Editorial: Oh NDC! Oh General Mosquito!

Tuesday, Ghanaians preparing to go to work or school to contribute their quota to national development heard the General Secretary of the previous ruling party, the National Democratic Congress, making the most shameful statement on air.

Johnson Asiedu Nketia said words that could have even given a mosquito malaria. He was asked by a Peace FM presenter if he was at the Independence Square to celebrate Ghana's 49th birthday on Monday.

His answer was that he had better things to do. Thinking through his party's narrow perspective of all things national, he claimed that being at the national day event would have meant endorsing President Kufuor's assault on the freedom for which our forefathers fought. Since when did a national day become a party affair? Perhaps, General Mosquito is confusing Independence Day to occasions such as June 4 and 31st December.

We are getting increasingly worried about the NDC. It seems to us that they have almost given up the ghost on winning general elections through fair means. The most bizarre aspect of their modus operandi is the decision to expend huge financial resources on serial street protests at the expense of building party structures. If they continue at this rate they would finish 2008 in the Guinness Book of Records for holding the highest number of street protests in the world. But, with no party offices to display the trophy and no money to celebrate the world record.

The NDC, rather than working on its own electoral substance and image, has decided to focus almost entirely on the New Patriotic Party. It works to a point but it's only half of the story. Fine, what is the currency of the alternative that you offer?

The NDC seems comfortable in wallowing in the bog of escapism, throwing mud at the NPP, whilst denying itself the oxygen of structural and constructive breath.

All around it, MPs and party executives are unhappy. Many are ready to leave and are just praying for a safe haven to take the plunge into. Obed Asamoah and co are prepared to stop Rawlings from winning power ever again and those who compare that conveniently to the fizzled threat of Goosie's Reform Party should better think again.

Yet, the NDC believes it can paper over the cracks. Put the NPP under pressure over an issue that you say in principle you support and all your problems are bound to disappear into thin air. But, the difficulties are hovering over the party like thick smog and the wind of change isn't strong enough to whisk them away.

We apologise in advance for those who may feel that our second lead story is sensational and may cause panic. Panic may be but it wouldn't be an unnecessary panic. Nevertheless, we thought about it deeply and based on the integrity of the information we have we believe it serves the national interest to make the information public now.

We are often caught, as responsible journalists, in the dilemma of whether to publish or not to publish. In this particular case we have decided to let some of the information out for two main reasons:

One, we think it may help the police better nip it in the bud because as members of the public become aware, more and more people are put on the alert and hence on the look out. Better safe than sorry. After all, the threats have been vociferously and expertly pushed out into the public psyche by the NDC. Secondly, we believe there are people, especially in the anti-ROPAA leadership, who are being used and misused. We may not doubt their genuineness to the cause but they could find themselves being the inadvertent instigators of a very treasonable enterprise.

We believe it is important for all to every now and then take a little reality check. It helps.