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Opinions of Monday, 17 October 2011

Columnist: Asare, Noah Dugubrame

Ingratitude, Betrayal And Hypocisy

Ingratitude, Betrayal and Hypocrisy are of course not virtues. They are qualities that no man admires. Many men nonetheless cannot separate themselves from these vices. People crowned with any of these unacceptable tittles, are not welcome by any individual nor group as a reliable partner. When the same qualities are seen in a leader, he is reduced to the class of men worthy of outright rejection and ridicule. As if by a miracle, the last one and half to two years of President Mills led NDC governance, we have seen a deep painting of these qualities erecting dominantly among members of the government and the party. I have to be quick in adding that these qualities has unfortunate turned out to be part of many politicians, but although this is true the extent to which one gets to with his ingratitude, betrayal or hypocrisy is the gravest part.

In the run up to the 2008 elections, it became a household message that Former President Kuffour was against the flagbearership of Nana Addo. President Kuffour on several platforms denied this vehemently and even aided the long time friend in his political campaign. After the loss in 2008 Former President Kuffour and Nana Addo have been seen together on several occasions for different purposes all of which to a large extent nullified the idea of a betrayal between them. Although this has not stopped pundits from mentaining that Former President Kuffour was part of the cause of Nana Addo's slim defeat in 2008. Apart from extremists who will not take moves and words from both Nana Addo and F. President Kuffour to signify unity and probably loyalty to each other, most sincere people will say that even if there was any betrayal, the scores have been settled and the two men are hand in hand again.

When these rumours of F president Kuffour's betrayal sneaked through our streets the NDC took a good note and have consistently used it as a weapon to hunt down the credibility of Nana Addo's candidature. As hard as the efforts have been to position the two men against each other, the two have always defended one another. Nana Addo especially has shown a lot maturity in handling the matter to close the doors to any division between him and the man he followed to every corner of Ghana in campaigning and supporting him for his presidential bid. Former President Kuffour on his part has also done more than enough to show his loyalty and gratitude to the fellow patriot. He has done it with all seriousness to avoid the branding of Ingratitude, Betrayal and maybe hypocrisy. He has successfully broken himself loose publicly from these vices especially with his pronoucements lately which have always gone to support and endorse Nana Addo, their party's presidential candidate for 2012. I know he has gone this path because he knows the quensequencies of being called ungrateful or a traitor.

Whilst F President Kuffour is doubling his steps from these tags, prominent people in the NDC are gladly hanging them around their necks. Their BETRAYAL of the founder of the party which has made most of them what they are today speaks lengths of the INGRATITUDE in them and the HYPOCRISY they have exhibitted by this is unmeasurable. Them man who shocked me most in all of it is Asiedu Nketia. In a ceremony to receive Dr Obed Asamoah into the NDC fold back, the General secretary was reported to have referred to the former president as "a dog" whose barking had led to the desertion of the party by the one time chairman, Dr Obed Asamoah. Since the publication of the story, I have not heard Mr Asiedu Nketia coming out with any retraction, apology or even an explanation to quench what his speech is said to mean. Even if that happened, saying such a thing publicly speaks tons of the perception held that former president Rawlings is being shown the exit from his own party. Again if this was what is said in the public, what can we immagine of those said in the hiding? General Mosquito was a teacher when he bustered into politics. President Rawlings appointed him as a Deputy Minister of Agric at one point. For that person to turn round and call him(papa J) a dog is surely grave. It could be counted as one othe worst forms of betrayal and ingratitude.

Another person who shocked me is Enock Teye Mensah. E T is said to be a school mate of Papa J. Some even claim that he was first brought to the castle as the then Chaiman Rawlings' barber. He scaled through many ranks politically, thank God for the influence and power of Former president Rawlings in Ghana and the NDC in particular. He held different ministerial appointments under Papa J and is even perceived to ne one of the richest politicians in the NDC. We were told of how former President Rawlings saw his house and was astonished. This same E T in the run up to the 2012 elections openly told the founder of thier party to come and take his share out of the party. However opposing E T was to the former first ladies desire to combat president Mills in the primaries, I think he went too far to draw a sword against his long time friend. It was a statement which could be heart breaking, especially coming from a trusted friend like E T. The level of the betrayal there was damaging and the ingratitude weighed a lot.

When I listened to Allotey Jacobs just a few days before the June forth boom of this year 2011 I shivered. Allotey had the gusts to tell former President Rawlings to behave himself at Kumasi or the myth built around him will be broken down amd he will be exposed. He further advised Former president Rawlings to retreat to his village in Tefle amd play with his grandchildren. He also advised him to start writing down his experiences for the youth and the children of tomorrow or learn from former president kuffour to know how to behave like a former president. There were a few questions I asked myself; is there something hidden about Papa J that we are not told which Uncle Allotey was threatening to make public in the case of former president Rawlings behavior? If there is why have they been covering him all this while then? Could it be that they all hated him all that while but only pretended because he was powerful, rich and influential? Or they were silent those days because their livelihood depended on him(papa J)? The Ingratitude, betrayal and hypocrisy shown was unimmaginable.

The distaste of the former President by the current NDC leadership through Hannah Tetteh, Hon Harruna Iddrisu, Betty Mould Iddrisu and many others coupled with the acceptance of Rawlings' antagonists like Obed Asamoah and Boakye Gyan surely shows how the people in the party's driving sit wish Rawlings was completely dealt away with from his own party. But the most shocking of all is the presidency.

Anyone could bet any prophet if he prophesied that the NDC can be in power for three years and Rawlings' foot has never been set at the castle. It will have something to be outrightly denied if we were told fire could raze the house of Papa J and for close to two hears not a spoon full of sand has been brought there to start reconstruction of his most preferred location. Who would have believed if he was told Mills will see Rawlings at the congress and not share even pleasantries with him, but it occured at the Coronation park. How odd it will have sounded to say Rawlings and his wife will be booed off stage at an NDC congress, but it happened in Sunyani. He thought former president Rawlings ideas will no more matter when Mills is making his decisions? Who will have believed of he was told a whole goverment communication machinery will be organised to lie on giving the former first family monies to revamp their company and also offered five ministerial appointments? But it has happened the former first lady made these lies exposed recently at Tamale.

President Mills has almost succeeded in turning Rawlings' own party against him. It may be argued that it is not wholly the doing of President Mills but his attitude so far has made me believe he approves all what is done to the man who took him by hand and imposed him on the party whose manifesto was sealed with his(Papa J's) own blood. He is agreement with the treatment given to the man who earned himself a lot of enemies because he stood by him(Mills) and preferred him above all others.

If he was not in agreement he would have at least call those ranting at the former president to order. Baba Jamal las week was on air, and when he was being asked about reports of nothing done about the former first family's house he is told to have responded that the journalist should bring up important matters or hang the phone. He is said to have further stated that Rawlings is not the only former president we have so they should give him a break. As hiring as these statements will sound to someone who has lost his house to one of the mysterious fire outbreaks which charracterised President Mills first two years in office, I have not heard anybody say don't speak like that to the founder. All those who have launched these attacks on the former president and his family are still holding their positions, both in the party and in the government.

All these people in time past idolised F President Rawlings to us. For them to turn round today and treat him like the darkest devil to ever exist, lays to bare their gross Hypocrisy. It has made me begin to look at the ruling party's higher hirachy as Hypocrites who "loved" the founder because of what they wanted to gain.

People who are Betrayers, betraying the former president after gaining what they want without any show of Gratitude. At least some of those people could have jointly footed the bills of the rebuilding of his ridge residence if the government is not willing to do it. What has been displayed in the leadership of the NDC is IGRATITUDE, BETRAYAL and HYPoCRISY.

God Bless Our Homeland Ghana.

Noah Dugubrame Asare. Franfurt, Germany.