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Politics of Friday, 16 January 2015

Source: The Republic

NPP's 'nation wreckers' fly out to embarrass Ghana

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has secured tickets and accommodation for several of its agents and propaganda personnel to travel to Berlin-Germany, to demonstrate against President Mahama when he visits that country next week, the Republic newspaper has gathered.

President Mahama is billed to address businesses and investors exploring opportunities to set up shops in Ghana during the Ghana Business and Investment Forum scheduled for Berlin, but the NPP has promised to disrupt the events with a planned demonstration.

This appears to be a desperate attempt at discrediting the government after several failed similar demonstrations in the country. It is also coming at a critical time when the government ruffled the confidence of the main opposition party by flooding the mass and social media with evidence of its countless development projects.

The party has already sent out word to its underlings across the country and in Europe to converge at the Intercontinental Hotel in Berlin on Tuesday to stage a 'make-believe' demonstration during the business forum.

A communiqué issued by the party under the signature of some of its propaganda officials, including Hopeson Yaw Adorye, stated: "We are calling on all Ghanaians in Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, Italy etc. to meet together in front of the Intercontinental Hotel...President Mahama will be meeting their selected Ghanaians at the above hotel on that day."

The tone of the communiqué has been described by critics as 'desperate' because the purpose of the planned demonstration is largely vague. "They can't convince us here in Ghana so they are running to Germany to embarrass the country and the President," an angry critic told this paper.

The same group of people are said to be those that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo- NPP's flagbearer-, was caught in the UK on a 'secret tape' urging them to use their connections in Europe to ensure that investors and governments would stop supporting Ghana during the reign of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The group organising to storm Berlin are apparently taking a cue from Akufo-Addo's passionate plea that his followers should "raise the temperature" at all cost, and to achieve this, he suggested that they should go to all lengths to make the government unpopular, "... 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 told his 'foot-soldiers' in London.

"You here have a very important role to play in this mobilization," he charged his fired up followers.

Meanwhile, the rationale for the planned demonstration in Berlin has been questioned by critics because, the forum is essentially aimed at benefiting Ghana in terms of investor interest and potential new businesses opening in Ghana. It is unclear why anybody would want to scuttle the opportunity, critics have questioned.

The event is being organised by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK Ghana) in partnership with the Afrika Verein e. V. and the KFW Bank Group.

The discussions at the forum is expected to be centered on bilateral business opportunities and upcoming projects in Ghana in the Energy, Agriculture, Mining and Oil & Gas sectors among others.

The event will also feature speeches by German representatives of state and industry on the role of German companies in Sub-Sahara Africa and how to further enhance business opportunities in the West African Region.

Even though the NPP is feverishly projecting the event as an NDC event, organisers of the event have stated that the event is open to all Ghanaians looking for business partners abroad and Europeans seeking to invest in Ghana.

There will be an opportunity for the Ghanaian Community, and business executives to interact with the President and his delegation and government officials to pose questions on issues related to the performance of his administration.

"So rather than attending the event to contribute to national development, it beats the mind why the NPP would choose rather to organise a demonstration during the event," an angry Ghanaian-born businessman in Germany told the Republic Newspaper.

The NPP has executed similar gimmicks in the US and UK during important visits of President Mahama to these countries and it is fast being seen as the main opposition party's modus operandi.