We call for a groundswell of opposition against all forms of politics of division, especially as the country prepares for Election 2024.
There is always heightened tension at this stage of electioneering but beyond the agitation, trading in party merchandise picks up, boosting the local economy across the country.
With over 30 years experience in the practice of democracy, the players should have by now mastered the craft such that the negative and destructive tendencies should have been left behind. Ghana’s democracy can no longer be said to be fledgling.
We are a matured democracy now and the ethos of the practice must be at our fingertips. Politics is not a dirty game. It is those who play it who make it look undignifying. Unfortunately, the people who call themselves founding fathers or elders of political parties do not set good examples for the youth to follow.
The stock in trade of such characters is to insult those they disagree with instead of using the force of argument to win over people to side with their points of view. Such characters can be found everywhere but unfortunately they have found “home” at the headquarters of the NDC.
These apparatchiks have perfected propaganda using the skills of Goebbels to such an extent most rural folks are buying into their misinformation. That is the more reason why people like Sammy Gyamfi, Martin Kpebu and Professor Gyampo, instead of using the media platform they get to inform and educate the people, they use it to lead the flock astray.
They will not only lie but insult and even smear the President of the Republic. We serve notice to expose them if Ghanaians would allow Sammy Gyamfi to call people miscreants because of a mere allegation by a “sour grape”.
The Communications Officer of the NDC is a proud member of the Bar but he could not advise Prof Frimpong Boateng to respond boldly to the allegations he made against members of government when called upon to do so.
In the case of their new friend, who now is their hero because he and others find it convenient to piss into NPP matters from outside to lubricate the NDC’s rescue agenda, the law Sammy Gyamfi learnt does not apply.
Perhaps, the NDC thinks Ghanaians are truly forgetful. If that were not the case would the NDC be making a case against galamsey after their leader, John Mahama promised to release convicted galamsey operators if he was voted back to power in 2020.
At a rally at Mpohor in the Western Region, in October 2020, Mahama promised to grant amnesty to all small scale miners imprisoned under the Nana Akufo-Addo’s government if he won the December 7 presidential election. He told the chiefs and people that, “It is sad. The government said it was fighting galamsey, and they arrested, prosecuted, and jailed Ghanaians who were engaged in that activity but left the Chinese woman (Aisha Huang).” This promise by Mahama cannot be realistic but hypocritical and meant to score cheap political points. The fight against galamsey is a step in the right direction and can be won if we all, irrespective of our political parties, put our shoulders to the wheel. The galamsey operators, arguably with support from some chiefs and politicians, have defied all the attempt by the government to stop them.
The ravaging effects of galamsey have impacted negatively on cocoa production, agriculture, health, the environment and water bodies. The effects are abominable.
That is why the NDC must join in the fight to halt the operators instead of trying to court them for votes. We can assure the NDC that their style of promising galamsey operators to build bridges where there are rivers would come to haunt them.
Mahama during his tenure established many task forces to derail the activities of galamsey operators and showed his frustrations at the fight by describing Kyebi as the “headquarters of galamsey.”
The latest posture on galamsey, especially its defense of Frimpong Boateng, can only be awaited sepulcher.