Pratt: No-One Can Silence Me; Not Even FONKAR

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has spurned threats by the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR) to open the skeletons in his (Pratt's) cupboard should he continue to undermine the presidential credentials of the former First Lady, pointing out that the decision to elect someone for the office of President is not the preserve of the pro-Rawlings group nor anyone else for that matter.

He has therefore vowed not to be cowed into silence over the issue of who wants to be President of the country.

“I am a citizen of this country and every member of this country ought to have an interest in who becomes president of the country. This is not a preserve of the NDC, FONKAR or any other political party,” he said.

FONKAR, in a rather strong statement issued on Monday, flayed the Insight newspaper Managing Editor for consistently maligning Mrs. Rawlings before and after she expressed interest to contest President Mills for the NDC flagbearership.

The pro-Rawlings group described Mr. Pratt as a self-styled spokesperson of President Mills.

“In his usual predilection of betraying the truth and denigrating pillars of society, this ingrate mounted a sermon of preaching vile doctrines which seems logic only on his head and said that he would do anything in his power to prevent Nana Konadu from becoming a President of Ghana.

We take offence to the ill-informed and ill-conceived commentary by this tainted politician who wants to come across as a journalist. Should Mr Pratt' populist brand of political rhetoric go unchallenged? We find Pratt' belligerence, and his utterances on the former first lady, to be very reckless and we are convinced that such unprovoked attack on Nana Konadu could only be part of that grand scheme being orchestrated by the Mills' administration to discredit the former first lady,” FONKAR said.

But in an interview with Shamima Muslim on Citi Eye Witness News, the outspoken senior journalist denied all the accusations levelled against him and dared FONKAR to bring it on. Mr. Pratt stressed that he has never insulted Mrs. Rawlings, neither has he levelled any allegations against her person, but explained that, he only expressed reservations at the former First Lady's desire to lead the NDC in 2012 and subsequently become Ghana's president.

“…I never said I will make sure Nana does not become president of this country; rather, I stated that if I had my own way, I will do whatever it takes to prevent her from becoming president of this country,” he clarified.

To him, the statement by FONKAR has greatly confirmed his earlier held fears.

“How can anybody issue such a vitriolic statement against another citizen simply for saying that he is not in support of one candidate…if this is the kind of campaign they are going to wage then my goodness, they shouldn't even start at all…….,” he counseled.

Source: Rebecca Quaye/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Institute of Journalism