EDITORIAL: NPP Must Get Real!

We are afraid, we have to take a little issue here. It's been reported that the NPP has dissociated itself from the planned "Hankuri" demonstration.

This is the slant given by the state-owned Daily Graphic last Friday though the full statement was less pugnacious than that. But what can you expect when a disclaimer is issued with mixed signals.

It was a strange disclaimer because the planners of the demonstration did not say it was an NPP demonstration. Even before this disclaimer, the chairman of the party, Mr Harona Esseku had been overheard on a radio programme more or less disparaging and discouraging the organisers.

The organisers of the "Hankuri" demonstration are exercising the same constitutional rights as those people leading the so-called Wahala demonstration.

ADM carried the full text of the statement issued by the organisers of the "Hankuri" demonstration last week and clearly what these people are calling for is peace and not violence. Indeed their demonstration dubbed "Hankuri" catches the spirit of peace, patience and tolerance.

The arguments advanced in the NPP disclaimer seem embarrassingly na?ve. Though the NPP wants to position itself so as to be absolved of any blame should the demo go awry, the NPP must also realise that in politics opportunity waits for no one.

It is the party that exploits political openings that eventually gets the mass following.

It is an entirely new ball game now and so the NPP must start honing its strategies to take on board new political realities.

The NDC is still testing the waters foot after foot and if the NPP naively thinks all is all, then it would not just be the party but the whole country, that would be in for a damn painful surprise.