ET Mensah
The plot to expel veteran politician, Enock Teye Mensah, popularly called ET Mensah, from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is ticking by the day.
He has already been reported to the party’s leadership for disciplinary action to be taken against him because of what a petitioner has claimed is ‘anti-party behaviour’.
The approach to get ET Mensah, who is now a member of the Council of State, appears to be similar to the treatment meted out to first, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, their former Central Regional Chairman, and later, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, their former Deputy General Secretary, who both dared to publicly point out some of the faults in the NDC.
The NDC has been on collision course with all members who do not agree with some of the decisions and the direction the opposition party is taking to recapture power after they were booted out of office in the December 2016 general election.
ET’s ‘Sin’
ET Mensah’s ‘sin’ is that he had dared to correct the misinformation and propaganda that the NDC was spreading concerning the $200 million Saglemi Housing scandal for which five people including two ministers who served under the Mahama-led NDC administration have been arraigned before the court for willfully causing financial loss to the state among other charges.
It was during his time as the Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing (MWRWH) in the administration of the late Prof. John Evans Atta Mills that the Saglemi housing project was initiated, and when the NDC tried to give a narrow scope of the project and also created the impression that it was Mr. Mahama’s initiative, ET Mensah sought to set the records straight.
Propaganda Machine
Following the filing of charges against Alhaji Collins Dauda and the four others by the Attorney General over the Saglemi scandal, NDC Communications officer Sammy Gyamfi claimed that ET Mensah as the then minister, agreed that the project will be constructed in four phases and that the $200 million was supposed to be used for just a phase per the scope of the contract.
He even claimed that $200 million approved by Parliament for the project excluded the cost of a serviced plot of land with roads, water, electricity, drains, sewage systems, and other ancillary facilities for the smooth takeoff of the project, and that because the government did not have any funds to fall on to discharge these responsibilities, the decision was taken by the ministry to use part of the approved amount of the project for the necessary ancillary works.
Sammy Gyamfi’s statement indicated specifically that “Since government did not have any funds to fall on to discharge these responsibilities, the decision was taken by the ministry to use part of the approved amount of the project (US$200 million) for all the necessary ancillary works to pave way for the construction of the housing units and to make the project site a commercially viable and habitable community,” adding that “This is what informed the decision by the ministry to do the project in phases, as the Minister, Honourable. E. T. Mensah had already intimated to Parliament. Clearly, the 5,000 houses could not be built at a go.”
Incensed ET
The NDC propaganda incensed ET Mensah, who fired back and exposed the party by saying that most of the issues raised in the NDC statement were bare-faced lies.
“The plan was 5,000 houses, first phase. It is a lie. It wasn’t going to be built in four phases. I was not involved in any phasing system. We knew that we wanted to build, that is 5,000 houses to be built for workers, and it was approved; executive approval was given and Parliament approved it, so if anything at all, If I wanted to change something, I had to go through the same process again,” he said on Good Evening Ghana hosted by Paul Adom-Otchere last week, and added “How can people lie like this?”
Barrage of Insults
Immediately ET Mensah exposed the NDC, some of the party’s youth started a barrage of attacks on the person of the veteran politician on social media, calling him all sorts of names and asking the party’s leadership to expel him.
In the ensuing heat, one of the party’s youth, Benjamin Essuman, filed a petition against ET Mensah who was once the NDC MP for Ningo Prampram where the Saglemi Housing project is located, saying he (ET) “extremely misconducted himself as a leading member of the party and therefore must suffer the consequences thereof.”
“I write as the NDC Branch Secretary of New City Lodge B, Taifa, in the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, and hereby invoke my rights under Article 49(1) of the party’s constitution which states: “Any member who has reasonable grounds to believe that another member or other members of the Party are in breach of the provisions of Clause 8 of Article 48, may lodge a petition in writing to an appropriate Executive Committee for redress.”
“Mr. Chairman, I bring to your attention that on 3rd August 2021, a former National Youth Organiser of the party who was the Minister of Youth and Sports, and who is (sic) a former Minister of Employment, former Minister of Works and Housing, and also former NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram between 1993 and 2017, Hon. Enoch Teye Mensah extremely misconducted himself as a leading member of the party and therefore must suffer the consequences thereof.”
He claimed in the petition that ET Mensah breached Article 48(1) and (8) of the NDC Constitution, especially with Article 48(8), and that his supposed anti-party conduct or activities embarrassed the party and brought the party into hatred, ridicule, or contempt.
Crucifying ET
He said ET Mensah “made presentations that did not only contradict the official position of the party, but he did injure the reputation of the NDC party and its leading members.”
In the petition, the claimant said ET Mensah should be punished because he (ET) said on Metro TV that Sammy Gyamfi as a party officer had lied in the statement he issued.
“Mr. Chairman, I am alarmed and feel humiliated by the conduct of Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah, which has scandalised the peaceful and progressive state of the NDC. In my reading of Article 47 of the Party’s constitution which deals with the code of Conduct for Party members, I find the conduct of Hon. Enoch Teye Mensah to be in direct conflict with 47(a), 47(b), and 47(e),” adding “Mr. Chairman, by going on national television to oppose the contents of a statement issued by a national officer and much so describing the National Communication Officer and others as spreading ‘lies’ Hon. Enoch Teye Mensah did not ensure ‘the unity and cohesion of the Party’.”
Koku Fire
Following the petition, Koku Anyidoho whom the party claims he has been expelled reacted, saying “what is more anti-party conduct that sharp teeth babies insulting elders at the behest of a cult character? What is anti-party conduct than destroying the image of the party by lying that you won elections when you have no collated results? They will fall on their own evil swords soon.”
He also said in another social media post that “the obnoxious constitution of the NDC which has been subjected to arbitrary and capricious abuse over the years shall be tested vis (sic) the supreme constitution of 1992, in a court of competent jurisdiction.”
By Ernest Kofi Adu