NPP's Defeat: The Kufour Factor (V)

How John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor used Northern NPP Chairmen and dumped them.

In the run-up to the Presidential Primaries of NPP in 1992, then candidate J. A. Kufuor embarked on a vigorous campaign in the North to get the support of the Chairmen. In fact most of the influential Chairmen were targeted. He succeeded in recruiting the three Regional Chairmen: the late Alhaji Abdul-Rahman COP (Northern Region), the late Alhaji Imoro Salifu (Upper East) and Alhaji Issahaku Abudulai (Upper West) on whose shoulders the NPP rested in the dark days of opposition. Other Chairmen in the Northern Region that Kufour recruited were Alhaji Sabonkudi (in charge of Mamprusi) Alhaji Muhamadu Abudulai (in charge of Nanumba) and Alhaji Mahama Salifu (in charge of Gonja).These were people who were highly respected in their various zones. Indeed at a time these Chairmen worked so hard for J.A. Kufour, he was a subject of ridicule for many Chairmen in his own back yard- the Ashanti Region.

These Chairmen galvanised all delegates from the North en-bloc for then candidate J. A Kufour in the 1992 Congress which he placed third after Professor Albert Adu Boahen and Safo Adu. The same story was repeated at the 1996 Congress which J. A. Kufour won but lost the General Elections to Jerry John Rawlings.

In 1998, the North was a no go area for Akufo-Addo and others who fiercely contested J. A. Kufour as NPP flag bearer. Even Alhaji Malik Alhassan who was the only Northerner among the lot was rejected Northerners. He got only six votes. I can dare say that J. A. Kufour always had the support about 90% of Northern Delegates because these Chairmen worked so hard. I vividly remember at the 1998 Congress of NPP, I supported Akufo-Addo and my father publicly rebuked me and even threatened to disown me for being disloyal to him.

J.A . Kufour might have studied the Northerner very well and effectively exploited how to get his support. It is never easy to influence the Northerner through financial and material gains alone. The Northerner believes in recognition and respect; he likes anyone who would not belittle and demean his customs and tradition including the food he eats; he would trust anyone who respects his ideas and thinking no matter how absurd they are and most importantly will only associate with people who allows him to speak his mind; the Northerner does not easily betray anyone he decides to support.

The story of how these Chairmen struggled, sacrificed their time and resources as well as their spirit to consolidate, advance and improve on the support base of J.A Kufour in the North is well known by party members.. Kufour told the Chairmen he loved Northerners. He backed this with actions by eating their food and drinking their water. He shook hands with them and hugged them. He listened to them and praised them for their wisdom. He slept in their rooms.

I clearly remember as a very young man in 1996, my father Alhaji Mahama Salifu invited me to his room to run an errand for him. I bumped into Kufour deeply sleeping on my father’s sofa. I was in later years told that was not the only time he slept with my father. My father would always organise prayers for Kufour in our Mosque amidst the slaughtering of sheep and cows. He would implore Mallams to pray for Kufour because according to him, Kufour would be the only one who would not forget his people and his district if he ever becomes President. My father sold many of his cows to finance the NPP in Bole and Gonjaland. He would move round all the Gonja constituencies lobbying support for Kufour and the NPP. His cargo trucks were used as campaign vans. In fact he worked so hard that some of his businesses collapsed.

God being so good. Kufour won the 2000 elections thereby keeping alive the hopes of these Chairmen in terms their own development and the development of their people and areas. This was not to be. Kufour disappointed them. Alhaji COP it was rumoured was in a big debt as the as the time he died and it took the efforts of his hardworking children to settle it. Alhaji Imoro Salifu of Upper East never benefitted from his toils before his death. Alhaji Issahaku Abudulai of Upper West suffered a humiliating removal from his position as Chaiman of NPP in the Upper West without the necessary support from Kufour. Alhaji Sabonkudi at a time left the PP out of frustration. He disclosed to people he will never forgive Kufour.

In the case of my father Alhaji Mahama Salifu, I always feel like wailing anytime I visit Bole to see this poor old man. He has suffered a deteriorating health condition resulting in blindness. He resigned as NPP Chairman for Bole-Bamboi in 2007 and has since been in-doors. It is surprising that Kufour whom Alhaji Mahama liked and fought so hard for has never bothered to enquire about him. Many people wonder why Kufour refused to at least assist this man to get good medical attention.

May I say that many of the Chairmen were not in politics to make money or get favours from Kufour but to fight for the development of their areas. Disillusionment with the NPP by these personalities actually cost the party. The NPP's fall from grass to grace is partly traceable to the way Kufour treated certain individuals in the party.

If the NPP is to return to power, it must first re-organize itself and also give its members who were fooled a good reason to continue to work for the party. Presently there is a perception that Kufour did not have the best interest of some key party members at heart. Secondly ex-President J. A. Kufour must apologise to many individual party members who are presently disillusioned and apathetic to the course of the NPP because they were wronged. A party which has lost the confidence of its prominent members and by large their extended families is a party without a future. I rest my case.

NPP's Defeat: The Kufour factor (IV)

Before I come to the topic 'how Kufour used Northern NPP Chairmen and dumped them', I would want to discuss two important issues. The first issue is about text messages I receive on daily basis. Some are commending me and revealing many happenings and issues within the NPP (some of which I will not dare write on for the sake of party Unity) while others are anonymous text messages. The second issue is about a statement from the National Chairman of NPP Peter Mac Manu.

Three of the numerous anonymous text messages I received went as follows: "Why is that it is only you Northerners (Ntafo) that are on Kufour's neck. Corrupt Hamid and Stupid Haruna, you are threading on dangerous waters. We will chase you out of NPP like Rawlings did to some ungrateful NDC members." The second reads: Your Akufo-Addo can never be President. He got 49% in the NPP Primaries and 49% in the 1st round of the elections. He got 49% in run-off. His prick is 4.9 inch short. He cannot grow taller than 4.9ft nor can he ever get more than 49% votes. Be careful stupid Zongo Boy". The third one read as follows: "I don't blame you for insulting Kufour. It is because you are 'fucking' an Ashanti girl and has even given birth with her. I even wonder if you are NPP". Dear readers I leave this for you to judge and comment on these messages.

I am not used to replying text messages but I was compelled to reply to the first as follows: "I will not talk about your ethnocentric effusions. I would never insult Kufour but will talk about my party. Anyway I'm not perturbed about all your insults because I have a thick skin for them or else I would not have been able to take on John Mahama and NDC for many years in a constituency like Bole-Bamboi. I faced insults, threats, harassment and all sorts of abuse in the dark days of opposition because of NPP. You remain my friend"

To the second one, I replied as follows: "I am not writing because of support for any individual party member. I once worked for Akufo-Addo as a member of his Communication Committee but now belong to the NPP and not any individuals. In any case I do write on Akufo-Addo too so what is your beef. You remain my friend". To the last one I replied as follows "I do not want to talk about my 'fucking' an Ashanti girl because that is so trivial and inconsequential to me. But on the issue of whether I'm an NPP member or not, I wish to say my records in NPP have been documented. I come from a proper and pure Danquah-Busia family. My grandfather Mr Braimah Salifu was a staunch member of the Northern Peoples Party (NPP) and later the United Party (UP). My father who did many things for Kufour was Youth leader of the Progress Party in Bole and was commended by K.A. Busia for his hard work and financial support to the PP after the party won the Bole (then Gonja West) seat in 1969. My father was also the leader of the Popular Front Party (PFP) in Bole and from 1992 to 2007, Chairman of the NPP in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency. He only resigned because he is suffering from diabetes resulting in blindness and has been in-doors since then. You remain my friend".

Did I hear the leadership of NPP warned that 'it would deal drastically with any party member who will hide behind the so-called post mortem analysis to bring the name of the party into disrepute? I am sending this warning to party members that we shall deal strongly with any member who brings the party’s image into disrepute, Peter Mac Manu, the National chairman of the party said.

According to Mac Manu, since the party is governed by a constitution, the leadership would take punitive action against members found to have misconduct themselves with regards to Article 4 (7) of the party’s constitution. He said that the party has appointed a committee, led by Dr. J. Heyman to go round the country to find out why the party lost the elections. He regretted that instead of people sending their views to the committee, they have rather chosen to go public, thereby ridiculing the party.

The radio and the newspapers are not the place to solve problems. It amounts to misconduct, and if anybody is found culpable, we shall apply the provisions in the constitution without fear or favour, because the party frowns on attempts to bring its name into disrepute.

Mr. Perry Okudzeto, the deputy Communications Director of the party has also said that those who disgrace the party in public must be dealt with according to the dictates of the party’s constitution. He said, it was unfortunate that certain individuals have arrogated to themselves powers to conduct post-mortem analysis of the 2008 painful defeat by blaming other individuals for it.

He warned that the party would not accept any attempt to destroy individuals in the party; including former President Kufuor. He said a proposal would soon be forwarded to the leadership of the party recommending drastic actions to be taken against recalcitrant party members who would undermine the constitution of the party.

The party has structures in place for dealing with grievances, and for any member who unilaterally decides to show gross disrespect to the party must be dealt with accordingly, They said some members of the NPP have attacked the leadership of the party in public, calling for heads to roll over the defeat of the party in the 2008 elections. This, Mr. Okudzeto noted, was in a bad taste. According to him, though NPP believes in entrenchment of democracy, washing its dirty linen in public must be condemned.

To that end, he urged the leadership of the party to take bold and drastic actions against people whose move seem to undermine the unity, fortunes and cohesion of the party, to serve as deterrent to others. The media is not the best place to address our issues. If you have an axe to grind with any party leader, the best way is to properly table it through the party channels, rather than resorting to the media. We cannot fold our arms and watch people sow seeds of discord among us. Those people must be brought to order.

Hmmmmmmm! I have tonnes of things to say on this issue but will for now keep mute because Mac Manu is my man.

Watch out for the concluding part of my features on Kufour.

NPP's Defeat: The Kufour factor (III)

I am going to be my irreverent self because as you may be aware, I, your irrepressible Haruna, have a strong weakness of frankness. I also have a thick skin for insults. As for strong language, I must admit that I only try as much as possible to be accurate and a little bit vivid. I do sincerely believe that rather than being gagged for my ideas, I will rather hang myself. I must confess here that sometimes I am possessed with fury. Many people have asked me if I have a personal score to settle with Kufour. The answer could be YES and those who might not understand should go and ask Kufour if the name Alhaji Mahama Salifu of Bole-Bamboi rings a bell. ( I will give the full details in my next feature).

The truth is that ever since the NPP lost power (or gave away power on a silver platter), any attempt to make a post-mortem has been hushed down by the top hierarchy of the party, fearing that such post-mortem will expose the weaknesses of the leadership of the party especially Kufour. Sometimes I shudder to broach this subject of post-mortem because any attempt to do so may be misconstrued to mean mischief.

From this angle, I am sure I am going to provide easy fodder for people who may not understand me very well. At the end of this feature, I know some people will make up their minds to launch a vicious attack. To such people, I will be sorely disappointed if they misinterpret my intention and declare war on elementary truth. I want to assure these people before they continue embark on their attacks that I am broad-minded and spot-on on issues I have always raised. After all, why must we belong to NPP, a party that upholds internal democracy and also listens to critical voices and pens within? The Akans have an adage which says that when you see a bad thing in-between the thighs of your mother, it is not wrong for you to take it away with your "Moses Rod".

Some one even had the audacity to send me a mail asking if I have an innate hatred and disdain for Kufour by "writing all those trash". Another asked if is because I was trained as a Journalist by Gabby Asare Otchere Darko (my mentor) and because Mustapha Hamid is my brother. I just wondered if that person know Gabby very well because I do not think he is what such characters think of him. He tried to offer constructive criticisms and the ills of NPP through his newspaper but was labelled as a traitor, destroyer, an arrogant man and what have you. If Kufour had listened to him, the NPP would have still been in power. As for Hamid, yes he is a Northern brother but we are not related by blood. I am a Gonja and he is Mamprusi. I only admire him for his sacrifices and struggles for NPP in the dark days of opposition.

Sorry I am losing my patience but it is because after the Part (I) and (II) of this feature, some miscreants have called to abuse me. Anyway many others have called to congratulate me for my boldness and frankness. I just think unto us have come the season when NPP members should courageously and fearlessly set down in truth the affairs of the NPP and say it as it is, no matter whose toes are being stepped on. Those who think I am washing the party's dirty linen in public are not conversant with the tradition of the party. I think a strange and dangerous phenomenon that is creeping into NPP is attempts to gag concerned party members who would want to offer constructive criticisms as well as expose the ills of the party.

Some people have told me to spend my energy and brain writing about NDC. Yes I will do that in due course but for now I believe we have to put the NPP on a surgeon table for a post-mortem on why we lost. We should do that with good intensions anyway. It is the only way we will know where to start from in the re-building, reorganisation and re-packaging of the party.

Excuse me for digressing a little but coming to the issue under discussion that is Kufour's Election Year or last minute policies of his government, I would want to start with how Kufour and his cronies handled the Micro Finance and Small Loans Centre (MASLOC) scheme. This was a programme crafted and designed by a hardworking son of this country. For reasons best known to Kufour this gentleman was left out after the programme was finalised. A veterinary doctor was brought to run the programme. While ordinary people were denied access to soft loans to expand their businesses some people were using the largesse of MASLOC to service Kufour’s cronies, devotees and bootlickers, a situation that brought so much disaffection at the grass roots.

 Kufour's sack of Francis Poku- a former National Security co-ordinator affected the party. This person was an insider within Kufuor's National Security outfit. What serious-minded, smart politician-President would have an open fracas with his National Security capo and, then, have another National Security insider take him on publicly on the eve of a major election. And this is the man some would have us recognize as a great politician!! As one writer puts it 'Mr Poku had a cunning way of getting information from the NDC side. He had spies everywhere. His sacking actually endangered the lives of his moles. Mr Poku had a way of keeping the security rank and file happy. Mr Poku had a way of pre-empting the NDC. He would have found an antidote for the so-called Volta Virus.

NPP lost the election because NPP lost control of the nation's security and the security of the elections. This was where Kufuor did the greatest damage to the party'. Also whoever mooted the idea of a Presidential jet in an election year did a great disservice to the party. Personally, I do not think that was a necessity. It looked like Kufour had forgotten of the effects of the Gulf Stream saga on the NDC. The confusion that arose from numerous inconsistent and contradictory defences did not do any good to the NPP. With the price of crude oil then high with the concomitant hardship, it was simply insensitive if not callous on Kufour’s part to have bought two Presidential Jets. Some of Kufour's actions were not only inexplicable, frankly they looked irrational. I wonder why then opposition Presidential Candidate Professor John Evans Atta Mills was singled out for national honours and it took agitations from NPP members before their candidate Nana Addo Dankwah Akufo-Addo was added to the list. Will President George Bush have done same to Barack Obama before the US elections?

The Presidential Palace (Jubilee House) was the single most important monumental achievement of Kufour in his eight year rule. My problem however was why Kufour was in such a haste to complete it and occupy it (which he did for a month) before leaving office. The NDC painted a picture of a President that did care about the masses but a select few- President, Vice-President, Ministers and other important government appointees.

Talking about Kufour's activities after the 2008 election went into a run-off; I was shocked to the marrow when Ghanaian media widely reported Kufour's 70th birthday celebration. It was done with pomp and pageantry on December 8, when the results of the of the first round of voting the day before it had not been declared. It meant Kufour was not interested in what became of the NPP at the polls. He could have postponed the birthday celebrations till the election was over or celebrate it in a low key way. As if this was not enough certain panic measures of Kufour created disaffection for the NPP nationwide as presented by a popular magazine. For instance Kufour waited till the NPP went into a second round of voting before announcing a long-demanded cut in fuel prices thus eliciting a hugely negative national response. Reducing fuel prices was so ridiculous! It simply annoyed many Ghanaians. The NDC went to the extent of demanding a Gh20 Cedis reduction (when the price was Gh40 Cedis) and promised Ghanaians they will do that if their party is voted into power.

To compound matters, Kufour announced that about 5,000 taxi drivers and other motorists who had been jailed nationwide for failing to pay court fines arising from motor traffic offences were to be released and those who had already paid their fines would get refunds if they presented their receipts to the authorities. Not many taxi drivers and their extended families were impressed. The twist NDC gave to this situation was that, the NPP deliberately jailed the drivers. As a result many of the drivers. Their families and well wishers were not impressed and showed this through voting.

Another damaging announcement was that, government had embarked on an exercise to stop "pair-trawling" by foreign fishing vessels in Ghana's territorial waters. Pair trawling involves the use of two fishing trawlers with a huge net hung between them that scoops every fish -big and small- into the net leaving very little behind for the local fishermen. For months before the December elections, local fishing communities had called on Kufuor to stop the pair trawling as it was hugely detrimental to the local fishing industry. At first Kufour's government claimed it did not have the wherewithal to stop the practice, but when the second round of the Presidential voting was pending, it somehow found the resources- naval boats and helicopters (supposedly donated by the US government) to fight the pair trawlers.

Too late, said the people. The fishing communities along the coast from Axim in the west to Keta in the east. They therefore voted against the in protest at Kufour’s neglect of their concerns.

I am also yet to hear a rational explanation from Kufour for the announcement of salary increases a few hours before exiting office. If indeed he wanted the NPP to retain power, he should have done so two or three months earlier and not after his party had lost the election.

In conclusion, I wish to say that the post-mortem continues, and rightly so. I challenge any NPP member who is privy to the actions of any individual or group’s contribution to the defeat of NPP should bring it into public domain. The NDC did same and came out stronger. If the NPP wants to win power again, it will have to scrutinize itself. The last time we lost power in 1972 it took 28 years to win back. Surely, the NPP would not want a repeat of this history. Watch out for a feature on "How Kufuor used Northern NPP Chairmen and dumped them"

NPP's Defeat: The Kufour factor (II)

Continuing with the acts of ex-President J.A. Kufour that contributed immensely to the defeat of the NPP, I have the following to say:

Role in Division within NPP

From day one of Kufour's rule, he divided the NPP into two-"onka ye ho" syndrome. For instance NPP gurus who played significant roles for the party but supported Nana Akufo-Addo during the 2008 Presidential Primaries like Victor Newman, Brigadier Nunoo Mensah, Ferdinand Ayim etc were sidelined in terms of appointments. Others such as Nii Adjiri Blankson, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe were only considered many years later.

Excuse me to say that today the NDC seem united because those who supported Ekow Spio-Gabrah and as a result said all sorts of things against Professor John Atta Mills have been given appointments based on their competence and contribution to the NDC but not their contribution to Atta Mills' success during the NDC primaries that elected him as flag bearer.

Moreover only a few months after being sworn into office in 2001, Kufour brought down Alan Kyerematen from his high ambassadorial perch in the United States to supplant Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku as Minister of Trade and Industry. The rumour then which later turned out to be true, was that Alan had been brought down to understudy and succeed the President when he finally bows out. In fact Kufour's open support for Alan was ill-timed. Miscalculated and simply uncalled for. It runs parallel to the "Swedru Declaration" made by former President Rawlings, a factor for NDC's defeat in the 2000 election.

That Alan had full Presidential endorsement during the 1997 primaries was never in doubt. What was shocking was how far a President could scheme to topple a man he claimed to have known as a friend for 45 years when everything favoured him. First Kufour and his cronies originated a cocaine smear, a chant that was later picked up and packed by the NDC. Then some Ministers deemed unsympathetic were either reshuffled or booted out and loyal but ineffective and incompetent ones brought in. Worse was to follow with the outright dismissal of some DCE's some of whom were not supporting the 'anointed candidate'.

Neglect of hard working Youth

The NDC has always worked to bridge the generation gap by including its Youth in the governance process of this country. The party believe the effective role of its youth in national development in the future depends on their development today and has therefore always seen the need to build a party that would consider and involve its youth when it comes to decision making. This is sharp contrast to the way Kufour handled the Youth of the NPP. He believed the Youth lack the capacity to engage in any meaningful decision making.

The ability of the Youth of NPP to offer intellectual and physical contribution to the governance process was underrated and not recognised and so by 2008 most NPP youth were disillusioned and apathetic to the cause of the party. What baffles me is that Kufour at 32 worked so hard for the Progress (PP) Party that he was recognised and appointed deputy-Minister by Professor K A Busia.

Politics of Appointments

Kufour's re-appointment of Dr Richard Anane was simply an insult to NPP members and Ghanaians in general. Was no one good enough in the party to be given Anane's position? The man was a damaged goods the moment it came to light he impregnated a woman whilst on government business, ironically an HIV conference. My gripe with Anane then was not about the money that changed hands in this affair. It was about principle and morality

I also cannot fathom why Christine Churcher was fired, and at a time she was chairing an International Conference. Why was a prominent Ga icon such as Peter Ala Adjetey removed as Speaker of Parliament when the man brought so much dignity to Parliament only to bring someone who later brought disgrace to Kufour. As for Dan Botwe, I disclosed to a friend that his appointment was a bait by Kufour to destroy him when he was appointed as Minister of Information. He was simply lured to the Information Ministry from his high-flying position as NPP general Secretary and fired. A very smart move by Kufour. Joseph Adda left the Energy Ministry under a circumstance we are yet to get details on. Kufour as a matter of fact also gave important positions to persons who were not loyal to the NPP and who had no idea about how the party won the 2000 elections.

Added to this is the fact that Kufuor's appointments also lacked regional balance. The NDC used this as propaganda especially in the three Northern Regions and Volta. Besides Ministers and Deputy Ministers, a list of heads of government Institutions and their ethnic origin was circulated by the NDC. I did not understand why a single region had so many cabinet positions. All the situations above created disaffection within the NPP

Frequent Travels Abroad

Kufour’s frequent travels with the incidental benefit of unaccountable imprests annoyed many Ghanaians. While Kufour was gallivanting and gambolling abroad, enjoying all the luxuries of them world Rawlings was campaigning in hot dusty villages across the length and breadth of Ghana. Notwithstanding the dividends these travels brought to the country, the NDC as usual twisted this and rather highlighted the imprests Kufour took from these travels.

Nepotism and cronyism

Kufour was simply nepotism and believes in cronyism. He gave high positions to his own relations. He set up big businesses for his own children. The Anane situation could once again be cited. Why was Addo-Kufour and two others brought back as ministers after they resigned to contest for the NPP flag bearership but the 14 others (besides Nana Akufo-Addo) left out if not for cronyism?

Sale of Ga Lands

No party has ever won an election in the political history of Ghana without winning the Greater Accra Region. Winning Greater Accra meant winning the indigenous Ga communities. The issue of land was central to the 2008 campaign,. The NDC made it a campaign issue by painted the NPP as a government that did not care about Ga interests and therefore shared Ga lands among themselves, friends, cronies and many others that were willing to make a deal.

Lukewarm attitude towards campaign.

At a time Kufour was needed most to give the campaign a boost. he disappeared. In fact he chose to travel to gambol round the world receiving awards and attending banquets. Many NPP members did not understand why Kufour was lukewarm towards the campaign. This was in contrast to how Rawlings campaigned from Region to Region, Constituency to Constituency and hamlet to hamlet.

Watch out for Part (III) which is about Kufour's Election Year or Last minute government Policies.

NPP's Defeat: The Kufour factor (I)

When the NPP lost power, millions of Ghanaians were devastated. Tears flowed and hearts were broken. As regrettable as our defeat may be, we need to do a serious diagnosis of why the party lost.

Many party members and stakeholders have since January been giving their view as to why the NPP lost. The party leadership we have been told has set up a committee to look into this issue. Without pre-empting their work I would want to add my views for this painful defeat. I strongly believe ex-President J A Kufour contributed in no small way to the defeat of the NPP. While trying to find other peoples view on this topic, I stumbled on a feature written by Mustapha Hamid a former National Youth Organiser of NPP and former Spokesperson for Nana Akufo-Addo- the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the NPP on his website (www.mustaphamid.net/blog) and it is interesting reading. Under the title 'It is a question of Judgment' he outlined certain judgments former President J A Kufour made that were not in the best interest of the NPP. According to Mustapha Hamid one of the important qualities a person must possess in order to be President is judgement. He explained that a President must judge correctly most of the time if not all of the time, otherwise he or she destroys the aspirations and hopes of the people that he or she leads. He said that in the course of former President Kufour's tenure he was hit by certain controversies which in the future will be central to the verdict that the jurors give on his tenure as President. Mustapha Hamid outlined these judgements as follows:

Judgment Number 1
President Kufuor judged wrongly in allowing his son to buy that hotel. Yes, as a young enterprising Ghanaian, there was nothing wrong with him putting together a consortium of banks to buy a hotel. But this was no ordinary Ghanaian. He was and indeed still is the President’s son. And nobody is deceived that his relationship with the President did not play any part in him obtaining that facility from the banks. At the time that Chief Kufuor bought the hotel, there were a number of more enterprising NPP activists who were striding the stairways of banks looking for ridiculously lower amounts of money to start street corner businesses who did not get a hearing. As for the Presidents public declaration that his son worked with PriceWaterHouse Coopers, the least said about it the better. Until the President said that I did not know that place of work is accepted as collateral for anything. It attracted for him and the NPP a lot of opprobrium. What impression did it leave in the minds of Ghanaians? The President and his family are a cheating, looting lot. It was bad judgment.

Judgment Number 2

President Kufuor judged wrongly in not sacking Anane. Again let me state that Anane did not engage in corrupt practice. Indeed the courts said so. But whether or not we like it Ghanaians had come to the conclusion that somehow or the other Anane had used his office in ways that were unethical. And at a time when Ghana’s ranking on the World Corruption Index was low, President Kufuor needed one tough action to signal his commitment to fighting corruption. The Anane case was his opportunity to do so. He lost it and left a rather wrong impression on the minds of Ghanaians that he condoned or indeed supported corruption. Ghana’s ranking on the World Corruption Index further plummeted. His decision not to sack Anane was bad judgment.

Judgment Number 3
President Kufuor judged wrongly in buying two Presidential Jets in an election year. There is still a pervasive poverty mentality in Ghana. Not just the mentality, but indeed there is pervasive poverty. And in an election year when world oil prices had been unkind to our fragile economy and when a desperate opposition was capitalising on the situation to incite hatred against the government, it was simply bad judgment to order not one, but two Executive Jets.

Judgment Number 4
President Kufuor’s decision to confer an award, the nation’s highest award on himself was bad judgment. It is simply not done. All the time former presidents wait for their successors to come after them to give them awards for their services to the nation. Indeed no one ever marks his own script. But not President Kufuor. He determined that he had done well and proceeded to confer an award on himself. The majority of Ghanaians were appalled. It left only one impression on the minds of Ghanaians: President Kufuor is a self-serving, self-aggrandising President. It was bad judgment.

Judgment Number 5
President Kufuor’s decision to appoint his own advisor to determine his ex-gratia together with others known as article 71 office holders was bad judgment. The public simply saw it as a scratch my back, I scratch your back kind of deal. Was it surprising therefore that the product of that process outraged Ghanaians? It is simply not done. I am sure if some other person had chaired that committee other than Chinery-Hesse but came out with the same result, the response from the public would have been different. It was bad judgment.

Judgment Number 6
When Kufuor was President of Ghana; he deserved all the protection that Ghana could muster. Indeed the constitution decrees that the President of the nation takes precedent over every other citizen. So the President bought an armoured-plated BMW car for his protection. This was not just good judgment, but it was absolutely necessary and crucial. But it was bad judgment to have gone home with the car. There can only be one President at a time. Today, that President is Atta Mills. It is only common-sensical that cars meant for the protection of a President are used for the protection of Atta Mills and Atta Mills only. Logically, the state security apparatus had to go after him to collect it for the President of Ghana. Period!

Judgment Number 7
President Kufuor’s decision not to wait for the new NDC administration to implement his ex-gratia and his decision to appropriate a government bungalow to himself which he has started using as his office is bad judgment. Then we are told that he wrote to the government asking to be allowed to use the facility as his office. But to have gone ahead to start using the office without waiting for the government’s response was bad judgment. Considering the fact that the Kufuor administration had attracted a lot of opprobrium for itself for selling government bungalows to its functionaries, it is bad enough that the President himself is seen to have appropriated one for himself. At least the former President could have found space in his wife’s Mother and Child Foundation office in the mean time or better still rented some temporary place. Perhaps President Mills could have later decided that the house should reimburse him with the cost of the rented office. It was bad judgment.

"The point I have been trying to make by these illustrations is that 'there is a way that seems right unto men, but the end thereof is bad'. In all these cases that I have illustrated, former President Kufuor did nothing wrong, at least in legal terms. But the fact that all these judgments attracted a lot of opprobrium shows how bad those decisions were, judgmentally. It is part of Presidential character to have good judgment. Unfortunately former President Kufuor did not have a lot of it". Mustapha Hamid concluded.

In the Part (II) of this feature, I will touch on other actions of Kufour that I believe contributed to the defeat of NPP, such as his role in the divisions within the NPP; his neglect of hardworking Youth of NPP; Appointments to his government; his frequent travels abroad; his lukewarm attitude towards the 2008 campaign and the Sale of Ga Lands. In the Part (III) I will discuss Kufour's Election Year or Last minute Government Policies and others.

Move to Split Northern Region Inspirational

What is needed by Gonjas is Political Unity!

The Gonjaland Youth Association has just held its 33rd Annual Congress at Bole in the Nothern Region. The event which was very colourful was attended by Traditional Rulers from Gonjaland, Politicians, Citizens of the area resident home and abroad as well as people from all walks of life.

Issues discussed included the poor road network of Gonjaland, water problems in some areas educational issues such as poor school enrolment among girls in the area and how best to harness the natural resources in the area for development. Topmost on the agenda was the issue of the carving out of a new region from the present Northern Region.

In response to an appeal by the Gonja Traditional Council to government to expedite action on the long standing proposal to carve another region out of the present Northern region, the Vice- President of Ghana John Dramani Mahama himself a Gonja said a team of experts was to critically assess the process of demarcation and hold consultations with the various stakeholders after which the largest region in the country, the Northern Region, which stretches over a third of Ghana's land mass is to be split into two to enhance easy administration and development.

It was inspirational to hear this from the number two man in the country. The vastness of the land I strongly believe is a major barrier to effective administration, development and conflict resolution. The region needs to be divided for accelerated development and administrative efficiency.

The Northern Region of Ghana is the region that covers the largest piece of land in the country, covering an area of 70,384 sq.km out of Ghana's approximately 237.626 sq.km. It is one of the regions that have the highest number of different ethnic groups with the major ones being Dagombas, Gonjas, Mamprusis, Nanmbas and Kokombas. Tamale the capital of the region has been found in a 1994 survey by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to be the fastest growing town in West Africa. Notwithstanding this fact, the attention that Tamale gets is not enough to help different parts of the region to grow or develop.

Roads in many parts of the region are very bad and telecommunication, electricity, water, schools and other essential needs are inadequate. In fact many of the districts under the administration of Tamale suffer from neglect. This is borne out when one notices that by any available index of progress and development (education, health, roads etc) Gonjaland for instance comes out extremely poor.

The Northern Region lacks many things especially industrial and economic projects. It needs to be divided so that the limited resources, in the north will be effectively used.

This proposal I urge, should not be made by only people living in the Northern Region or people of northern descent like me, but a national proposal for national development and integration. I believe that breaking the region into two would allow for more creativity, innovation, effective administration and growth for the people of this very big region. As the Vice-President, John Mahama put it 'the people of Gonjaland should not view the need for another region as being only in the interest of Gonjas but as gesture that would ultimately benefit the entire people of Northern Region'.

It is noteworthy that even before assuming the Vice- Presidency of the country and to be specific during the 2005 parliamentary vetting of ministerial nominees, John Mahama then Member of Parliament for Bole-Bamboi asked Hon. Ernest Akubuo Debrah and Boniface Abubakari Sadique who were the outgoing and incoming Northern Regional Ministers respectively about their opinion on this topic. Both nominees were unequivocal on the enormity of the daunting administrative challenges that the sheer size of the region poses to effective governance.

It was quite significant that John Mahama was the one asking the questions because as a key member of the NDC administration and presently the Vice- President of Ghana, his interest in the subject may have been motivated by his party's position on the matter or at the very least by his own convictions on the subject. At any rate it gives an indication of the fact that there would be support from both the majority and minority for any proposal on the floor of parliament to partition the Northern Region into two or more administrative regions.

What is more refreshing is the fact that most of the prominent Gonja politicians in other political parties have at a time expressed their resolve to push for the split of the Northern Region. This issue was dear to top most NPP Gonja politicians like Boniface Abubakari Sadik, Alhaji Nurideen Jawula and Adam Zakaria who at several platforms voiced out their concerns about this issue. The Vice-Presidential candidate of the CPP during the 2008 elections Dr Abu Forster Sakara, a Gonja disclosed his intention of seriously making the issue a big agenda for a government of the CPP.

A bi-partisan support of the idea will clear the cobwebs out of the minds of people that a particular government has a vested interest in the whole issue or might be trying to take credit. Yes the credit will go any government that creates a region but I am of the opinion Gonjas from all parties must be involved.

It is in view of this, I observed with disquiet and disappointment how the election of new National Executive of the Gonjaland Youth Association at Bole was politicised.

Members of the Greater Accra Branch decided to vie for some positions. In fact they really organised very well as this particular meeting to me saw the greatest number of Gonjas resident in Accra attending. The person that was selected from Greater Accra to contest as President was Alhassan Baba Darison an officer at the Internal Revenue Service-Headquarters. He was the preferred choice of many delegates because of his organisational acumen and ability to raise funds for any course that he believes in as well as his youthfulness. As Chairman of the Greater Accra branch of the association from 2003 to 2007, he did a lot for the association. Gonjas resident in Accra successfully celebrated many Damba festivals and also embarked on a lot of developmental activities.

Those from Kumasi, Sunyani, Techiman and other southern branches supported the idea of an Accra man leading the association because the last time a person from southern Ghana led the association was in 1986. When all was set for Darison to be elected as President, the political conspiracies began. Darison is NPP and so should not lead an association that has majority of its members including the Vice-President as NDC members.

The first move to derail Darison's ambition was started by a prominent traditional ruler (name withheld). He issued a fiat that the elections be suspended for no reason except that an NPP man was on the verge of winning as we were told by an equally prominent Chief of Gonjaland. This fizzled out as the issue nearly resulted in confusion because the branches insisted the elections be conducted. The next move was when an NDC former Regional Minister lead a delegation to prevail on Darison to step down, a situation that was so ridiculous to me. When he declined to step down he was accused of arrogance and disrespect for the elderly. Meanwhile propaganda was at work. Word went round that Darison had stepped down for the eventual winner Mr. Bakari Nyari, a member of the Council of elders of the association. I wonder if this man at 59 is the best to lead an association for the Youth.

In fact when a Journalist friend from Accra asked of my age and I mentioned it, he was surprised making me feels embarrassed. If not for political expediency how can an elder of an association turn out to be the leader?

I have a strong believe that it is only in political unity that Gonjas could succeed in lobbying for the creation of the region which is so dear to every well meaning Gonja. There should be a bi-partisan approach to the issue or else it is going to be a mirage

Is Alan Qualified to contest as NPP flag bearer?

Questions must be raised about the eligibility of Mr John Alan Kwadjo Kyeramaten should he make up his mind to contest the flag bearership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the next Congress of the party.

Article (12) Section a Clause 1 of the NPP Constitution states “The election of the Party’s Presidential Candidate shall take place at National Congress held not later than twenty-four (24) months from the date of the National Election"

Clause 4 of the same Article states "No member shall be entitled to nomination as the Party's Presidential Candidate unless he or she'.

(i) Is a known and active Member of at least five (5) years."

By the former provision, the latest the NPP could organise a Congress to elect a Presidential Candidate is December 2010. Considering this, Alan Kyeremateng is technically disqualified having resigned as a Member of the NPP in April 2008 and returning in May, 2008. From May 2008 to December 2010 would be three (3) years meaning Alan would be short of two (2) years to meet the requirement that says 'No Member shall be entitled to nomination as the Party's Presidential Candidate unless he or she is a known and active Member of at least five (5) years'.

Meanwhile unlike the selection of Parliamentary Candidates where in appropriate cases the, the National Executive, in consultation with the Regional and Constituency may dispense with the requirement on the number of years a candidate should be a known active Member, it is not same for the selection of a Presidential Candidate. The National Executive Committee in this case cannot dispense with this requirement.

Alan's resignation from NPP caused a lot of sensation in the party. At a meeting, involving President John Agyekum Kufuor, NPP National Chairman Peter Mac Manu, Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyerematen, resolved that the failed Presidential aspirants concerns be looked into by an ad hoc committee.

It was also agreed at the so called reconciliation meeting that Mr Kyeremanteng’s letter of resignation would only take effect after the committee’s sitting. But I see that to be bizarre. Apolitical party is an association and under the laws of the country, one either joins or walks out of an association. How can the party then say his resignation was put on hold?

I was more surprised when Mr Kyerematen was told to write details of his complaints, which revolves around allegations that several of his supporters had been unfairly treated after the Congress. This was even after several party members have come out to deny this.

Recently a group calling itself "Friends of Alan Cash Campaign" and led by Joseph Boakye-Kwakwa in said they had launch a campaign to build a support base and also rally behind the bid of Alan Kyeramaten for the flag bearership of the NPP for the 2012 elections. The stated objectives of the group according to Mr Boakye-Kwakwa are to resist any attempt to retain Nana Akuffo-Addo as the NPP's flag bearer.

Again the group only last week issued a statement that Alan Kyerementeng will contest the 2012 Congress of the NPP flag bearership slot. They also claim the defeat of the NPP in the last election was due to the carelessness and negligence of the Party Executive and Campaign Managers, who threw away political power on a silver platter without a fight. According to them the whole of management and communication of the party was a failure and that the party had failed to maintain power in spite of the financial, material and human resources.

These statements have the tendency to bring division into the party because it is premature to be talking about who leads the NPP. While the leadership are seriously working to keep the party united and to also strengthen the party's structures across the country, Kwakwa and his group are more interested in Alan Kyeremateng leading the party when he is not after all qualified.