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Opinions of Wednesday, 5 November 2014

Columnist: Yiadom, Boakye

Ghanaians Can No Longer Be Intimidated

By Dr. Boakye Yiadom

The Political landscape of Ghana has dramatically changed for better and Ghanaians can no longer be intimidated. In the political era of some leaders like the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah could have gone on the National Radio to force workers to go back to work within matters of hours and not even days. It is simply that Dr. Nkrumah never believed in the rule of law In Nkrumah’s dictatorial era, no workers’ union could have embarked on a strike action for at least two weeks as we are seeing today. The sycophants in that era would have come out with slogans “Nkrumah does no wrong; he is our leader” and “Nkrumah, the Messiah” to either apiece or praise him. Nothing was negotiable under Nkrumah’s regime. I wish to congratulate my fellow DOCTORS in Ghana as well as workers of the other unions and hope this will serve as an eye opener to political aspirants. Dr. J. B. Danquah, Eminent Lawyer and Doyen of Ghana Politics, who researched for the name Ghana, died in Nsawam Medium Security Prison, for what he believed in. John Kugblenu, Editor of Free Press Newspaper, was arrested and detained without trial under Jerry Rawlings PNDC junta. Kugblenu also died about one month after his release from prison. This is also for a cause he believed in. May the GOOD LORD preserve the SOULS OF THE TWO STALWARTS till the end of time? I believe the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) members are encouraged by the death in prison of Dr. J. B. Danquah and the unlawful detention and subsequent death of John Kugblenu. Hence the members are saying “they are ready to face prison sentences for their actions”. Ghanaians must have known now that President John Mahama has no new initiatives, ideas or answers to the problems of Ghana. The piece of advice for him is to resign honourably and leave the scene. On the other hand, if President Mahama will listen and believe the sycophants like Alhaji Said Sinare, newly appointed Ghana’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, that the NDC will win come 2016, then he will be living in a fool’s paradise. Alhaji sinare, who is also the National Vice-Chairman of the NDC, is seeking re-election because he believes the NDC has lost the presidential and parliamentary elections in advance and will not continue to be in Saudi Arabia as Ghana’s Representative. Alhaji Sinare lied to Ghanaians that John Mahama has been putting smiles in the faces of the people. Does he not know the strike actions of twelve workers’ unions in the country? Is this what Alhaji Sinare describes as “putting smiles in the faces of the people?” If Ghanaians were Egyptians, Pakistanis, Burkinabe or any other country, the people would not wait till the end of Mahama’s tenure of office. Notwithstanding, Ghanaians are law abiding and believe in democracy and their political institutions.

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