STATEMENT: NPP Has Low Perception About Intelligence And Competence Of Chiefs

The National Democratic Congress has noted with disquiet and amazement a statement issued by the NPP and signed by Nana Akomea, the Party�s Communications Director, on the alleged misuse of CHIEFS in the country by NDC as propaganda tools. For a Party like the NPP to suggest that when chiefs make an observation about what is happening in their environment and pronounce on same amounts to their being misused by the ruling party shows the NPP�s low perception about the intelligence and competence of our revered chiefs. We in NDC believe that when chiefs make pronouncements about events and happenings in the country, they do so in all honesty and sincerity that is why we in the NDC take their comments and suggestions seriously. It must be noted that chiefs have since time immemorial participated in the social discourse by cautioning politicians when caution is due and praising them where praise is due. In recent times, some chiefs have spoken against the use of indecent language by the youth of our country on our airwaves. Chiefs have had occasion to speak against statements that tend to polarize the country along ethnic lines by some politicians. Some chiefs have also spoken against environmental degradation and galamsey while some chiefs have also spoken against the use of narcotic substances that was fast gaining root in our society until recently. What is surprising to us is the NPP�s display of warped logic in dragging the name of our Party in what seems to be a matter between some individual chiefs and some press houses. We wish to ask the NPP that when some individual chiefs are alleged to have made some complimentary statements about the performance of Prof. Atta Mills and the NDC and these statements are reported by certain press houses and some of the affected chiefs come back to clarify what they meant by those statements, where then does the NDC come in? Is NPP claiming that statements that are made by the chiefs are drafted by NDC and forced down the throat of our respected chiefs? And if so are they not implying that our chiefs are so gullible that they can be used by NDC to say anything against their own conscience? Or rather is NPP suggesting that the various reports carried by the press houses were drafted by our Party and forced on the various press houses to publish them as if they were their own reports? If that is the case then what is the opinion of the NPP about journalists in this country? Finally we demand the NPP withdraw this obnoxious statement and render an unqualified apology to the chiefs and the media house affected by this reckless NPP statement. The NPP must purge itself of the notoriety for attacking groups of people in this country; some years ago, one of the founding fathers of NPP referred to all Ewes as �inward looking� �the day before yesterday,� the attack was on non Akans by Nana Akufo-Addo (the infamous �All Die Be Die� statement), �yesterday� it was the NPP MP for Fanteakwa against Northerners and today it is Nana Akomea against chiefs. Who the next target would be is anybody�s guess. Signed Richard Quashigah National Propaganda Secretary of NDC