do, so that at the end of it all the NDC party will come out more united.

We have all subscribed to the rule of law, our courts are constitutionally mandated to adjudicate on such matters, I entreat the legal team of Alfred Agbesi Woyome and Madam Betty Mould Iddrisu not to turn the radio stations into law courts by answering to every call and in the end even exposing their strategies to the States prosecutors.

Finally, the NDC as a party all though was the vehicle that brought this government into office, it is imperative that they also rally behind their people. Whether or not both Betty and Woyome are guilty or not, they are still members of the party. The party is fast establishing a tradition that hitherto did not exist in the party, a tradition of hanging their own out to dry. The attempt to distance the party and crucify members who fall out with the party or are in some kind of trouble is not healthy in building a united and sustainable party.

The NPP from all indications are desperate for power, and will do anything so far as that will guarantee that they win this year’s election. Are you (NDC) ready for opposition?

Members of the party must not allow themselves to be blinkered by the past but work towards a future free of suspicion.


Source: Bawa, Abdul Razak


Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here
