NDC Germany Refutes Kufour’s Coup Allegations

It was with disgust for NDC Members in Germany to hear about the serious and unsubstantiated allegations levelled by the President of the Republic of Ghana, John Agyekum Kuffuor on his Excellency the former President John Jerry Rawlings on his supposed attempt to have travelled out of the country to seek assistance from a Latin-American Oil-rich country to stage a Coup.

We will like to take this opportunity to set the record straight on the disingenuity of the statement made by His Excellency the President John Kuffuor. It has to be said that so far as the ex-President’s absence from Ghana on the weekend of the 21st October is concerned, he left Accra after his Offinso Rally on the 19th of October straight for Germany on the invitation of the German NDC Branches. Unless maybe the ex-President has a twin brother who was traced to an oil-rich country in Latin America around the same period he may yet have to tell us.

On Saturday 21st at the location of the City-Forum in the City of Euskirchen, the ex-President Chaired the African Forum Event where the focus of discussions was on Democracy, Human Rights and Economic Development in Africa. We in Germany are baffled on how such discussions which could contribute to the overall development of Africa had been equated to arms soliciting for a Coup in Ghana. The German Police in Eurskirchen were fully informed of the visit of the ex-President and provided the necessary Securities, records of which are available as proof. In Eurskirchen the ex-President gave a number of Interviews to well known Media Houses to include the German international broadcaster Deutsch Welle. Other Representatives of the German Green Party and CDU also made speeches in support of the occasion.

The following Sunday on the 21st the President flew to Hamburg to a packed crowd in the evening with almost all the local Radio stations present. He helped launch the new Executives of the NDC Hamburg Branch led by Mr Emmanuel Nii Ashie-Moore. The following Monday he flew to England for his Meeting at the South Bank University. Accompanying him on his German trip were the Honourable Member of Parliaments Albin Gbagbin, Hon Gbediame and Hon Nii Laryea in addition to Mr Victor Gbeho.

It has to be acknowledged that during all his speeches, the ex-President emphasised on the need for peace, justice, fairness to all and most notably the need of the people to change governments through the ballot box. The ex-President emphasised on Unity, rejection of Tribalism & nepotism, corruption, and everyone contributing to build a better Ghana for all. These were the themes of his messages. Whether these were the messages so threatening to President Kuffuor as to equate them with Arms purchasing and Coup-plotting we leave to the people of Ghana to be the judge.

We would like to draw the attention of the President of Ghana, President Kuffuor to the fact that the office of the President should be above pettiness, sycophancy and rumour-mongering. The office of the President of Ghana should be above reproach and of a set Standard commanding respect amongst equals. Ghana is above or goes beyond ex-President Rawlings or President Kuffuor. Pettiness, sycophancy and rumour-mongering on the level exercised by President Kuffuor against ex-President Rawlings is best left to the beer-bars and Palm-Wine Quarters in the villages. The continuing cheapening of the Presidency through such loose talks and picked up by the International Press is doing great damage to the image of Ghana and those of us Ghanaians leaving outside the country.

We advise the President of the Republic that least he forgets there is a legal process for dealing with suspected Coup-Plotters under the 4th Republic through Constitutional means and in a Court of Law. For the President to have knowledge of a potential Coup and refusing to follow the Constitutional process to protect the security of the country and bring the perpetrators to justice is nothing but a dereliction of his duties as a President of the Country. Further to this it makes no sense to be going around the world on the tax-payers expense touting for foreign investments only to turn around and scare the same investors away by the rumours of threat of Coups.

We in Germany have been contacted by our German Partners to explain the security situation as a result of the reportage of a Coup-threat in Ghana read from the International media. We have taken the pains to explain the untruthfulness of the allegations. We could have spent this time much better explaining the government’s economic policies and how it can best be supported for the benefit of Ghana as a whole. We advise Kuffuor and his government to focus on the mandate given to them by the people of Ghana and to leave rumour mongering and pettiness to where it belongs.

We have taken this effort to explain how his Excellency happen to be in Germany at the same time that the Ghanaian Intelligence Service may have sported him in Latin America. Germany NDC Branch will continue to be at the forefront and champion of NDC and its values in Europe and beyond.

Lastly, we take this opportunity to apologise to all our Members in Germany as well as our Partners and Ghanaians for the inconveniences that the President’s misguided and disingenuous Statement has caused to them. We sincerely hope that the Presidency of the Republic of Ghana is held in the highest esteem and that such does not happen again.

Long Live Ghana!

Long Live NDC!

Long Live J.J Rawlings !

German Coordinator

Kwasi Tamakloe (kwasi_tamakloe2000@ yahoo.de)