Rejoinder-“NPP UK” Demo Against Mahama Was Insignificant

Our attention has been drawn to a press release on Ghanaweb titled ' 'NPP UK' demonstration was insignificant' in which Murtala Mohammed , a Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations made some comments about us organising a demonstration. His comments and behaviour say everything about what is currently wrong in our dear country Ghana.

This same level of ignorance was also repeated last Monday afternoon on Okay FM, a station in Ghana during an interview between Mr Abeiku Santana and Mr Kofi Wayo. This is a man who sits on the board of the Energy commission and collects huge per diems but cannot tell us how he will solve the power crisis and who at every given opportunity insults Ghanaians living abroad. Mr Abeiku Santana could have granted audience to us to get our side of the story with a simple phone call or even done a little bit of research .

First of all, the NPP UK did not put out any information, neither did it state anywhere it was organising a demonstration and we certainly did not organise a demonstration. What was put out in the media was that some Ghanaians and pressure groups including the Coalition of Ghanaians against Electoral Fraud were going to demonstrate. If Murtala Mohamed was a serious minister and not a propagandist, with all the tools of communication he has at his disposal, he could have checked on the internet or even done a little bit of research instead of blaming demonstrations on NPP UK with has nothing to do with it.

Not everybody living in the UK supports the NPP but it is clear that a significant number of Ghanaians who live here, read and listen to news back home through various media platforms as well as maintain contact with their families and friends. They are aware that there are serious institutional failures and a leadership crisis in our country, starting with the flawed elections of 2012 which has resulted in a petition at the Supreme Court - a petition that is exposing the serious lapses in our electoral process, drug barons with the support of national security allowed to go through security checks without due diligence and allowed to take charge of our airports and ports to ensure smooth passage of drugs, fires that are destroying our shops, markets, destroying jobs, property and rendering our people destitute with no response. These market fires expose the hopelessness and incapable structure of our national security agencies which is forcing us to seek assistance from foreign countries, at a huge cost instead of dealing with the root causes which are tribal patronage, nepotism and favouritism in government appointments, putting square pegs in round holes. There is lack of regular audit, no accountability at any level allowing and encouraging corruption from DCE level upwards, poor health and safety and lack of regular maintenance of public infrastructure.

Mr Mahama, and his huge delegation of seventy three (73), all comfortably hosted at Churchill Wyatt Hotel in plush London at a cost of £500 per night to the Ghanaian tax payer, could not tell Ghanaians here how he would confront these problems, instead he indulged in the blame game. Given the chance he would even blame his cook for all the problems going on in Ghana.

The Ghanaians who went to demonstrate whether they were one or a hundred have a right to demonstrate and draw the current governments attention to institutional failures including the incompetence of the likes of Mr Murtala Mohamed, and especially Felix Ofosu Kwakye who is an embarrassment to us Ghanaians with the disrespectful behaviour he displayed while here.

The foreign governments who give our leaders like John Mahama a glass of wine and sandwiches that want our cocoa, crude oil and other natural resources at cheap prices will always tell us all is going well. But as long as we live in darkness, have no gas and put up with ridiculous water shortages, as long as Mr Mahama and his cronies in government institutions, the security services, civil and social services want to establish corruption, tribalism, nepotism as a way of life, Ghanaians whether in the UK or in Ghana who are socially wide awake and well aware of their rights and responsibilities will continue to make their voices heard. The government needs to find the root causes to these demonstrations home and abroad and stop blaming it on NPP. The fact that it has taken the entire government machinery to deny this demonstration also indicates that it was significant and has dented its reputation both home and abroad.

Nana Yaw Sarpong
Communications Officer
NPP UK
07983302369