The campaign committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Election 2008 has called on civil society to condemn in the strongest terms what it terms "anti-democratic tendencies."

A press statement signed and issued by Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy, Chairman of the Communication Committee of the Akufo-Addo Campaign Team,last week Friday, condemned the growing incidence of threat-laden messages being sent to perceived opponents, stressing that "NPP 2008 Campaign Committee wishes to condemn in the strongest terms, the increasing threats to Ghanaians involved in the political process and national affairs."

The condemnation came almost 12 hours after GO's publication on Friday July 18, 2008 in which Mr. Bennett Akuaku, Deputy Editor of the Daily Guide newspaper, vehemently lashed out at the various politicians in the country, describing their claim that they have the Ghanaian media at heart as merely cosmetic.

Mr. Akuaku last week told the media that nearly two weeks after the major political parties had been written to over the threats on the life of Mrs. Gina Blay, Chief Executive Officer of Western Publications, publishers of Daily Guide, News One and Young Blazers, none of the parties had considered it necessary to even make an open condemnation of the threats.

But, Dr. Kobina Kennedy recounted that some weeks ago, following the conviction of Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata by a court of competent jurisdiction, some judges, including the trial judge received threats from radio callers and through text messages.

"While we wish Mr. Tsikata well as he pursues his rights of appeal, these threats were unacceptable and subversive of the "rule of law," he added. Continuing, he said soon after these incidents, the Managing Editor of the "Daily Guide" newspaper, Mrs. Gina Blay, made a report to the authorities after she was threatened.

"This week, the 2008 NPP Campaign's Operation's Committee's Chair, Nitch Adi Daku, made a report to authorities following threats to him and other members of his family relayed through text messages," he revealed.

These threats, he further revealed are under investigations, saying that "Across the nation, we have received increasingly persistent reports of party activists who have been threatened following appearances on radio programmes on behalf of the par t y."

He said the threats to judges in connection with Mr. Tsikata's case were disturbingly reminiscent of those issued by former President Rawlings to judges involved in reviewing AFRC cases and convictions a few weeks before he deposed the Limann administration through a military coup.


Source: GO