<<Print>>

...As Taliban Greenstreet Goes On Suicide Mission The General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, last Saturday won the hearts of the supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), when he cautioned that Ghanaian politicians cannot continue to engage in conduct that scares away good people from politics. He said, the culture of insults, propaganda and pure lies, only serve to poison the political atmosphere in the country. �Sadly�recent happenings in the country, have brought about despair, despondency and with it, a crisis of confidence in politicians and political authority,� he told delegates of the governing NDC, who converged at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi to elect party leaders. His counterpart General Secretary of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP), Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, mounted the same platform and launched a scathing attack on the ruling NDC for undertaking choking activities, instead of bettering the lives of Ghanaians. He accused the governing party of riddling itself with corruption from the least to the highest position. For this and many other reasons, he declared without fear or fervour, that the promised better Ghana agenda by government, is yet to be felt by Ghanaians. �Currently, nobody, I mean nobody, n-o-b-o-d-y, nobody is feeling your better Ghana,� he said amidst booing from the crowd. The NPP General Secretary, noted that the NPP and NDC are the two political parties that have had the opportunity to govern Ghana since the inception of the 4th Republic and in all probability; this situation is likely to prevail into the near future. It, therefore, goes without saying that, the level and quality of discourse and interaction between the two parties in particular and with other political parties in general, should be guided by a deep sense of maturity and nationalism. But, �Sadly, to the contrary, recent happenings in the country, have brought about despair, despondency and with it, a crisis of confidence in politicians and political authority. Our media landscape, has been inundated with the use of intemperate language, propaganda, insults, and pure lies, which serve only to poison the political atmosphere�. According to him, �We cannot continue down this road and scare good people away from the opportunity to serve our country in dignity. As politicians, we have a duty to lead by example by upholding and respecting the virtues and values of society�. He advised that, �tolerance, decency and discipline must guide the way we interact with each other. As leaders, we have to blaze a path worth of emulating by celebrating our diversity, restoring hope and also demonstrating a high sense of maturity in order to restore confidence and trust the good people of our dear nation, will have in democratic governance�. The NPP, he said hopes the new NDC leadership �would ensure that the discourse between two political parties, would be elevated beyond needless propaganda, outright lies, pure insults and total disrespect, and rather hold aloft the beauty of our Ghanaian cultural values that put premium on decency, respect, truth and fellow-feeling�. He insisted that, �Politics is a serious enterprise, the centrepiece of which should be the welfare of the underprivileged. We cannot afford to expend our energies over trivialities that have absolutely no bearing on the socio-economic well-being of our citizens�. On failed promises, he said �at the beginning of this year, the president, H.E John Dramani Mahama, assured all Ghanaians that 2014 was going to be a �transformational year�. However, events over the past 12 months, have paralyzed businesses, caused pain, depression and general despondency. The results of recent afrobarometer survey graphically illustrate/confirm the level of degeneration. Political leadership, must be seen as a privilege to serve society. Indeed, political leadership has to be anchored on pillars of selflessness, sacrifice and service�. �What Ghana needs now is a political leadership that is courageous, competent and compassionate. What we require now is less talk and more action. The re-orientation of the political class and the populace at large must be our top-most priority. We need to revive the spirit of love for our country. The current waste of our nation�s meagre resources, must be checked in order to ensure that every pesewa is well-utilized for the benefit of the ordinary Ghanaian. On the Election 2016 and beyond, he said, it was the common objective of both the NDC and NPP to ensure a smooth electoral process in 2016 and beyond, and called on �the NDC to support the NPP in the drive to get a fresh and more credible voters� register so we can be guaranteed a sane political environment to fulfil the vision one Ghana and secure our common future�. Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, drummed home the �Continuous dumsor, dumsor (light outs), corruption from top to bottom, left, right, inside out, and all the challenges you are facing, but it is suffocating the Ghanaian people.� In what pundits would describe as a courageous move, Mr. Greenstreet, mocked at the essence and timing of the Congress. He preferred the day is used to deliberate on problems confronting the nation and how to surmount them. �Ghanaians are not happy at all, this Bronya (Christmas) is dry, too, too dry. The most painful thing of all is that you don�t care,� he underscored. �NDC continue. We are watching you. Ghana is watching, do what you want to do, we also know what we will come and do.� There were solidarity messages from other political parties, including the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Peoples� National Convention (PNC), and Progressive People�s Party (PPP). About seventy (70) candidates vied for the available 15 national executive positions at the party�s delegates� congress on Saturday, December 20 at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi. About 4600 delegates cast their ballots to elect the NDC�s leadership for the next four years.