Repeating history`s mistakes

`We will take the cash`
…but vote according to what is good for Ghana…

Our lead story yesterday must have hit the right chords or touched on raw nerves, judging by the responses we have been getting. Some of the responses have come from constituency executives, especially the three northern regions who called us to confirm aspects of our story.

One of the constituency executives told ADM that “since we have not demanded monies from the aspirants, any of them who is awash in cash and wants to dish some to us, we will take it, but it would not buy our conscience.”

He told ADM that it is true that they are under pressure, especially from Amin Anta, the young Tamale MCE and a businessman called Paul Afoko “day and night to vote in a certain way come December 22nd”. He said it is true that enticements in the form of cash have been offered and the DCEs have been “crisscrossing their areas of jurisdiction to whip constituency executives and delegates into line.

Ghana’s highly successful president, John Agyekum Kufuor ends his two terms on January 7 2009. He has neither endorsed nor undermined his vice president, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, who is running on his own steam to take over on January 7 2009.

President Kufuor himself has stated over and over that though he may have a personal preference, he would not impose that individual on the party and would support whoever this month’s congress decides on.

The president’s honourable neutrality has been welcomed by all the presidential aspirants.

But it is a neutrality that is coming under stress due to the robust (mis)interpretation it is receiving from some regional ministers (RMs), district chief executives (DCEs) and municipal chief executives (MCEs).

It is now an open secret and source of much consternation that these RMs, DCEs and MCEs have determined for themselves that Mr. Alan Kyeremanten is the president’s preference and therefore feel obliged to show loyalty by blatantly defying the president’s neutrality using all the resources available to them to ensure an Alan win.

The reports reaching ADM about the tactics being adopted by these overzealous officials is, mildly put, very disturbing and uncharacteristic of a liberal democratic party like the NPP.

The Upper West, Upper East Regional Ministers, the MCE of Tamale and almost all the DCEs of the three northern regions have thrown their weight behind the campaign of the perceived presidential favourite and are openly using the president’s name to canvass support. The reports speak of threats, intimidation, “assistance in cash and kind” and where possible contracts. In the Upper East Region for example the reports reaching ADM talk of big contracts being dangled with the threat of “deliver or we take it back.”

What is fueling these fears have been the recent sackings and appointments of District Chief Executives in the three northern regions. Though within the president’s constitutional prerogatives to appoint and sack DCEs, the recent actions have sent shivers of fear through the ranks of MCEs and DCEs throughout the country and they are all scurrying about to be compliant over what they think is the president’s wish.

The money game is being played in varying degrees, but what is become disturbingly evident is that a practice is gradually being institutionalized which in the long run would be most detrimental to the country’s democracy.