Opinions of Wednesday, 24 September 2008

Columnist: Acquah, Henry

Akufo Addo's Fraudulent Political Talk

· He Claims To Believe In Ghana Even Though J.B. Danquah, The CIA Agent, Is His Hero & Relative

· He Pretends To Detest Coups Even Though His Father & Mentor Not Only Embraced It But Profited from A Coup

· Is It Any Surprise That His Claims Of Being A Human Rights Fighter Are Dubious & Hollow?

One of Nana Akufo Addo's main claims to fame, according to the NPP, is the fact that he comes from an ancestry that includes Dr J.B. Danquah, William Ofori Atta and his father, Edward Akufo Addo.

These forbears of Akufo Addo are lauded by NPP gurus as towering political figures in Ghana and illustrious models of NPP family's values of democracy, rule of law and civil liberties.

When Nana Akufo Addo became the flagbearer of the NPP, all noises were made to the effect that finally destiny had brought about a situation where a blood relative from that "democratic lineage" would ascend the high political seat in Ghana.

What the NPP failed to tell Ghana was that far from a being an exemplary lineage, Akufo Addo's ancestry is marked by political fraud of the highest level.

The claims of patriotism, belief in Ghana, love for multi party democracy and aversion for any undemocratic tendencies, when subjected to critical scrutiny, are as "Fake" as the smile Akufo Addo wears on the huge billboards that litter virtually all the corners of the country at the moment. Dr J.B. Danquah is not just the political founding father of the NPP. He is actually Nana Akufo Addo's hero and blood relative. The Danquah Institute, is today the foremost institution that is spearheading the campaign of Nana Akufo Addo.

Dr J.B. Danquah, a patriot and political tower as far as the NPP is concerned is one of the main reasons why the NPP opted for the name Patriotic Party. He is also one of the central reasons behind Akufo Addo's "I Believe In Ghana" campaign theme.

Clearly, in the view of Akufo Addo and the NPP, Danquah the party founder was a great believer in Ghana- so NPP and Akufo Addo are also great patriots. Danquah- a patriot? The NPP family surely has a great sense of humour! Does it not take great humour to describe as a patriot a man who has no qualms selling his nation for a few american dollars?

As if it is not bad enough that the party carries the paradoxical name of "Patriotic Party" now the relative of the nation's traitor and political Judas, an unrepentant CIA agent, adds insult to injury by actually declaring that he and his party believe in Ghana.

Does Akufo Addo and his NPP believe in Ghana? How could they, when apart from selling Ghana for a few american dollars, they continue to date to be puppets of the West? Just this week, the USA described Kufuor as the Ally of the West- The same accolade that they showered on other continental traitors like Mobutu Sese Sekou in the past.

How can Akufo Addo believe in Ghana when he had no problems joining his NPP colleagues to oppose virtually all the things his government is benefitting from today like the VAT (which they opposed both in 95 and again in 98) the GetFund, The NDC's piloting of the NHIS not to mention the 1992 Constitution. We have not even touched in the way they betrayed the cause of Ghana by opposing our quest to be a unitary state, our drive for independence and the construction of the major infrastructural landmarks at the dawn of our emancipation.

The other fraudulent claim by Akufo Addo is that he fiercely believes in Rule of law and human rights and would spare no effort to defend these rights regardless of the obstacles. This is another hollow and fraudulent claim by the son of a "Multi party democracy Hater" and the relative of a nation betrayer.

His current claims are just as fraudulent as the previous claims of his ancestors that they cherished the values of Rule of law and multi party democracy.

Nana Akufo's father embraced the 1966 Coup with glee and alacrity. He opportunistically accepted to be the Chairman of the constitutional committee that recommended the banning of the CPP and its officials from contesting elections. This they did in 1968. He also had no problem benefitting from the military junta when he ecstatically accepted the appointment by the junta to become the nation's Chief Justice. The double standards of William Ofori Atta, another so called democrat who clearly loved the 1966 coup, partook in it just like Busia etc need no further commenting upon.

This is exactly the political double standards that their son, Akufo Addo is showing today. Given the hypocrisy and the questionable commitment of his forebears to democratic ideals, does it come as a surprise that Nana Akufo Addo would swiftly show his zero tolerance for critical opinion by stripping a whole former president of his privileges for simply exercising his right of free speech?

This is a man who calls himself a human rights fighter who easily infringes on the human rights of another just because he cannot bear critical opinion. Does it come as a surprise that Nana Akufo Addo would quickly resort to the immoral packing of the Supreme Court to ensure the reversal of a Supreme Court verdict that had not gone in the favour of his NPP government? Does it come as surprise that despite his claims to being a human rights fighter, not a whimper was heard from him when an opposition leader in Tamale, Issa Mobilla, was tortured and killed in a most horrendous manner? Need we add the way he looked on approvingly and virtually applauded when as Attorney General, he superintended over the way, deliberately false charges were preferred against two individuals who were caught parading the streets of Yendi with body parts of the Ya Na?

By the way did anybody see him display even a fraction of the zeal he showed on behalf of Ghanaians doing time in Thai jails for trafficking cocaine among others, when over 40 innocent Ghanaians were butchered in Gambia? Our "Human rights champion" jumps to the defense of punished Ghanaians guilty of trafficking hard drugs but has nothing to show by way of results when over 40 Ghanaians were killed in Gambia.

A kangaroo court or a kangaroo justice is normally used to make allusion to the dubiousness and the fraudulent nature of those things. Akufo Addo, whose democratic "blueblood" has proven to be nothing but dubious and bogus pretensions, clearly is right to have adopted the kangaroo symbol and dance because just like his forebears, his claims are hollow, fraudulent and fake. The only thing that may rival his fraudulent claims might be the equally fake smile he wears on billboards.