Hon. Gladys Asmah goes on the offensive... NDUOM IS SCH BOY, BUT MILLS IS A SICKMAN

THE 'Iron Lady' and initiator of protests among women in the Western region and one of the most experienced politicians the country has ever had, Hon Mrs. Gladys Asmah has launched a blistering attack on two Presidential hopefuls in the run-up to the December elections, Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP).

Her reason for ruling out the two in the December polls, she said, stemmed from two reasons. First, she said Professor John Evans Atta Mills of the NDC was seriously battling with his health and cannot afford to gamble with the lives of over twenty two million Ghanaians. With Dr. Nduom, she said the three times legislator was still a 'school boy' in the political landscape of the country.

Mrs. Asmah, who was addressing her constituents over the weekend descended heavily on the two political leaders, an unusual trait of her, and cautioned Ghanaians to observe their civic responsibility on December 7 with maximum care, else they would squander their votes on people who cannot be trusted with the management of the country.

According to the veteran MP for Takoradi, “Atta Mills Yere, Won-nkankyirenu, NDC kuraa nyim dee Atta Mills Yere”, to wit -”Atta Mills is sick, the electorate must point it out to him, even the NDC is aware that he is sick”, an allusion she held for the over ten minutes of educating her constituents on the need to vote for an energetic and experienced leader to champion the cause of the country.

She questioned that if indeed Professor Mills was not sick and was energetic enough to rule the country, why was the former President Jerry John Rawlings, founder and leader of the NDC campaigning across the length and breadth of the country, assisting his party in doing the job of a man who wants to lead the country.

According to her, no amount of excuse from the Professor himself or his party would convince Ghanaians to make the greatest mistake of electing a sick person to gamble or toy with the governance of our country.

Mrs. Asmah, after chastising the Professor, did not spare former President Rawlings. She alleged that the former President presided over brutalities in the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) and reminded the traders of the Takoradi market circle of the atrocities and mayhem that was visited on those who were old by then, by military men who were under the control of Mr. Rawlings.

She also cited the murder of the lady judge whom she said was nursing a baby, but was killed by the military junta under a regime Mr. Rawlings still defends. An obvious bloody moment which she said many of them kicked against until the NPP took over the reins of government to preside over total freedom and introduced Capitation grant to take care of school children of all ages in the country.

The people were amazed by the unending blistering attack by Hon. Asmah on the NDC, its flag bearer and founder. What befuddled many, however, was when the veteran politician, who had been instrumental in protest matches in the Takoradi constituency in the early 90s, shortly after retiring to her seat, returned to the platform once again and this time turn the heat on Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum.

According to her, she cannot afford to sleep that night, without exposing Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom of the CPP to the electorate, whom she described as a 'schoolboy' still learning under his master, but decided to defy the odds to spell his doom.

She explained that due to the all inclusive approach adopted by the NPP government to tackle the devastated economy inherited by the party from the NDC, when it assumed power in 2001, that Dr. Nduom was invited to serve in the government.

As a result, the Komenda Edina Ebirem Aguafo (KEEA) parliamentary seat was not contested by the party, just to give Dr. Nduom the smooth platform to climb the political ladder. She said Dr. Nduom had not finished learning to climb the ladder, but has started trying to pull down those who sacrificed to teach him how to climb.

She sang high life songs to present her case, and used the Master and School boy scenario as a case study to tell the story of Dr. Nduom to her constituents.

Having explained why Dr. Nduom was not ripe for the Presidency, she urged the electorate to consider the vast experience of the NPP's flag bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in Ghana's politics and vote massively for him come December, to lead this country.

For the constituency level, she introduced her successor, a 35 year old Hotelier and ICT expert Mr. Cobbina Okyere Darko-Mensah to the electorate and urged them to vote massively for him, to widen the voting gap of 70% plus gap between the NPP and the NDC to 80% plus in the up-coming elections.

On his part, Mr. Darko-Mensah pledged to consult the elders in the NPP when the need be. He promised the constituents of jobs that would be created out of the oil discovery in the region, and announced a website that has been created by his outfit to that effect, to connect investors coming into the country to the unemployed in the Takoradi constituency.

The NPP whiz kid cautioned against monetary influence and violence which he alleged was a measure adopted by the NDC to plunge the country into the situation of Kenya and Zimbabwe, because of knowing that they were losing the election.

Mr. Darko-Mensah, therefore, appealed to all NPP supporters in the country to guard against these two issues raised, in order to protect the victory of the party, come December.