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Opinions of Friday, 19 February 2016

Columnist: Damptey, Daniel Danquah

Felix Ofosu Kwakye must first learn how to crawl ……

I would like to comment on the distortion of facts and blatant lies maliciously done to bring the character and credibility of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, Flag bearer of the NPP into disrepute. The issue has to do with government’s smuggling of the two ex Guantanamo detainees into the country.

On Wednesday, 20th January, 2016 during the Adekye Nsoroma Programme on UTV, Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Ofosu Kwakye phoned in to clarify some issues in connection with the presence of the two ex Guantanamo detainees in the country. His comments to me were offensive and not what one should expect from the Government Image maker. If the comments are allowed to stand, it will portray the leadership of the country as lacking in integrity.

I, Daniel Danquah Damptey, having appointed myself Special Aide to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the Man Ghanaians are yearning to preside over the affairs of the country, come January 2016, and for that matter, our Decisive President- in-Waiting have the onerous task to give a fitting response to the innuendos, sarcasm and deliberate lies foisted on listeners by the “exorcist”, Felix Ofosu Kwakye.
Felix Ofosu Kwakye stated that in 2010, the Executive Order Task Force set up by the United States Government came out with a report which exonerated the two “outlaws” from any act of terrorism.

According to the Deputy Minister of Information, after the report came out, the US Government approached its Ghanaian counterpart to accept some of the detainees which the latter accepted. Ghana’s Ambassador to the US, Henry Smith was asked to convince the ex-detainees to accept Ghana as their next place of abode. “In fact, they were three, but one refused to come”, said Ofosu Kwakye.

Hey, stop there! Were the detainees asked which country they wanted to be repatriated to or the game of “sii sii koo, sii nana koo” was used to determine their fate? Were they coerced into accepting Ghana as their place of abode for the next two years?

Ofosu Kwakye was exposed for the liar that he is when he stated that initially they were three of the ex-detainees who were to come to Ghana. Why did the third one refuse to come in the first place?

It is a known fact that a 2007 Classified document from the US. Department of Defence stated that “Mahmud Mohammed Bin Atef was a fighter in Osama bin Laden’s former 25th Arab Brigade and an admitted member of the Taliban and that detainee participated in hostilities against coalition Forces and continues to do so”.

The NDC is mostly made up of nebulous collection of nefarious desperados, otherwise how do you expect a baby with sharp teeth like Otukunor to co-exist with a Greedy Bastard like Alfred Wayome?

How informed is Felix Ofosu Kwakye to comment on a foreign issue like the Guantanamo matter whilst there is a substantive Foreign Minister at post? But that is what you get in the NDC. The Foreign Minister and the Minister of Interior were not even briefed on the matter before the arrival of these “outlaws” into the country. So, how do we expect them to comment on a matter that they know nothing about?

I throw an open challenge to Felix Ofosu Kwakye to come out with a copy of the official US State Department’s document which cleared these two “outlaws” of terrorism.
When the Deputy Minister went into tantrums and made disparaging remarks about Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, the man all Ghanaians are yearning for to lead them in their quest for the Golden Fleece, I came to the absolute conclusion that the former had crossed the bridge of decency and deserved to be given some tutorials, free of course!

The Deputy Minister stated that people laud Nana Addo for his Human Rights record. But it surprises him that he (Nana Addo) should kick against the detainees repatriation to Ghana since what the Ghanaian Government has done is only to right the wrongs meted out to the two. “Is he a Human Right Activist”? He asked rhetorically. The innuendos are not lost to discerning Ghanaians.

When he was asked by the host of the programme whether the two have any document to prove that the US Government had cleared them of the charge of terrorism, his response was that they did not need any such document for the two were not charged with any crime; neither were they made to appear before any court of competent jurisdiction.

I take strong exception to Ofosu Kwakye’s line of reasoning. The Americans did a lot of investigation before clamping the charge of “terrorism” on them. Others were arrested but a panel determined how serious their involvement was before recommending that some including the two be detained.

The Deputy Minister touched on a raw nerve when he stated that if we were to base our argument on fictitious documents, Nana Addo would not have had the moral turpitude to stand for the presidency. Nana Addo would have been disqualified because Wilkileaks report put a lid on his coffin.

Yes, Wilkileaks makes damaging remark about Nana Addo. But who is the author of such report. It is none other than Peter Rabbit Kwesi Pratt who has been rewarded by the Presidency with membership of the National Media Commission. Yes, Kwesi Pratt is the CIA Agent who went necodemously to his paymaster to level such diabolic, mischievous and unproven charges against Nana Addo. When the truth came out, Kwesi wanted to burrow himself into a rat hole similar to the one executed Iraqi Leader, Saddam Hussein was pulled out from. How much he collected from his pay masters before making such unfounded and damaging allegations, we cannot say because you and I were not there.

But, can we say same of the Flag-bearer of Felix Ofosu Kwakye’s contraption, who incidentally happens to be our President? Definitely, not! Martin Amidu, Attorney General and Minister of Justice under late President Mills has said in clear unmistakable words that Felix Ofosu Kwakye’s Flag bearer cannot fight corruption because he himself is neck deep in corruption.

According to Martin Amidu, whiles Mahama was Vice President, his boss, late President Mills set up a Three Member Panel to probe the VP’s shady deals in procuring Five Aircrafts including Embraer 190 and a Hanger for the Ghana Armed Forces. Martin Amidu has continued to expose the Flag bearer of the NDC for the numerous corrupt deals he has engrossed himself in and attempts to sweep those dirty deals under the carpet.

Between Peter Rabbit Kwesi Pratt and Martin Amidu whose account is more credible? The First feels ashamed to repeat what he had said in secret whilst the second insists that indeed the Flag bearer of Ofosu Kwakye’s contraption is the most corrupt leader in the whole of Africa. Based on the above scenario, which of the two, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo, NPP Flag-bearer and John Dramani Mahama, NDC Flag bearer do you think is ineligible to stand for election as President?

The choice is obvious. Felix Ofosu Kwakye concluded with the following: “Government re-iterates that there is no cause for alarm. Measures have been put in place to ensure security of life and property”. What security measures have Government has put in place? An Opposition MP is stabbed in his bed room and you call that adequate security! A man enters the house of an Aspiring Opposition MP with dangerous weapons and asking for the victim to show up and the Police send him to a mental institution.

Earlier on, a man who exhibited all signs of madness went to church with a gun claiming he wanted to kill the President because the latter had reneged on an agreement he and President Mahama had made to murder President Mills so that the “mad man” would assume the Presidency. But Mahama usurped the “throne”. They hauled him before the law court and handed him a Ten Year jail sentence. Is this the kind of security Felix Ofosu Kwakye’s government has promised to give Ghanaians?

You see, my Nigerian friends have a say that “if you want to clear a bush, you must first sharpen your cutlass very well”. The NDC and its Flag bearer are behaving like chameleon and should not be trusted. When Nana Akufo Addo criticized late President Mills for reneging on an ECOWAS resolution which he(Mills) had personally endorsed, the hyenas, the wolves, the vultures, the hawks, the vampires, the serpents and the rabid dogs like Felix Ofosu Kwakye, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Baba Jamal. Omane Boamah, Muritalla Mohammed, John Abu Jinapor, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and others launched a scathing attack on Nana Akufo Addo. These nebulous voices eulogized late President Mills on his “Dzi wo Fie Asem” Mantra (Eat your house matter). Suddenly, Mills dies and in comes John Dramani Mahama.

If Mills were alive, would he have accepted these ex detainees into the country? The late President might be turning in his grave for this act of betrayal by those who had professed undying love for him.

In fact the greatest sacrilege Felix Ofosu Kwakye and his Flag bearer have done to the memory of the late President is the acceptance of these two ex Guantanamo detainees into the country. This is what must worry Felix Ofosu Kwakye and not his futile attempts to dare a political juggernaut like Nana Addo into an open battle on matters of Foreign Policy.

I would like to state here with emphasis that the Deputy Information Minister’s attempt to drag Nana Akufo Addo’s name into the mud is an exercise in futility. Nana has carved a niche for himself. Felix Ofosu Kwakye should first learn how to crawl before learning how to walk or run. On Foreign Policy, the political neophyte of his type should not think of comparing himself with Nana Akufo Addo. It will be like comparing life (Nana) with death (Ofosu Kwakye). The earlier this sinks into the head of Ofosu Kwakye, the better it would be for him.

“The river crosses the Path and the Path crosses the River. Which is the elder?
Our elders found the River when they were making the path”.

Nana Addo Dankwa has carved a niche for himself in various fields when history of the country is written. He is the Golden Fish Ghanaians want to lead in in our march towards the erradication of corruption and poverty. Felix Ofosu Kwakye should not forget this.

Daniel Danquah Damptey (damptey_daniel@yahoo.com) 0243715297
Self Appointed Special Aide to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.