NPP used "Positive Defiance" tactics in opposition

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has defended “positive defiance” as preached by former president Rawlings saying, it was a weapon used effectively by the ruling party, the New Patriotic Party, against the former government, when it was in opposition.

"When the NPP was in opposition, they did not only urge positive defiance, even if they did not use that phrase; they acted it out through demonstrations and mass protests against the former government's policies," Mr. John Mahama, NDC Director of Communications stated at a news conference in Accra.

The news conference was to state the party's position on the aftermath reactions to a speech the former President Jerry John Rawlings delivered at the inauguration of the Ashanti Regional working committee of the Women's Wing of the party in Kumasi on Friday August 9, 2002.

The speech had generated hot debate and reaction from government, leading to the invitation of the former President by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in Accra and the questioning of five executive members of the party by the Ashanti Regional Police CID in Kumasi.

Mr. Mahama cited the 1995 "Alliance For Change" demonstration against the introduction of the Value Added Tax (VAT) as an example of the NPP's positive defiance tactics.

The demonstration turned violent and resulted in the death of four Ghanaians and was led by Nana Addo Dankwah Akuffo-Addo, and other leading members of the NPP.

Mr. Mahama, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bole Bamboi, said the NPP took the demonstration to other regional capitals and "in the end, forced the withdrawal of the VAT, a major NDC Government policy."

The NPP did not wait for the elections, then scheduled for December 1996. They saw something that was wrong and they acted before the due date for the elections, adding, "that is our understanding of what ex-President Rawlings called for, in Kumasi." He said the NPP again organised the "Ya Bre" demonstration in November 1999 and presented a protest petition to Parliament against increases of fuel prices, utility tariffs, University academic user fees and against cash and carry and redeployment.

The NDC Director of Communications said the NPP threatened to make the country ungovernable and to disrupt the 2000 elections. The government backed down on its plans.

Mr. Mahama said the phrase might not have been the best choice of expression, but it is ex-President Rawlings' personal coinage for the constitutionally and democratically accepted concept of "civil disobedience" manifested through "public protest" and "street demonstrations" which were guaranteed under the Constitution.