Sunday,
December 21, 2014
The 8th delegates’
congress of the NDC has just taken place at Kumasi, producing very intriguing
issues worth our bother because they carry weight. Although many issues cropped
up, we cannot engage all of them and will settle on only those that have dire
implications for our democracy. These issues can be categorized into two: those
that affect the collective interests of Ghana/Ghanaians and those that have
particular implications for the NDC as a political party.
Let me itemize those issues to
create a broad framework for the series of analyses that I will do about them
in the various opinion pieces I intend writing to highlight crucial aspects of
governance within the framework that the NDC/government is operating:
- Issues
of interest to Ghana
·
Scathing
criticism of the Mahama-led administration’s performance by Ivor Greenstreet, General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party
(CPP), and the rumpus that his verbal attacks have provoked
·
Arrest
of 9 Azorka Boys by the police
- Issues
related to the NDC
·
Abolition
of the position of Propaganda Secretary and establishment of a Communications
Directorate
·
Claims
by former President Rawlings that the NDC administration and party officials
are part of the problems confronting Ghana and must own up and help solve those
problems
·
Call
by Rawlings to his wife (Nana Konadu) to return to her political family (the
NDC)
·
Outcome
of the elections
I will now isolate these issues
for comment, beginning with the speech delivered at the congress as a
“solidarity message” by Ivor Greenstreet on behalf of the CPP, which the
National Chairperson of the party (Samia Nkrumah) quickly hailed as reflective
of the concerns or will of Ghanaians. She consequently endorsed the contents of
that speech.
Here is what Greenstreet is
reported as saying that:
- it was unacceptable that the
NDC was meeting to elect new leaders, when it should have been meeting to
re-evaluate its policies, which he said had plunged the country into an
economic mess.
- “…Currently nobody, I mean
nobody is feeling your better Ghana. Continuous ‘dumsor dumsor,’
corruption from top to bottom, left right inside out, and all the
challenges you are facing are suffocating the Ghanaian people.”
- “We would have thought that
perhaps you may have used an occasion like this to discuss policies,
programmes and solutions to all the difficulties we are facing as a
nation, but no, you chose today to share your Christmas gifts with each
other.”
- “Ghanaians are not happy at
all. This ‘bronya’ is dry. Too too dry… The most painful thing of all is
that you don’t care.”
- “NDC continue, we
are watching you, Ghana is watching you, do what you want to do, we also
know what we’ll come and do…make sure you’ll elect executives who will be
able to steer your parties affairs when you are in opposition. Boys abr3.”
(See more at:
http://graphic.com.gh/news/general-news/35800-sam-george-elevation-comment-about-ivor-greenstreet-sparks-outrage.html#sthash.YHprmKYL.dpuf)
Greenstreet’s “solidarity
message” may be regarded as stinging or stinking, opportunistic, or
appropriate, depending on whom the cap fits!! He exercised his democratic right
of freedom of speech to say what he wanted to say, and should be appreciated as
such. Now, what should be done about his message? Discarded as the rants of a
disappointed politician or as a nudge in the rib for the government to sit up?
In a quick response to such a
scathing and daring verbal attack, President Mahama said, among others, that only people with selective myopia would not see the good
works of his government. He made it clear that it wasn’t his responsibility to
cure such people of their “selective myopia”. Clearly, the President’s reaction
is a veiled disgust for the CPP man’s vitriolic attack on his personality (with
the “You don’t care” pinpointed accusation of insensitivity and callousness).
In responding to
Greenstreet, NDC communicator, Sam George, posted on his Facebook page that
“Ivor Greenstreet apparently needs some elevation to see the Better Ghana”.
Critical comments condemning this comment—(mis)construed as a direct attack on
Greenstreet’s physical disability (he is confined to a wheelchair) have
surfaced; but George has stood his grounds, explaining that his comment had
nothing to do with Greenstreet’s physical handicap. He said that by his comment
regarding “elevation”, he was only calling for an elevation in the CPP man’s
thinking. Here is where ambiguity comes to play. Brofoyedru ampa!!
Taking on Greenstreet
from another angle, the Majority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin, said that at the time
that he was criticizing the government and the NDC, Greenstreet was possessed
by a demon.
Now, here come the
main issues arising from Greenstreet’s “solidarity message”. Some NDC buffs are
highly incensed that he would abuse the opportunity to undermine the government
and their party that way. More so when he brazenly made those scathing comments
to the face of President Mahama, Vice President Amissah-Arthur, ex-President
Rawlings, delegates of other political parties, and all those gathered at the
ceremony to wish the party well.
They are unhappy
that Greenstreet chose the wrong moment and occasion to let loose his vitriol,
clearly because the timing was bad. The occasion was for solidarity messages,
not stentorian condemnation of the government.
How far such
sentiments will go cannot be determined for now; but I assume that
Greenstreet’s scathing criticism cannot be isolated from all that political
opponents of the government have been saying all this while. He chose the
moment to place the political noose around the government’s neck as a
continuation of the agenda to undercut the government in the hope that it would
win some favour for the CPP and others in opposition. That is what partisan
politics is all about—close-marking the party in power and kicking it around
when the opportunity arises.
What would make the
government/NDC expect commendation from its political opponents, anyway? To
regard Greenstreet’s comments as a nuisance to be disregarded will be the
height of costly childishness. To launch a personal attack on him will only
work against the government/NDC’s interests in the long run. A sober and mature
reaction to those comments will help the government re-align itself to the
aspirations of the people. There is much going on in the public domain that
doesn’t redound to the government’s political fortunes. Can anybody be
truthful, for once, to admit this fact so amends can be made? That’s all that Greenstreet
is suggesting; not so?
Within this
context, and granted that what Greenstreet said isn’t anything new that we
haven’t heard before, it is better for President Mahama and the NDC to act in a
mature manner so they don’t play themselves into the hands of their bitter
political opponents to be further damaged in the eyes of the public.
Self-control is
required at this stage so Greenstreet’s criticism can be taken in good faith as
an eye-opener, no matter how bitter the pill he has forced down throats may be.
Equanimity is also required to guide all. After all, if the government is not
told such concerns in a language that it can understand, it may continue to be
deceiving itself that the path that it is cutting is straight all through.
The government/NDC
need such bitter criticisms to wake them up. That is why I want to advise
President Mahama and his team to thank Greenstreet for baring it all, no matter
how much venom he must have injected into them for saying it as he did. The
good part is that once he has let it all out now, the government must know how
the barometer swings. Then, if it can do a proper reading, it should be guided
in how it does things henceforth.
What Greenstreet
said may be difficult to stomach—probably because this is the first time that
an invited party representative has turned a “solidarity message” into a
poisonous political campaign bait. Never has it happened before that the
representative of a political party at such an event could behave the way
Greenstreet did. But he did it and was immediately supported by Samia Nkrumah.
Probably, the CPP
may feel justified in going that way, having nursed serious grievances at the
NDC for being the principal architect of its sorry political fate. The NDC has
poached more CPP-oriented elements than the NPP has done. In truth, it can be
said that the NDC has virtually invalidated the pro-Nkrumahist front and will
not be spared in any encounter.
I have all along
said that I see a lot of commonalities between the NDC and the pro-Nkrumahist
family, which warrants the absorption of these Nkrumah hangers-on into the NDC.
The only thing separating these pro-Nkrumahists and the NDC is the fact that it
will continue to be impossible for the pro-Nkrumahists to regain political
power in contemporary times while the NDC is quick at opening its doors to all
political elements to boost its chances.
The NDC is flexible
and more prone to growing than these mushroom parties placarding pro-Nkrumahism
but not doing anything to grow. Thus far, the NDC has grown to dislodge both
the pro-United Party and pro-Nkrumahist camps, becoming the mainstream
political force in Ghanaian politics. That is an enviable accomplishment for
which it won’t be forgiven by those constantly disparaging it at will. But
their pejoration is vain.
I wish to advise
President Mahama and his team to see Greenstreet’s comments as a precursor to
the issues that political opponents will harp on to create anxious moments for
them. Winning Election 2016 will not depend solely on how many development
projects the government has provided. A lot more will go into the electoral
decisions to be made.
That is why I don’t
see any need to begrudge Greenstreet what he sad. Instead, he should be
embraced and encouraged to let out more of those sentiments, which will then
turn out to be the compass to guide the government and the NDC on their
political journey into the future. So much said for this controversy sparked by
Greenstreet. Other issues demand analysis.
I shall return…
·
E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
·
Join
me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/mjkbokor to continue the conversation.
No comments:
Post a Comment