NDC Threat To Jail NPP Ministers And Others

…We`re Not Scared

Since it lost elections in 2000, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has set its sights on one objective: Win an election and jail NPP ministers and other appointees. It is an objective which the party's founder, ex-Flt. Lt. Rawlings has made no bones about.

With the recent jailing of Mr. Dan Abodakpi, the cry of revenge in the NDC is rising in crescendo and the baying for NPP blood more menacing. But the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the NDC's threat to jail NPP ministers as empty and baseless.

Speaking to the ADM in an interview yesterday, Mr. Mac Manu said “who says they are coming to power…what the NDC is saying shows that they don't respect the law and that they manipulated the law when they were in power and they would do that when they come, which I doubt”.

In boycotting parliament, Mr. Mac Manu said, when the NDC members of the legislature knew they had recourse to the appellate system, showed the NDC's did not believe in the rule of law.

Since the imprisonment of Mr. Dan Abodakpi, by an Accra Fast-Track High Court, the NDC leadership and parliamentary group have accused the NPP of using the judicial system to weaken the NDC and have therefore threatened to do the same, should they ever come to power.

Mac Manu quizzed: “If we wanted to weaken them, why would the case travel that long?” He said as a party healing the wounds of Ghanaians after years of torture and human rights abuse, “the last thing we on our mind is to witch hunt the NDC for after all, they are Ghanaians.”

Taking a cue from President Kufuor's State of the Nation Address, Mac Manu said, “The fact that the President of the nation expressed his sadness on their boycott also shows how caring we are”. With a touch of sympathy, he said, “It's sad that their member is in that situation and it can happen to any body. What we are emphasizing on is that, we must respect the laws of the land”.

The NPP National Chairman said his party is not scared of any action by the NDC and that they would continue to pursue the party's programmes for development.

“As a political party we are not scared…We will go on and prosecute our ideas. We cannot be swayed by the activities of people whom we know want to create chaos… because they triumph on it…we would not be intimidated by their threats”, he said. He said his party's MP's and Ministers are working and they know the rules and laws which they are working on. “Infact our ministers don't feel threatened at all”, he said.