Opinions of Monday, 27 February 2012

Columnist: Al-Hajj

Woyome, You Cannot Fight Everybody And Win

The Al-Hajj could imagine what is going through the mind of Mr. Alfred Woyome, the embattled businessman and ex-diplomat who is now standing trial in connection with GHS51million judgment debt.

After his brief incarceration and eventual criminal charges, Woyome indeed, like all human species must be a disturbed person and we do empathize with him. Most especially, the current perceived notions of his actual relationship with the governing NDC party and government and the opposition New Patriotic Party. Everybody in this world all along knew and believed him to be a very influential person and indeed, a chief financier in the NDC, however, recent revelations of his stock-in-trade, (Philanthropist Extra-ordinary) suggested that he is somebody who fraternizes with both the NDC and the NPP. As an international businessman-that is understandable.

The Al-Hajj however believes that Mr. Woyome himself had never anticipated that a day like this, or something of this nature would ever happen to him in his political career.

To him, the NDC government and party that he thought he had so much loved and supported have turned their back on him and instead are portraying him as a common criminal. Some leading members of the NDC he believes even have a hand in what is happening to him now.

It is a matter of fact that, Mr. Woyome believes, leading figures of the party like the Ahwoi brothers and the National Security Coordinator Mr. Larry Gbevlo Lartey are some of people remotely behind what is happening to him now. Recently, per the publications in some newspapers clearly sympathetic to his cause, the Al-Hajj has seen unbending desire by the businessman to target others like the Finance Minister Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) and even by extension President Mills himself. The advice the Al-Hajj wants to proffer to Mr. Woyome is that it is needless to continue in the digging-in for more imaginary adversaries at this stage of his tribulations.

No matter how influential one is, it is virtually near impossible for one to take-on a whole state and its apparatuses and win-and examples abound across the world. If it is being suggested that, Woyome’s earlier scuffle with the national security co-coordinator is remotely the cause of his recent problems, then what would happen to him now that he is in the hands of the law and trying to fight for his freedom?

Clearly, Woyome is in a much weaker position now to think that he can pick a fracas with anybody in government and win. In fact, any attempts at fighting any state institution, individual party members etc, by himself, loyalist in the media or in government or NDC party, would not only be a reckless venture, but also suicidal.

We know Mr. Woyome might have had some influence in this country across the political divide, thanks for his past ‘political generosity’ to both the NDC and the NPP, but the fact of the matter is that he is in a much weaker position now to prosecute any war of attrition with any-body in government or party and succeed.

The Al-Hajj would like to advise Mr. Woyome that this is not time to fight enemies, real or imaginary. This is a time for sober reflection, deep strategic thinking and time to re-connect with our God Almighty, by way of prayer and above all, engagement of savvy legal minds.

Any attempt of a media-coordinated assault against people in government or party, would worsen the case and may likely distance Mr. Woyome more from the NDC party and government.

Already, we are in the known of the state being in control of massive evidence of corrupted officials of various public organizations and parties across the divide, therefore any attempt at fault-finding now would only exacerbate an already bad situation.