NDC Footsoldiers’ actions stem from ridicules by political opponents

NDC Footsoldiers’ actions stem from ridicules by political opponents   The National Youth Organiser of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ludwig Hlodze, says one of the reasons for some NDC youth running riot and taking the law into their own hands is the constant ridiculing by their political opponents who are still occupying various positions in government. Speaking in an interview on PEACE FM’s “Kokrokoo”, Mr. Hlodze who stopped short of condoning the actions by these irate NDC youth, strongly contended that such taunts and mocking inflames passion. “This (constant teasing) annoys people…after campaigning for a political party to come into power, you are denied a job…I’m not condoning or supporting what is happening…I am just tracing the root of some of these things,” he told Kwami Sefa-Kayi, host of the programme. He posited that there was a need for parties drawn from the various political divide to refrain from acts likely to raise tempers and fuel the anger of the jobless party supporters. For some weeks now, some irate youth belonging to the ruling NDC have run amok seizing government properties in what appears to be the freedom of lawlessness. Some supporters across the country have been on rampage, seizing public toilets, offices of National Health Insurance Scheme, as well those of the National Youth and Employment programme. They have in rather violent demonstrations, demanded of government to sack some personnel of the NYEP and NHIS ostensibly because they were appointed by the erstwhile NPP government. The incident involving some supporters of the ruling party sequestering the Adomi Bridge is just the latest in a series of recent incidents where NDC youth have taken matters into their own hands and gone on the rampage to get government to address their concerns. Only last month irate NDC youth locked up the party office in Accra demanding the dismissal of former chairman of the Confiscated Assets Committee, Carl Wilson. But Mr. Hlodze told PEACE FM that government was putting the necessary measures in place to ensure that Ghanaians, most especially the youth, are offered some training for skills acquisition. “We should find ways of engaging those hands…We have a number of young people in this government and I don’t think that they would want to see their colleagues suffering…we will do everything to make sure that young people are employed,” Ludwig said. He was however quick to emphasize that the government could not offer employment to virtually everybody and appealed to the youth to exercise restraint as the Mills administration forges ahead in its plans to create avenues for more jobs. “We’ll create the opportunity for them…there is a need for our young people to be trained so that if government cannot absorb them, they could do something on their own…for the past 8years every appointment has been politicized…Until we realize that National Service is different from political services, this thing will continue,” he told Peace FM. Source: Peacefmonline.com

7 journalists narrowly escape lynching by NDC youth at Karaga

About seven journalists were nearly lynched Friday morning by supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress at Karaga in the Northern Region. The journalists are currently seeking refuge at the local police station, protected by only one police officer while efforts are being made to seek reinforcement from Tamale. One of the hostage journalists, Stephen Zoure told Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoh the other journalists are tensed fearing for their lives. He explained that the District Chief Executive for Karaga, Mr Abdulai Mohammed Sandow, invited them from Tamale to cover a programme in the district. He said when the journalists were about to enter the town, they hit a roadblock mounted by angry supporters of the ruling party. Nosy journalists as they are, a Metro TV cameraman attempted to take shots of the irate youth but that infuriated the demonstrators who pounced on them. They were rescued by an old ex-policeman, according to Mr Zoure, who rushed them to the police station for protection. He said the group mobilized and besieged the police station, surging forward and trying to break into the station to beat the hell out them, but the lone policeman, supported by the District Bureau of National Investigations officer, kept them at bay. It took the intervention of some elders of the town to calm tensions while reinforcement is being sought. Mr Zoure, who reports for the Daily Guide newspaper, said they were entangled in a crossfire between the NDC youth and the DCE. According to him, the youth had been told that the DCE was bringing in journalists to sort of expose them and that was why they wanted to vent their anger on the journalists. The Karaga DCE has had frosty relationships with supporters of the NDC in the area who accuse him of contract grabbing and working against the interest of the party. The party executives have made persistent calls for his removal, the latest coming only last Saturday when a delegation of party leaders, led by Vice Chairman Kofi Portuphy met with constituency executives of the party in Yendi. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

NDC youth in Yendi declare MCE persona non grata, threaten to kill him

Angry youth of the ruling National Democratic Congress in the Northern Regional Town of Yendi, have declared the Yendi Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Hudu Welvis a persona non grata. They have threatened to kill the MCE if he is not removed from office and taken out of the area. The youth issued the threat at a meeting Saturday between the Yendi Constituency Executive, Regional Executive and a delegation of national party officer from Accra. The delegation included the a Vice-Chairman of the NDC, Mr Kofi Portuphy, a Deputy National Organiser, the Northern Regional Minister Moses Mabengba and the Regional Propaganda Secretary of the party Umar Farouk. The obviously livid youth are incensed by Mr Welvi’s inability to provide them with jobs and accused him of working against the interest of the party in the area. Security operative in Yendi had to escort the MCE out of the district to avoid irate youth visiting mayhem on him. Earlier the youth smashed the windscreen of the Constituency Chairman’s vehicle for daring to attend a meeting at the MCE’s residence. The meeting initially scheduled at the Yendi Community Centre was redirected by the MCE to his residence upon hearing that the youth had planned to call for his dismissal in the presence of the national officers of the party. Following their vehement protests, the meeting reverted to its original venue but Mr Welvis could not attend because the youth vowed lynch him should he dare. At the meeting, the constituency executive of Karaga also accused their DCE of selling contracts to members of the opposition New Patriotic Party. They told the meeting that although the DCE had apologized for his actions on seven separate occasions, he had subsequently gone back to commit the same offence. They therefore called for his dismissal. However, constituency executive from Gushiegu, Chereponi, Zabzugu and Bimbilla, according to Joy News’ Northern Regional Correspondent, who sat through the meeting, commended their DCEs jealously guarding against the interest of the party. They want their DCEs retained. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Irate NDC youth takeover NHIS office in Zabzugu

Angry NDC supporters demonstrating at the Electoral Commission office during the 2008 general election Rampaging youth of the National Democratic Congress in the Zabzugu constituency in the Northern region on Tuesday forcibly took over the offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme in the area. The irate youth allegedly chased out the scheme manager on suspicion that he is loyal to the New Patriotic Party. Citi FM’s Northern Regional correspondent said Mr Abubakari feels threatened by the action of irate youth and has gone into hiding. Some of the workers of the scheme were said to have been manhandled prior to the takeover, but the reporter could not tell the extent of injuries sustained. The youth have since the coming into power of the National Democratic Congress made several attempts to seize the office, accusing the government of not providing them with jobs. It is unclear what the police and handlers of the National Health Insurance Scheme will do in the Rambo style takeover. Meanwhile in the Ashanti Region, members of the New Patriotic Party are accusing Abuga Pele, National Coordinator of the NYEP of plotting to sack perceived New Patriotic Party members employed under the scheme. Abuga Pele had stated that the scheme will make use of an exit plan embedded in the National Youth Employment Programme which stipulates that appointees of the programme (health assistants) placed under the NHIS will exit after two years of appointment. But the beneficiaries claim no such agreement was entered into at the time they were given the appointment. They accuse the National coordinator of deliberately exploiting this policy to get rid of them. The Regional Youth organiser of the NPP in the Ashanti region said the government must not pretend to be providing jobs to Ghanaians by sacking others who, whether real or perceived, are members of the NPP. Rather the government must widen the scope of the programme by employing more Ghanaians, he noted. If the NPP, whilst in power introduced the Zoomlion programme to employ Ghanaians, the new administration can also establish a zoomtiger to employ Ghanaians, he chided. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

NDC youth demand Mills' interest in Ludwig

Spokesperson SaCut Amenga-Etego(holding mic)at the press briefing According to SaCut Amenga-Etego, who is spokesperson of the NDC Youth with Conviction of Principle (YWCP)group, “President Mills’ name was used in this election very much” and “we wish to use this medium to call on His Excellency to come out and let us know what his personal interest is in this youth congress so much that he would prefer a particular candidate over others in the same party.” He was speaking to press men at a briefing organized by the YWCP on Tuesday at the Accra International Press Center, The NDC, on Saturday, 9th January, 2010 held its congress in Sunyani to elect a National Youth Organizer and National Women's Organiser to lead the party for the next four years. Mr Ludwig Hlordze, a staff at the Presidency was voted by delegates to become the National Youth Organiser of the party. However, this did not enthuse some of the defeated contenders, including Ras Mubarak, who alleged that delegates were bribed by some ministers and castle staff with mobile phones and money to cast their votes in favour of Ludwig. Some members of the Mills government have however denied that any such thing happened during the congress. Yet, the YWCP spokesperson insists that the newly elected national youth organizer, Ludwig Hlordze, “was chosen by the castle and not the delegates.” Explaining why he made this assertion, Mr Amenga-Etego noted that on the evening before the Election Day, news had it that “the castle” was in town and to their surprise “delegates who were enjoying dinner of rice and chicken from other modest contenders began to reject it for what the called equal treatment from the castle candidate." As if that was not enough, he said, delegates were promised more goodies and those that did not seem to join the castle's bandwagon were threatened with denial of jobs and other opportunities from government. He added that “We even had information the president himself went into a conference call with his delegation and all the regional and constituency youth organizers where he issued strict instructions coupled with promises of opportunities if his candidate were to be elected.” Mr Amenga-Etego bemoaned these machinations by the presidency, calling on the NDC youth to “rise against this alien culture before it is too late to rescue our party.” By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana