<<Print>>

The Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR), a pressure group in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has defied a directive by the leadership of the party banning all splinter groups in its fold. Virtually saying go to hell to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah and Yaw Boateng Gyan, two NDC bosses leading the alleged onslaught on the Konadu boys, FONKAR members said they would not be intimidated. Party General Secretary Asiedu-Nketiah placed the ban at a press conference last Thursday, saying that groups such as �Get Atta Mills Endorsed (GAME)�, �Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR)�, �Old Guards in the Ashanti Region� and �Olonka� were all affected and asked that no one in the NDC should use any mass medium to debate on behalf of any such groups. But a few days after the party issued the directive, the leadership of FONKAR also held a press conference, saying, �The party has no legal mandate to ban FONKAR.� Whilst appreciating the fact that most of its members were drawn from the NDC, Spokesman for the group, Saint Osei said, �FONKAR is not accountable to the NDC�, because �our commitment to preserve the Rawlings legacy is unflinching�, noting, �No individual or group of persons can dissolve or ban FONKAR.� For this reason, the group said, �The leadership of the party should rather work towards a united front for victory 2012�, noting, �FONKAR will continue to display uncommon resilience in the face of unwarranted provocations that have been occasioned by unsavoury politicians who are supposed to know better.� �We are resolute and will continue adhering, preserving and defending the ideals of Jerry Rawlings,� the Spokesman said. �We want to caution those who care to know that we are prepared to lay down our lives to resist any attempt to usurp and destroy the legacy of Jerry John Rawlings,� he emphasised. Leadership of the group expressed surprise at the actions and inactions of the NDC leaders who they claim to have thrown all caution to the wind and are indulged in activities that had the tendency of destroying the unity of the party, describing such actions as �shameful, cowardly, irresponsible and very bad example to the youth of today and generations to come.� Last week, three FONKAR members- George Boateng, Seth Birikorang and Yusif Baba- were arrested in Accra and Cape Coast for no apparent reason. Whilst George was arrested and thrown in police cells by operatives of the National Security without a charge, the other two were severely beaten by �macho-men� allegedly hired by the Agona West District Chief Executive (DCE) and the NDC constituency chairman. They were subsequently detained. Though he described as unfortunate these actions of the security agencies and executives of the party, Saint Osei told journalists, �We will not hesitate to protect our members� and cautioned the leadership of the NDC �to be wary of these actions of these intrigues and their dire consequences for the party�. Operations Director of FONKAR, Ernest Owusu-Bempah, believed some of these intimidations could have serious consequences for the party in the 2012 general elections since the party would go into the election with a divided front. �After congress, we were expecting that they will unite the party and make sure that we go as a united front but ask yourself who is the first person going around thanking delegates; Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings who won {sic} by 3.1%. She is going round thanking delegates. How about President Mills who won the total majority and is not going round thanking delegates?� he said. Owusu-Bempah and his colleagues believed Mills and his men were not in for unity, alleging that Mills and his cohort were only there to push the Rawlingses out. That, he said, was evident in the fact that Mr Rawlings, who is the chairman of the Council of Elders of the NDC, was not even informed of President Mills�s decision to nominate Vice President John Mahama as his running mate for the 2012 general elections, though the party�s constitution had indicated so. The Konadu boys noted, �This is why FONKAR will definitely stand up to make sure that we defend the Rawlingses� legacy.�