IMANI, OccupyGhana et al are NPP puppets, says Dan Botwe

It has finally been confirmed that the sudden and unexplained escalation of civil unrest by labour groups and civil society groups are a manipulation of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to make the John Dramani Mahama’s administration unpopular.

The Member of Parliament for Okere Constituency, Daniel Kweku Botwe stated on Oman FM last week that “…any gimmicks, demonstrations, we have been doing them; there is no demonstration in town that the major input is not coming from the Minority MPs- ask those who organize those demonstrations”.

He was reacting to assertions by Gabby Otchere Darko (the immediate-past Executive Director of the Danquah Institute, a pro-NPP think-tank) that NPP Members of Parliament (MPs) have been mostly dormant in criticizing the Mahama administration

Since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) assumed power in 2009, the NPP and its allies under the guise of pressure groups have fueled contention among the general populace with groups like Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), Let My Vote Count (LMVC), Young Patriots and recently think-tank IMANI, which is seriously fueling sentiments over workers 2nd tier pension fund.

The statement made by Dan Botwe, a former General Secretary of NPP on pro-NPP radio station, Oman FM, goes to reaffirm the long-held suspicions that the escalating civil unrest in the country is not by mere coincidence, but rather a clever scheme by the opposition NPP to ease their way into power by riding on well stoked public sentiment.

The exposé further enforces statements made by leading members of the NPP to that effect. In 2013, a leading member of the NPP, Mr. Ken Ofori- Atta (A cousin to the twice- defeated presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo) was quoted calling for civil unrest while addressing a gathering at the William Ofori- Atta Memorial Lecture at the British Council in Accra.

Furthermore, earlier this year, Akufo-Addo was exposed pushing the NPP’s grand agenda in London for making the NDC administration unpopular to instigate a possible regime change.

A video recording available to the Republic newspaper showed him instigating party supporters in UK, during one of his recent visits. He wanted his supporters abroad to “raise the temperature”. To achieve this, he outlined the plan“…whatever you can do here to raise the temperature here and get the understanding of the authorities in this country about the need for these reforms in Ghana,” he said.

He was captured on the video urging his supporters to go as far as using their contacts within the UK political system to stop financial support to the country and instead channel it into resources to force a regime change in Ghana.

“You here have a very important role to play in this mobilization. It is important that the collective strength that you have here, you will bring it bear on the British political system so that these issues we are talking about are things that we will ask them also to help us address,” he was seen in the video telling the teeming NPP supporters whom he met.

“It is better for them [the UK political system] to help us find money to do some of these things [regime change through demonstrations and civil agitations] now than to be involved in billions of dollars rehabilitating a difficult situation that none of us want,” he charged.

“Some of us have invested our lives in the establishment of democracy in Ghana [and] we are not going to allow a few rogue elements to derail our democracy,” Akufo-Addo stated, giving indications of an elaborate plan to resist the current administration on all fronts.

The NPP’s third-time aspiring presidential candidate encouraged the party’s supporters in the UK to stage all sort of schemes to make the John Mahama led administration unpopular to the international community.

Dan Botwe explained how these civil agitations are started saying the party takes advantage of any national issue by staging a press conference. Essentially, the press conferences are aimed at disseminating the call to action for their minions, “There is no single issue we have not done thorough press conferences to declare our stance; we have boycotted issues on the floor of Parliament…..was it not the same Minority NPP MPs that showed the late President Mills the red cards when he came to Parliament?

Since the grand agenda begun, the party has successfully instigated Doctors, teachers, Nurses, University staff and organized labour to hit the streets in demonstrations and nationwide strikes.