'Gen Mosquito' Stirs Controversy

Chronicle -- THE MEMBER of Parliament (MP) for Wenchi West, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has stated that since top members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been arguing that the abortive coups that had been staged against the regime of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) were legitimate on the grounds that the PNDC was an illegal entity, then the present government of the NPP should also be regarded as an illegal administration, and for that matter, coups against it would be justified.

“ Top functionaries of the NPP have been arguing that it was wrong to execute those who attempted to overthrow the PNDC through coups for treason because as they put it, those people were only trying to oust an illegal government. When they say this, I begin to wonder why they regard the NPP government as a legal government.”

“I am saying this because I want to draw the attention of such NPP men to the fact that if they think they are right in their thinking, then they should agree with me that anything that was done by the PNDC was illegal and for that matter, since the NPP is currently ruling on the basis of a constitution that was put forward during the PNDC administration, it (NPP) is also an illegal entity,” the MP, popularly called Gen. Mosquito, emphasized while addressing a forum of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Legon on Friday.

The lanky, loud-mouthed politician continued that it was during the administration of the PNDC that the National Consultative Assembly was set up to draft the current constitution and, “ it was the leader of that 'illegal' regime- Jerry Rawlings- who endorsed the constitution, so I think it will be absolutely right to argue that for the fact that the constitution was drawn during an illegal regime, it is an illegal document and for that matter, all groups existing on the basis of the constitution such as the NPP are also illegal entities, hence any attempt by anyone to overthrow the current government of the NPP would be justified just as it was justified to overthrow the PND

According to him, the NPP government, under the leadership of President J. A. Kufuor had divided the nation on the basis of tribalism.

“ The recent World Bank (WB) loan to Asanteman is a clear example of what I am talking about. It is only in Ghana that we are told that a WB loan could be given to a group on the basis that the leader of that group (ostensibly referring to the Asantehene) is a friend to the WB authorities as the NPP told us when the loan came.”

Jumping from topic to topic he continued that, they of the NDC knew a number of people who were being paid huge sums of money by the government, to tell lies in favor of the government on all radio stations across the country “and this is a government that is calling on you to give it another four- year mandate just to enable it tell you more lies in the next four years.”

According to the lawmaker, the leadership of the NPP had always taken the people of this country for granted: “They always try to insulate President Kufuor from those who should be blamed for the atrocities that were committed during the regime of the PNDC while they desperately try to associate Prof. Mills rather with such atrocities.”

He recalled that in 1982, Prof. Mills refused an appointment offered him by the then PNDC because he (Mills) had made it clear that he could not be part of a military government. He pointed out that the refusal to join the then military regime by the current NDC flag bearer clearly proved that no one could manipulate him.

He recounted, however that, in the same year that Prof. Mills refused the appointment by Jerry Rawlings, President Kufuor readily accepted an appointment by the same PNDC, and wondered therefore why Kufuor should not be blamed for the atrocities of those days, instead of blaming innocent Mills.