The women’s organiser for the NDC-UK and Ireland chapter, Mary Gardiner, has said former President of Ghana, H.E John Mahama, will not apologise for his “do or die” comment to please the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
She indicated in a statement that the NPP were bent on distracting the 2020 presidential candidate with the calls for Mr Mahama to apologise over the comment she finds to be harmless.
It will be recalled that during his ‘thank you tour’ of the Bono East region, Mahama urged party members to be resolute ahead of the 2024 elections since they will not go to court again on electoral fraud.
He used the idiomatic expression ‘do or die’ to buttress his point and urged NDC members to be vigilant on election day– a comment that has received backlash, particularly from NPP members and officials.
However, Madam Gardiner, who is reorganising the women wing of the NDC in UK ahead of the 2024 polls, believes the NDC will not allow the NPP to set a pace for them.
Describing the NPP apparatchiks as hypocrites, Gardiner said “In their usual hypocritical nature and desperation to play the equalization game, they have not bothered to find out the proper understanding of ‘do or die’.”
He continued, “Do or die is used when someone is very determined. It is used to describe a situation in which you have to do something or you fail or lose. The synonyms will be unbending, resolute, unrelenting.”
Below is the statement;
MAHAMA WILL NOT APOLOGISE FOR ‘DO OR DIE COMMENT – NDC UK & IRELAND CHAPTER WOMEN’S WING
The women’s wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter, has observed with interest attempts by New Patriotic Party (NPP) and its cohorts to get his Excellency former President John Dramani Mahama to apologise for his ‘do or die’ comments made in one of his engagements during the thank you tour.
The NPP is still haunted by the infamous ‘all die be die’ comments made by the then-candidate Nana Akuffo Addo in 2012 when he said “they have intentions to intimidate us because they believe that we are soft and cowards, if that is the thinking, then we shall see. At least during the Atiwa by – election, we showed them something. You must understand that this party was formed by courageous people. Our leaders who formed this party that has now become the biggest political movement in Ghana were not cowards. So in 2012, we need to be courageous because ‘all die be die’. All dies be die”.
In their usual hypocritical nature and desperation to play the equalization game, they have not bothered to find out the proper understanding of ‘do or die’.
Do or die is used when someone is very determined. It is used to describe a situation in which you have to do something or you fail or lose. The synonyms will be unbending, resolute, unrelenting. That is what the NDC will do in 2024, to be resolute in holding the Electoral Commission accountable in conducting a free and fair election.
Ghanaians are suffering from the incompetent and corrupt Akuffo Addo – Bawumia led NPP government. There is a clarion call for the NDC to come and rescue the country from the abysmal and incompetent NPP government.
This call, the NDC, intends responding to and is determined to ensure that this time the will of the people will be respected as opposed to what happened in 2020.As politicians and leaders, the least expected of us, from voters is, when they queue in the sun to cast their votes, we protect that ballot and make it count.
The NDC party led by John Dramani Mahama in 2024 election intends to ensure that women, the aged, and all voters who go through various challenges to vote for their preferred candidate will have that vote accounted for and their decision respected.
It is with this spirit and determination that his Excellency the former president made that comment.
The call for an apology from him is a misplaced one and will not be distracted from his focus on rescuing the country from the mess and economic hardship.
Mary Gardiner Women’s Organiser National Democratic Congress United Kingdom and Ireland Chapter.