Thursday, May 28, 2015
Folks,
the rampaging going on in the NPP won’t end anytime soon because it has a
deep-seated genesis, fuelled by many factors at the emergence of the NPP from
the ashes of the Danquah-Busia Club, and nurtured by the political philosophy
woven around the Asante/Akyem/Brong-Ahafo origins of its Godfathers (J.B.
Danquah and K.A. Busia).
That
political philosophy revolved around the two personalities until adroit means
were found by their latter-day adherents to add a “Dombo” afterthought to it in
a vain attempt to entice our compatriots of Northern Ghana extraction who might
bite the bait to create the impression that they are an integral part of the “Kabonga”
NPP. Of course, S.D. Dombo did his best to advance the cause of the United
Party but hasn’t been given as much prominence as the Akyem Danquah and
Brong-Ahafo Busia.
Interestingly
enough, political developments in parts of the Brong-Ahafo Region (especially
Wenchi) of late prove that support for Busia is fast declining. We can’t say
that the name “Dombo” has in any way added any political capital to the NPP
either. That of Danquah is only being sustained because of the emergence of Akufo-Addo;
but even then, that has turned out to be a mere political fluff. Thus,
exploiting the names behind the “Danquah-Busia-Dombo” political philosophy in
itself is valueless. Unfortunately, the main players in the NPP’s political
game don’t see it.
They
are fast tearing their party apart and creating the impression that they are a
national security threat and not characters to be relied on to take over from
the NDC administration. From what has happened so far—and will continue to
happen and expose them as opportunists—I believe strongly that Ghanaians will
not want to jump from the frying pan right into the searing fire that the NPP
constitutes.
That
is why the ongoing internal crisis has attracted much concern from the party’s
own front and outside it. No one really knows how this crisis can be resolved;
but many know that the crisis will deepen, especially as the trading of
accusations and physical confrontations intensifies.
Against
this background, Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh (someone who hasn’t openly declared his
membership of the NPP but whom some of us have known as a pure NPP buff—based
on his own writings and public utterances at forums outside the mainline
political domain) has given some “unsolicited” pieces of advice on how to
resolve the NPP crisis. In doing so, he has done more than he set out to do by
exposing all the more the underbelly of the NPP. A careful analysis of his “unsolicited”
advice and the background against which he gave that advice paints a sordid
picture of the NPP, which should alert Ghanaians whenever they assess issues
and make political/electoral decisions.
For
the records, some salient aspects of Prof. Prempeh’s observation include:
1. The current turmoil in the party is nothing
short of an existential threat. This is not your normal internal wrangling that
happens, from time to time, in every political party.
2. This
is a party in mortal danger… the current factionalism in the party, which has
been allowed recklessly to simmer and fester for far too long, has finally
reached breaking point.
3. The
party will have to take another look at its corporate governance structures and
arrangements and make appropriate changes
4. This
crisis is not just an NPP problem. It is a national crisis, because the very
health of Ghana's democracy is at stake. A strong and effective opposition
party, one that takes seriously its job of keeping an eye on government and is
itself capable of replacing the governing party at the polls, offers the only
credible prospect of "checks and balances" in our already
poorly-balanced, winner-takes-all political system.
5. We
cannot afford to have a mortally fractured opposition and, for that matter, de
facto one-party rule. We have come too far along this as-yet unfinished journey
to reverse course and start all over again. (See more at: http://www.myjoyonline.com/opinion/2015/May-28th/prof-h-kwasi-prempeh-my-unsolicited-advice-to-the-npp.php#sthash.wOyiV0LZ.dpuf)
MY
COMMENTS
Thanks
to Prof. Prempeh for dissecting the NPP for us. We appreciate his insights and admit
that his dissection has truly revealed to us what the NPP constitutes: a direct
threat to Ghana’s democracy at this stage. His take on factionalism in the party and the fact that instead of using
political means to resolve it, the various elements fuelling it are using “legalism”
and “constitutionalism” says it all. The NPP is a “book-long” party that
cherishes “raw interrectualism” and is enhanced by how much elitism its leaders
display wherever they are. To such “interrectuals”, using legalism and quoting
copiously from constitutions should be the trump-card to play.
Indeed,
we can tell from the quick reference to their background as lawyers,
especially, to conclude that they can’t function in their party without falling
back on their profession of “legalism” and “constitutionalism”. That is why
Prof. Prempeh’s advice to them to use the political means to resolve the crisis
won’t be heeded. Once they have become fixated on “legalism” and “constitutionalism”,
so be it for them. Nothing else will make sense to them; and the more they
resort to such sterile means, the more they deepen the crisis.
And
Prof. Prempeh bared it all too: “With honest brokers in short supply, it would
be best if party insiders and rank and file did not worsen matters by
continuing to give life to this internecine feud.” Honest brokers are in short
supply because the party has not had any “broker” all these years. One may be
tempted to consider the Council of Elders as such brokers; but judging from the
manner in which they jumped on Afoko and Agyepong to push them aside (even
without unanimity in their own ranks), one can simply conclude that they are jokers
and jerks, not brokers of peace.
Former
President Kufuor can’t solve this problem either because he is not trusted by
the Akufo-Addo camp. Mere public posturing and half-hearted attempts to
exchange pleasantries in public, backed by claims of being cordial to each
other, won’t change the situation. Indeed, Kufuor appears to the Akufo-Addo
camp as a backer of the faction now baring its teeth fully to intensify the
factionalism and plain hooliganism in the NPP camp. Who else can be seen as a
broker? The loud-mouthed pastors toeing
the NPP’s line (Owusu-Bempah and Co. on my mind)? Or the chiefs vowing to ditch
the NDC? Who else? The Lord himself whom they claim is fighting their battle
for them, even though they are looking over their shoulders to complain of and
fear “spiritual bombs” being thrown at them by their political opponents (Otiko
Djaba, are you there)?
All
levels of the NPP are controlled by those who use brawn and not brains to
resolve crisis. That is why the show of force continues to the extent that a
so-called militant wing (private security setup) of the party (called “Invincible
Forces”) is acting physically to keep Afoko and Agyepong under constant threat.
They can’t go to the party’s national headquarters. Akufo-Addo was there to see
things for himself and be reassured that the orchestrations that he has put in
place to hound Afoko and Agyepong out of office are yielding “positive” results
for him to be assured of having things done his way in the party.
Akufo-Addo
isn’t a broker but a misguided and calculating troublemaker. Otherwise, what
has he done to reach out to the embattled Afoko and Agyepong? As the
flagbearer, he has long been expected to lead efforts at resolving the crisis.
After all, resolving the crisis will create cordiality among those tasked with
the responsibility to mobilize support for him. The onus lies on him more than
it does anybody else. But because of his own bellicose and intransigent nature,
he has chosen to hide behind empty and mischievous political rhetoric to deny
his role in the impasse while stoking it in honesty and zeal.
Such a character can’t succeed in his endeavours.
The
NPP stands to suffer more, especially now that the Prudential Bank has revealed
the transaction involving 2.2 million Cedis for the 2012 elections and is
threatening to take away the party’s national headquarters, which was used as
the collateral security by Ken Ofori-Atta. How could an individual transact
such a business on behalf of a political party? Very dangerous people in this
NPP not to be entrusted with Ghana’s destiny. Prof. Prempeh has given us a new
angle from which to continue discussing the rumpus in the NPP and we will use
it to do so. Thanks to him and others thinking like him.
I
shall return…
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E-mail: mjbokor@yahoo.com
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