RE: NPP COULD BE THE CAUSE OF US EMBASSY WARNING My attention has been drawn to a publication on myjoyonline which is also reproduced on peacefmonline in which the author attributes certain statements to me as having been said on Metro TV’s Goodmorning Ghana program on Tuesday, 20th August, 2103. In the said publication I am alleged to have said that the utterances and activities of the NPP in the aftermath of their petition to the Supreme Court sent signals to the U.S that all was not well with the political climate of Ghana hence the US embassy warning. I wish to state that at no point in my submissions on the aforementioned program did I say that the U.S Embassy warning to its citizens in Ghana was or could be the result of the conduct of NPP supporters. On the contrary, I reiterated government’s position on the matter by indicating that the warning to U.S citizens in Ghana was a routine communication to Americans living in various countries to update them on current happenings in those countries which should not create any alarm. I also assured viewers of the preparedness of the country’s security agencies to provide security for all Ghanaians and people living in Ghana after the Supreme Court ruling. I then proceeded to state that we as Ghanaians have demonstrated commitment to deepening the democratic system of governance and have in the process carved an enviable reputation for ourselves as a stable, democratic country and do not deserve to be ranked amongst unstable countries. I concluded by expressing the view that foreigners especially those outside Ghana may not have the same perspective we have on our politics. They may also not have a full appreciation of the dynamics of our politics and hence may take things they hear being said about the country at face value. I indicated that over the last three years there has been an upsurge in the use of violent rhetoric by the leaders of the NPP as well as significant political mobilization on their part in the wake of the petition filed at the Supreme Court. I recounted how at rallies and demonstrations organized by the NPP both within and outside Ghana in support of their petition, a conscious effort has been made to attack and run down several state organizations such as the Electoral Commission, the Supreme Court (for which reason no less a personality than the General Secretary of the NPP was convicted for intentional criminal contempt last week), the Police, and the President. I singled out the demonstration organized by a handful of NPP supporters when President John Mahama visited the U.K recently and noted the unprintable abuses and insults hurled at him by the demonstrators and indicated that acts like these could send wrong signals to the international community and could project us in negative light as an unstable country. I urged Ghanaians to desist from that practice as there was nothing to be gained from painting one’s Nation black. These statements are true and can be attested to by anyone willing to do an honest assessment of what has happened in this country over the last three years. How the above could be construed to mean that I have said that the U.S Embassy warning to its citizens could have been the result of NPP behaviour completely befuddles me. It is even more disturbing when one considers the fact that the author of the story attached a voice clip of what I said on the program, which voice clip clearly belies the attributions made to me. In the light of the obvious inaccuracy in the reportage as pointed out in the foregoing, I am by this rejoinder demanding a retraction of the said publication or the production of a headline and story that accurately reflect what I said on Goodmorning Ghana. I trust that in the spirit of fairness and professionalism, this demand will be heeded. FELIX KWAKYE OFOSU [20TH AUGUST, 2013]
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 10:44:10 +0000
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