I had a phone call yesterday, from a gentleman whose ire had been raised by yesterday's Ghanapolitics blog posting - in which I asked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to insist that both President Mills and Vice President Mahama step down from office now: and replace them with Martin Amidu as president, and Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, as the new vice president.
The aforementioned gentleman, demanded to know why I was asking for President Mills and Vice President Mahama to resign - and be replaced by Martin Amidu and Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.
Well, to begin with, since this is a nation in which altruism is almost extinct (and most people therefore invariably think that one has ulterior motives, in such matters - although one is acting for purely altruistic reasons), let me state that I have neither ever met nor spoken to either Martin Amidu or Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings before, in my entire life. And I have no desire to do so, either, actually.
And, no, being a journalist who refuses to sell his conscience at any price, I have also not been paid by anyone, to do a hatchet job on President Mills and Vice President Mahama, for anyone's benefit.
I simply want what's best for our country - which in a very real sense, will be at the crossroads, on the day of the presidential and parliamentary elections, in December 2012. At all costs, Nkrumah's Ghana must not be allowed to fall into the grasping hands of ruthless asset-strippers, elite-rip-off merchants and blood-thirsty tribal-supremacist politicians.
Above all, let me state that I am not secretly acting for the NPP either, when I call for President Mills and Vice President Mahama to step aside now - whiles there is still time for their NDC party to make a fresh start, when that happens.
On the contrary, my parallel thinking, in this instance, if acted upon by the NDC, will deny the NPP the certain victory that is now theirs to lose, if President Mills and Vice President Mahama were to be on the NDC ticket for that December presidential poll.
As those who know me will attest to, I have never hidden my loathing for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) - which I do with a passion that few of its most implacable opponents can muster.
That loathing, stems from the fact that unlike many, I actually do know what its true purpose is: to enable today's descendants of the pre-colonial ruling elites of a particular ethnic group in our country, to dominate Nkrumah's multi-ethnic Ghana, till the very end of time.
To a true Ghanaian patriot, that is an enterprise that is an abomination, pure and simple - in a nation of diverse-ethnicity, in which no one tribe is superior or inferior, to another. And this is 21st century Africa, after all - not the sodding Dark Ages.
And so, dear reader, I am not destroying President Mills and Vice President Mahama for anyone's benefit - surprising though that might be to some.
As it happens, I am a patriot and Progressive, who just wants our homeland Ghana to remain in the hands of the NDC - which, despite its many faults is a lessor-of-two-evils choice, and is at least more protective of the national interest, than the NPP, as presently constituted, can ever be.
Well, dear reader, in asking President Mills and Vice President Mahama to step aside, I am actually asking both of them to make what amounts to a supreme personal sacrifice for Mother Ghana's benefit (and by extension that of the NDC).
Alas, despite what their supporters might think or say, they are unelectable. Plain and simple. The plain truth, is that the dismissal of Martin Amidu, was a watershed event, which ushered in a new era in Ghanaian politics.
Virtually every ordinary Ghanaian who learnt about his dismissal, doubted the cynical explanation advanced by the government's communications team - to try and explain that foolish and short-sighted decision away.
Not surprisingly, it failed to do so - ordinary Ghanaians not being fools. It doomed Mills presidency permanently, and derailed his re-election chances too, alas.
To most Ghanaians, it is obvious that Martin Amidu was sacked for making public, the gargantuan crimes against Ghanaians and their nation, which he said were being committed by regime-insiders.
His dismissal made many ordinary people put the Woyome judgement-debt payment scandal, in a personal context. In their view, the nation-building contributions totalling tens of millions of Ghana cedis, made by scores of ordinary people paying their taxes regularly, and meant for common-good national development projects, had been unfairly handed over to one well-connected individual, in a conspiracy that amounted to high-level corruption to enrich a powerful and greedy few.
In the light of all the above, a Martin Amidu-Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings ticket makes a great deal of sense to an NDC party, facing eminent defeat at the polls in December, does it not, dear reader?
In one stroke, it enables the NDC to literally get a fresh start - and put all the Mills-Mahama negative baggage behind it.
The party can then campaign using a new narrative: A President Martin Amidu uniting Ghana through a government of national unity, comprising brilliant and honest individuals from all the political parties in the country.
And together with those patriotic politicians, that government of national unity, rooting out high level corruption in Ghana, once and for all - to enable the saved resources that hitherto would have ended up enriching a well-connected powerful few with greedy ambitions (to paraphrase President Nkrumah), to be used for common-good projects benefiting all Ghanaians, instead.
Thus, the question has to be: has the sense of judgement of the "greedy bastards" around President Mills and Vice President Mahama, been so distorted, by the Awoof-sikaa-waa-waa (easy money from dubious sources), which their ability to provide Osu Castle corridors-of-power access, to the wealthy crooks engaged in elite rip-off of our nation, earns them regularly, that they are enable to read the clear and very obvious signs that their candidate will be soundly defeated, in a landslide victory for the NPP's presidential candidate, were he to stand as the NDC's presidential candidate in that December poll?
And as evidence of his pulling power, have the NDC supporters of a Mills-Mahama ticket, not yet noticed, that so popular and highly regarded is Martin Amidu, that today, even New Patriotic Party (NPP) die-hards, openly acknowledge Mr. Amidu's sense of patriotism - and freely admit that they don't doubt his commitment to the fight against high-level corruption in Ghana: for which they admire him a great deal?
And do virtually all the discerning and independent-minded individuals in this country, who love Ghana so passionately that they are prepared to even die for her - and whose crucial swing-votes now elect Ghanaian presidents - not argue that Martin Amidu is a rare kind of Ghanaian politician, and a man of undoubted patriotism and integrity: who they believe can help end high-level corruption in Ghana?
With respect, between a Mills-Mahama NDC ticket, and a Martin Amidu-Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings NDC ticket, in a nation that has lost all faith in President Mills, because many feel that temperamentally he is not suited to lead Ghana (contrasted with Martin Amidu, who nationwide is regarded as a politician who is serious about fighting corruption, irrespective of who is involved), which particular NDC presidential ticket is most likely to attract sufficient swing-votes, to defeat the NPP ticket of Nana Addo Danquah Akufo-Addo and Bawumia, I ask?
Will a Martin Amidu-Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings NDC ticket, whose campaign theme ought to be "uniting Ghana in a coalition government of national unity - and working across party lines to prevent elite-rip-off, countrywide!" not be sufficiently attractive to Ghanaian voters, to guarantee a return to power of the NDC party, after the December 2012 elections?
That, dear reader, is why I believe that a Martin Amidu-Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings presidential ticket, is good for Ghana and good for the NDC. I do hope that all the well-meaning and honest NDC bigwigs, will listen to free good advice for once - and act swiftly to save their party from certain defeat. A word to the wise...
Tel (Powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network in Ghana, which actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.
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