Rejoinder by Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (Former MP)
I am not too sure whether I know Daniel Dugan by face, but certainly there is no serious Ghanaian citizen who has never read at least one of his constant highly incisive articles, regularly carried in the Chronicle newspaper.
Last Friday 14th January 2022 Daniel Dugan went to town descending mercilessly and heavily on the Honourable daughter of the late president J J Rawlings, called Zenator and honestly after reading the article I thought God helping me I should suggest openly to Zenator that she should keep her mouth shut and enjoy her privileges as a member of Parliament for Korley Klottey.
You see, Zenator, I read a certain book, which said “Your character speaks so much about you that I can hardly hear what you are saying”
All those who were students in Achimota School in 1972 when I was in form five will never forget a five minutes sermon delivered by Rev K. Kittoe Methodist Reverend Minister one morning service at 6:30am in Aggrey Chapel: his theme was: WHO ARE YOU??
I was born very deep in the village, JINJINI today a District Capital. I came to Achimota School in 1969 purely by God’s Grace on CMB full scholarship. I read law at Legon and was trained to become a Army Officer at Sandhurst, UK.
I knew your father so very well, years before you were born, when I was a law student. Because of my relationship with your father, the military intelligence arrested me on 5th February 1981 and tried me secretly in Nsawam Prisons by a General Court Martial on charges of MUTINY (the military version of TREASON”).
I had no lawyer to defend me, but even so, the General Court Martial on a submission of no case ACQUITTED and DISCHARGED me of mutiny but went ahead to convict me of the general security omnibus disciplinary crime of MISCONDUCT.
Throughout military history no solider has ever been charged with MISCONDUCT and gotten away with it. I was dismissed and jailed for 23 months in prison.
I was in prison when your father returned to power in 1981 and released me from prison and reinstated me, but he sidelined me in the Revolution and threw me out of the military on 22nd September 1983 via six months detention.
As a Captain (retired) I went to Makola, completed law school and was called to the Ghana Bar in 1986.
I practiced law for 15 years and my people in Berekum came for me from Accra to represent them in Parliament and President Kufour made me a Deputy Minister first at Local Government under Baah Wiredu and later Interior under Papa Owusu Ankoma.
If you ask WHO ARE YOU, I will say that I am the Honourable Captain retired Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, former MP and Deputy Minister, currently the Head of family of the biggest Nana Yaw Woro Family of Biadan, Berekum.
I am sure the good people of Berekum are really getting bored with every week end radio announcement – “The Honourable Captain retired NANA Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, Head of Family of the Nana Yaw Woro Royal Family of Biadan” the Family is so big in Namasua Fetentaa Jinjini, Berekum, Biadan, Senase, Kato and Benkasa that no week passes by without some cultural or social event happening. I am sleeping innocently in Accra with my father in law’s daughter Gloria Yartey General Manager of my hotel, High Star Hotel and the people of Berekum are being bombarded with my name on radio announcements.
Yes, Zenator, this is me, how about you?
You were born with a sliver spoon in your mouth, and given the best of education possible. You became a qualified medical doctor before 35 years and but for the confusion between NPP Chairman Nii Noi and lawyer Addison both quarrelling for NPP slot, you would never have made it to Parliament.
Zenator, I don’t dislike you. I have no cause to hate you. You are a medical doctor, just like my last born, Doctor David Effah-Dartey, working in Kasoa, Accra.
My honest suggestion to you is that keep your mouth shut and chop your MP ship, just like your brother Kimalli who has never said a word in public. Nobody thinks about him and he is quietly enjoying whatever privileges or booty his father left for him.
You know, Zenator, you were a toddler, going to school, so you know very little or nothing at all about the huge atrocities your father committed in this country.
He who was a High Priest of Probity and Accountability – what did he not do?
How many soldiers were not killed at the Air Force Station in the name of “Revolution” He set up a Public Tribunal system and almost every week end he signed execution death warrants.
Those Generals he lined up and shot to death in June 4th – what offence did they commit? The most tragic of all is the blood of Commodore Joy Kobla Andume, Navy Commander, for taking a bank loan of 50,000 cedis (today’s 5 cedis) to build a house!!!! How about Border Guards Commander General Utuke – what did he do? General Kotei? And as for Coloral Felli-he was executed just because he was a Northerner, so they wanted a tribal balance!!!
Zenator, it is the Grace of God which has kept most Ghanaians quiet and resigned to fate, so do not insult their intelligence by making speeches as if your father was a saint.
Fishermen reported in those days that when they go fishing the nets bring out dead bodies, and your father was so violent a man that he literally physically assaulted ALL his Ministers, including beating up his own elected Vice President Kow Ackaah in cabinet!!!
Zenator, SHUT UP!!!
Those High Court Judges, including pregnant mother, Mrs Justice Koranteng Addow, you think we have forgotten? You think their children – smile at you anytime they see your face on television?
I so well remember January 2001 when I was a fresh MP for Berekum in Parliament. Yaw Osafo Marfo Minister of Finance told NPP Secret Meeting at Teachers’ Hall that “up till now we don’t know the actual state of Ghana’s economy” because the Rawlings led NDC Administration across 19 years had so mismanaged Ghana that everything was in a chaotic state. President Kufour was compelled by sheer force of reality to declare Ghana a HIPC country!!!!
One day at the Castle, Jerry Rawlings climbed a tree and refused to come down. It took a bitter language from your mother before he descended the tree.
One day at the Castle, Rawlings was drinking a bottle of whisky surrounded by his military bodyguards, all of them full armed. The Warrant Officer in charge of the troops jokingly remarked “Master can you give us some of the whisky? J J flared up and slapped the WO who completely stupefied returned the slap then the two of them fell down on the floor Wrestling violently. The bodyguards could not do anything because the fight was so severe that any attempt to fire would hit JJ. So JJ capitulated and said “Cease fire, cease fire…”
One day at the Castle, late Saturday morning, a certain innocent female secretary was in the office typing some long document for her boss when she heard moaning and chanting on the Corridor, coming closer, and closer. She quietly peeped through the louver blades and saw to her horror the Head of State, JJ Rawlings, stark naked, draped in blood, walking the corridors and chanting occultic tones.
The bemused secretary was so shocked that she quietly managed to run away from the Castle, and it is said that on the same evening soldiers raided her father’s house thinking she was there.
Zenator, what goes round comes around.
If you want to live long, your best bet is to keep your mouth shut about national affairs. Instead, every week end wear slit and kaba and walk around Osu Alate Kinkawe, go to Adabraka night market and let the ordinary suffering folks identify with you, instead of pretending to be giving speeches about the state of Ghana’s economy and all that blah blah …………………
Zenator, since creation human nature has not changed. Read the Bible and you will hear of very terrible acts of inhumanity. It continues from generation to generation.
When in 1652 Charles I was executed, his son fled to Scotland. When the monarchy was restored and the son returned to London as King Charles II he eventually had all those involved in his father’s death arrested tried and hanged.
Cromwell who led the whole Revolution was exhumed from the grave, symbolically tried for treason and symbolically condemned and symbolically hanged.
Yes, when Chaka the Zulu in South Africa was killed even his girl friend Pampata was arrested and executed.
Don’t think Ghanaians are any different. We are the same species of human beings walking this earth – it is only the Grace of God which has kept us going.
Ask the IGP and he will tell you the terrible daily sit reps that come from police stations across the Country. People are bitter, very bitter, from reckless extra-judicial killings under your father’s watch, so don’t get anybody angry.
Be like your brother Kimalli. Keep your mouth shut.
If you want to live long read this article over and over again, otherwise you may regret to say “I told you so” but it will be too late. I wish you well
