Oh NPP! Why Thou Not See The Light? Kwabena Amankwah , 22/01/2010
It is almost
a certainty that the current President of God’s nation, Ghana, His Excellency Professor
John Evans Fiifi “Atta” Mills (sorry for using a name he has abandoned to please
his master-cum-mentor) is set to make history as the first one-term President
in the Fourth Republic. This is a “prophecy” that has been revealed to the man
who “forced” him into the fold of the National Democratic Congress and
subsequently made him the Presidential Candidate, against the will of the key
stakeholders of the party.
Wait a
minute! The former military dictator who ended his political career (hei! Has
he indeed ended it?) a democrat (debatable, indeed!) took that action because
he had seen the “Asomdweehene” would be the man to send the elephant back into
the bush. You may hate the man Rawlings, but you can’t take it away from him:
he has the ability to see into the future—if he did not envisage Prof Mills could
lead his party to power he would not move heaven and earth to ensure his
selection as the Presidential Candidate for three consecutive times.
Maybe, one
needs a third eye to understand the talk about “Atta, the mortuary man” and
what Mr Rawlings is doing to his own “political student”. The signs are clear
on the wall: the man can simply not retain power for the NDC in the 2012
elections, and that is why his master-cum-mentor is worried and spitting fire
on his head.
But, isn’t it
sad—that the largest opposition party that freely gave away power to the NDC
that was not ready for the power does not see what its greatest political
opponent( well, we pardon him when he sees NPP members as enemies) sees? The reality on the ground is that the grounds
are being prepared gradually by President Mills and his team for NPP’s return
to power. One does not need to hold P.hD in Political Science to appreciate
this.
Oh NPP! Why
Thou Not See the Light? Are we politically blind? Our greatest political
opponent has seen the light, and that is why he cannot sleep comfortably. But
it appears we have not seen the light that will herald our victory in 2012. Yes!
would we talk about Alan and Nana Addo at this time if we saw the brightest
opportunity we are presented with to stage a successful comeback to the
corridors of political power? Certainly no!
Why should a
“seasoned” politician like Hon Maxwell Kofi Jumah and his ilk begin to press
the trigger that partly led to the party’s defeat in the 2008 elections? Is he
not aware that it was because of the antagonism that characterized the 2007
flagbearership contest that lowered the votes of the NPP in its stronghold of
the Ashanti Region? Is he not aware that if the votes the party recorded in his
backyard had not dropped his party would not have been in opposition? I hope he
has taken the good counsel of the youngest constituency chairman of his party,
Kingsley Kofi Karikari, in good faith and that he will go and sin no more.
Ghanaians are
indeed yearning for the return of the NPP to lead them to the political Promised
Land because they are convinced the Prof Mills-led NDC government does not have
what it takes to deliver the so-called “BETTER GHANA” promise. It is clear from
his selection of mediocre ministers (apologies to his political mentor) who
belong to the team ‘B” (regards to Uncle Spio), and the lack of clear direction
and focus that the man simply does not have the vision, the acumen and tenacity
to deliver.
And that is
why I expect members of the NPP fraternity to see the light and work towards
unity to ensure a return to power. It is only a political toddler and of course
someone who does not have the interest of the NPP at heart who will not work
towards unity in the party. That is a sine qua non for the party’s victory in
the 2012 elections.
Let Alan
struggle to win the flagbearership slot or let us give it Nana Addo out of
goodwill and fail to unite and see what the end results will be. Each of them
will need the other to win the general election which is the ultimate and of
course the heart desire of every genuine NPP member. After all, won’t the
interest of these party gurus be better promoted if they were messengers in a
ruling party than being General Secretaries in an opposition party? (Regards to
the Gentle Giant in African politics).
Does the NPP
need a fierce contest in the selection of the next flag bearer? Are we not
aware of the person the electorate wants to take over from President Mills?
Don’t we have researchers in the party who can ascertain and communicate the
desires of the voters to the party to inform our decisions?Are some of the voters not saying they will
not vote if… (Fill the gap in a sincere manner and call to tell me your answer).
What does that teach us? Oh NPP! Why thou not see the light? Well, maybe, the
contest will be meant to satisfy the party’s credentials as liberal democrats
who believe in equality of opportunities for all.
Have my
sympathy, Uncle Stephen Ntim. I felt sorry for you the other day when I heard
you on radio pouring out the frustrations you are going through in your campaign
for the Chairmanship. You say they say you are good but what? I thought you
could go for the 1st Vice, for they would surely consider you
because they see you as a “Field Marshall” while they see your main contender
as a “Strategist”. Don’t you think effective implementation of clever
strategies on the field is what the NPP needs to win back power? I am convinced
every body in the party knows this.
What then is
the problem preventing such strategic partnership? I humbly submit the problem
is that many members of the NPP fraternity don’t seem prepared to subsume our
individual and sectional interest under the broad and collective interest of
the party.
Former
President John Agyekum Kufour, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Alan John Kwadwo
Kyerematen and other top echelons of the NPP are all aware of what the NPP
should do to recapture power in the 2012 elections. They are seasoned and acute
politicians. I pray the good Lord speaks to them and touches their hearts
individually to do the right thing. Within their hearts of heart, the three
party kingpins and their followers are aware of who could lead the party to
victory in the elections. Please, my elders, work towards that and God will
bless you individually and collectively.
Even though
every political observer, including Nana Addo and Alan, as well as members in
their camps, can predict who will lead the NPP as the next flag bearer, there
is going to be a contest. The contest has even started, and it is clear who is
winning. But that is not important.
What is important
is party unity, and how to build effective bridges after the contest; how to
successfully extent the acceptable olive branch to the vanquished and his
followers after the contest. That is why there is the urgent need for all true
and genuine NPP members to allow civility and decorum to prevail in their
campaign for any position in the party.It is also equally important for the party gurus whose interest others
purport to be serving to call their hawks to order when they are leading the
party on the path of destruction with their unguarded utterances and
politically indecorous actions.
My fellow
Kukurudites, President Mills has failed to deliver; he does not have what it
takes to deliver; his master-cum-member will continue to campaign for us; the campaign
will be supported by the glaring failures of the government. Let us not derail
the campaign with internal wrangling. We need unity to come back to power.
Let’s refrain from all activities and utterances that promote antagonism so
that we could build a formidable front to win the 2012 general elections, to
halt the maladministration the nation is experiencing under the NDC. Ghanaians
cannot forgive us if we allow disunity to keep the NDC in power after Mills’
first term.
I pray God
opens our eyes to see the light that is radiating the victory that beckons our
party in the 2012 general elections.
