[ 2011-01-29 ]

“Peacock” Spio, you misdirected your “piss” this time around!
I read the article titled “Spio Garbrah: Kufour,
educate Nana Addo on how to apply wisdom” on
myjoyonline.com on the 27th of January, 2012
authored by Dr. Ekwow Spio Garbrah, a former
minister under the Rawlings regime and a failed
flag bearer aspirant of the NDC. The article was
in support of the hypocritical stance of President
Dzi Wo Fie Asem Mills on the Ivorian Crisis. His
praise article might come as a surprise to many,
knowing that Dr. Spio Garbrah is acclaimed for
“pissing in”.

Readers would recall the “pissing in and out”
banter that happened in this country last year,
when Dr. Spio Garbrah published in the Daily
Graphic an objective and bold article criticizing
President Mills for appointing TEAM B people to
manage our national affairs when he, and other
TEAM A’s are on the bench. The TEAM B article
caused so much confusion within the ruling NDC
party. It got so tensed that the presidency
through I-DON’T-LIKE-KUFOURS-FACE Koku Anyidoho
described Dr. Spio Garbrah as a fake “Doctor”
whose doctorate degree was conferred on him by
some “TWO BY FOUR” college in the U.S.A. He also
described “Dr.” Spio Garbrah as a “PEACOCK” who
sees nothing good in others but himself.

Anyway, Dr. Spio Garbrah claims in the second
paragraph of his recent article “After the press
conference many Ghanaians in Cote d’Ivoire, those
in many parts of Ghana, as well as in the
Diaspora, breathed a sigh of relief. Some dubbed
the president’s wise stance of “dzi wo fie asem”
foreign policy, in contrast to the George W. Bush-
style “democracy- at- the- barrel- of- a- gun”
policy being promoted by the Akufo-Addo-led NPP”.
I find it very strange and unpardonable for Dr.
Spio Garbrah to join the many one-gear NDC
communicators who have said time and time again
that the NPP is calling for war in Ivory Coast.
The Kobby Fiagbes, the Twum Boafos and their likes
can be pardoned [they have nothing to lose] for
telling this lie over and over, but for Dr. Spio
Garbrah to repeat this lie, it is unacceptable.

The NPP has NEVER CALLED FOR WAR IN IVORY COAST!
In all the press conferences organized by the
party since the Ivorian political crisis started
late last year, the NPP has been VERY CONSISTENT
in their comments unlike our president and
government. The first call from the NPP was for
the president to make public Ghana’s position on
the impasse. Our loud silence on the issue was
strange and discomforting, especially when Ivory
Coast is our neighbour and Ghana is a front runner
in democracy in West Africa and Africa. Our
president is a very good friend of Laurent Gbagbo,
and it is believed as a good friend of the former
President Gbagbo, at least our president could
have said something publicly to discourage his
good friend from taking the people of Ivory Coast
hostage.

Presidents from parts of the continent came out
publicly to condemn what Laurent Gbagbo was doing
to the people of Ivory Coast. So NPPs first call
was for President Not-Looking-Like-Cat-Hunter
Mills to speak publicly on the crisis, so that the
world can know Ghana’s position.

Government communicators responded that, our
president would be attending an emergency ECOWAS
summit in Abuja. The summit went on as planned and
a communiqué signed by all presidents present
including our president was issued. The relevant
portion of the communiqué stated “in the event
that Mr. Gbagbo fails to heed this immutable
demand of ECOWAS, the community would be left with
no alternative but to take other measures,
including the use of legitimate force, to achieve
the goals of the Ivorian people”. ECOWAS
recognizes Alhassan Outtarra as the legitimately
elected president of Ivory Coast, and has called
on our president’s friend, Mr. Gbagbo to step
down. Then our president meets journalists on the
7th of January, 2011 to discuss his 2 years in
office. In a response to a question posed on the
Ivory Coast crisis, our president makes the Dzi Wo
fie Asem statement and includes that, it was not
for Ghana to choose for a leader for Ivory Coast
[as though somebody is saying Ghana should do so].
This diplomatic blunder which brought so much
shock and embarrassment to Ghanaians did not stop
there. The president also said he did not think
military intervention would solve the Ivorian
Crisis.

At this point, everybody got confused and more
disturbed except apologists and hangers-on of the
government. International politics experts
described the president’s statement as “naïve”,
“broken ranks with ECOWAS” and “jumping-the-gun”.
It was clear from the emergency Abuja summit
communiqué that military option was an option that
would be used, but it did not mean, it was the
option that was to be considered immediately. So
for the President of Ghana, a key player in ECOWAS
and AU to make such statements, it was a clear
display of dishonesty and bad faith. Especially,
when the ECOWAS communiqué signed in Abuja by our
president, Dzi Wo Fie Asem Mills, indicated that
MILITARY OPTION WAS AN OPTION THAT COULD BE
CONSIDERED IF GBAGBO FAILS TO HEED TO ECOWAS’S
CALL FOR HIM TO STEP DOWN. How could our president
have made a U-TURN by saying MILITARY OPTION IS NO
OPTION?

It was on this diplomatic error, that the NPP held
its recent press conference on the matter to
indicate to our president that he has erred big
time. That was the message contained in the
statement read by the national chairman, Jake
Otanka Obestebi Lamptey and the formidable flag
bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo. The NPP made it very
clear and unambiguous that, WE ARE NOT CALLING FOR
WAR IN IVORY COAST. The NPP supports the ECOWAS,
AU and UN stance on this matter. The NPP believes
EVERY MEANS NECESSARY MUST BE USED TO ENSURE THE
DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED PRESIDENT OF IVORY COAST IS
INSTALLED AS PRESIDENT. The NPP believes in
democracy. The NPP handed over power to the ruling
NDC after the closest presidential battle ever
recorded. Hence, we are in a good position to
advise our president’s friend, Mr. Gbagbo to step
down like we did 2 years ago.

The article authored by Dr. Spio Garbrah is
centred around this LIE that the NPP led by the
credible flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo is calling
for war in Ivory Coast. That is not true and no
matter the number of times the NDC/ government
communicators including Dr. Spio Garbrah repeat
this LIE, it would never be TRUE.

I am concerned Dr. Spio Garbrah’s seem to have
lost his boldness in pointing out the president’s
flaws like he used to. The president committed a
diplomatic blunder, and if the likes of Dr. Spio
Garbrah would want to “perfume” it, then Ghanaians
must take a second look at who fights for their
cause. In their bid to score cheap political
points, the communication director at the
presidency, I-AM-NOT-ON-DRUGS Koku Anyidoho, in
his right frame of mind, circulated a confidential
document, purported to be the position of
ambassadors of African states at the UN Security
Council. This document states some points
including “MILITARY OPTION IS NO OPTION”. This
position was in sharp contrast with that of the
ECOWAS body. This document was used as propaganda
to tell Ghanaians that, President NOT-CAT-HUNTER
Mills has been vindicated. Media houses received
copies of the documents. NDC/Government
communicators and apologists were all over the
place, singing the VINDICATION HYMN composed by
I-AM-NOT-ON-DRUGS Koku Anyidoho.

I recall, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko of Danquah
Institute, posted on his wall on facebook that
government must be circumspect because that
position cannot be accurate. The likes of Stan
Dogbe were quick to extinguish Gabby’s
“propaganda”. Just days after Gabby’s post on
facebook, the AU envoy to Ivory Coast, Raila
Odinga came to meet the president over his DZI WO
FIE ASEM statements. Experts described the visit
as “whip-in-line” or disciplinary visit.

Raila Odinga visited to ensure the president does
not “destroy” the efforts being made by every
important international organizations to resolve
the Ivorian impasse with his undermining
utterances. The president then changed his
position quickly. He told Raila Odinga, he
supports FULLY anything the ECOWAS intends to
pursue to solve the Ivorian crisis. How sudden and
hypocritical many thought. The Foreign Minister,
Alhaji Mumuni was all over the airwaves, trying to
do some damage control. He told the listening
public on CITI FM, the Mills government supports
any action the ECOWAS would take to solve the
Ivorian crisis even with the use of BRUTE FORCE.

This week, the BBC, apparently seeing it news
worthy for Ghana’s president to have broken ranks
and concerned about the statements of our
president discussed “DZI WO FIE ASEM”. It was an
embarrassing episode, with commentators using very
uncharitable words to describe our president.
Again, the foreign minister was able to secure
time on BBC to explain his boss’s position better.
He performed so badly, that many NDC communicators
and facebookers are calling for his sack. That is
how bizarre this NDC government has handled the
Ivorian crisis.

The NPP has NEVER called for war in Ivory Coast.
The NDC is so embarrassed by their bad handling of
the Ivorian crisis that they are using propaganda
to hoodwink Ghanaians into believing them. They
have gone to the extent of using an important
state institution as the military as a propaganda
tool. They say, the NPP wants Ghanaian soldiers to
be killed, “that is why the NPP is calling for war
in Ivory Coast”. This claim by the NDC is simply
ridiculous. One wonders how the NDC could even
conceive such an idea, but that is how low they
think the ordinary Ghanaian is. I have already
given facts to indicate that the NPP has NEVER
called for war in Ivory Coast. For God’s sake, how
will the death of Ghanaian soldiers benefit the
NPP in any way? Members of the NPP also have
relations and friends who are military men. The
NPP worked closely with the military for 8 years.
The NPP resourced the military force. The NPP was
quick to recognize the potential of the military
as a useful partner in the economic reconstruction
of the country in addition to its traditional role
of defending the territorial integrity of the
country. An amount of US$60 million was provided
to ensure that all Peacekeeping Missions are
provided with sufficient equipment The NPP
increased the peacekeeping mission allowance
astronomically. The NPP would definitely work with
these soldiers when Ghanaians vote us back. So it
would be unthinkable for anybody to say, the NPP
wants Ghanaian soldiers to be killed.

In Dr. Spio Garbrah’s weak defence article, he
says “Is the NPP not aware that Ghana’s Jubilee
oil fields is just a stone throw away from the
Ivorian border and could be attacked if Ghana
invades Cote d’Ivoire?” The NPP cannot forget the
location of the Jubilee field, especially when
that particular oil field was discovered under the
Kufuor regime. It was under Kufuor that Tullow
brought the oil samples to Again, has anybody said
Ghana should invade Cote d’Ivoire? I feel very sad
that Dr. Spio Garbrah is commenting on this very
serious matter in such a propagandist manner,
unless, he is limited with the facts, this is
unacceptable and unpardonable. He better come
again because “he is forcing there to be there,
when there is not there.”
the Castle, subsequently it was taken to
parliament, the NDC described the oil as “DIRTY
OIL”. How can the NPP forget the location of the
Jubilee field?

Again, has anybody said Ghana should invade Cote
d’Ivoire? I feel very sad that Dr. Spio Garbrah is
commenting on this very serious matter in such a
propagandist manner, unless, he is limited with
the facts, this is unacceptable and unpardonable.
He better come again because “he is forcing there
to be there, when there is not there.”

Lastly, it is rumoured Dr. Spio Garbrah is to be
appointed Minister. If it is true, then let me say
CONGRATULATIONS to him. This rumour came to me as
a surprise because Ato Ahwoi [arguably the Prime
Minister] had swore “over his dead body” will
Spio-Garbrah be appointed in the Mills-Mahama
administration. Time changes. God works in
mysterious ways.

I LOVE GHANA

Source - Patriot Faisal Ibrahim

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