Is the NDC Broke?

Signs are that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is broke. Unlike the run-up to the 1996 elections when the party had bought newspaper pages and started vigorous campaigns by the middle of the year, things are rather building to a slow start towards Election 2000.

According to Mr. J. Yaw Kundow, Deputy Organiser of the party in the Greater Accra Region, unlike what happened during the '92 and '96 elections when the party virtually footed campaign bills, the party has decided that parliamentary candidates should fund their own campaign. "The party will assist them with logistics in the form of vehicles, motor- bikes and bicycles, but the financial aspect should be borne by the parliamentary aspirants themselves," he said.

Mr. Kundow stated that the party secretariat has provided all the constituencies with billboards bearing the campaign portraits of the party's flagbearer, Professor J E A Mills, adding, "if a parliamentary candidate chooses to affix his photograph to the billboard, we don't have anything against that."

When The Accra Mail wanted to know what the rationale behind the new directives was, Mr. Kundow said that the party does not have the financial resources to shoulder all campaign responsibilities. He said contractors who were sympathetic to the cause of the NDC are cash-strapped due to the general financial situation in the country. He added that some aspiring parliamentarians have started raising funds from their own financiers to print their posters, T-shirts and other party paraphernalia.

The organiser admitted that the campaign is behind schedule. "Campaign is a little late, but serious campaign will start at the end of this month with the launch of Election 2000 at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on Saturday September 30."

Political analysts believe this must account for the retention of many sitting MPs as new ones could be a financial burden on the party.

The question then arises as to how the aspiring MPs would source for money to undertake their electioneering campaigns. In a society where nothing goes for nothing, what will be the reward for whoever finances an aspiring politician? Could it be on the promise of future contracts? These and many other questions agitate the minds of curious Ghanaians.

Meanwhile, it looks like some aspiring MPs are well endowed financially and are, therefore, doing vigorous politicking in the constituencies. For example, the MP for Klottey Korle constituency, David Lamptey who is seeking re-election was stealthily dishing out amounts of money in the multiples of ?100,000 to some members of his constituency at Tudu last week. The recipients when asked about the terms, claimed they were loans to prop up their businesses. Cynics in the area questioned the motive behind the gesture, now that elections are around the corner. "This is certainly intended to attract the votes of the recipients," quipped one of the residents.

Candidates need funds for a host of campaign activities like organising rallies and others. Mr. Cofie-Squire the UGM candidate in the Korley Korle constituency when asked what funds are needed for, pointed at advertisements in the media and miscellaneous activities like transportation costs. The UGM, according to him foots, between 70 to 80% of the expenses of candidates and the rest is borne by the individual candidates. On the doling out of money by his competitor in the constituency, ostensibly termed 'loans', he frowned at it and added that it is an open secret that it did happen at Tudu.

So financially handicapped are some of the political parties that raising money as registration deposits with the National Electoral Commission (NEC) has become a problem. According to preliminary reports reaching The Accra Mail, the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) did not file any parliamentary nominations in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions.

The Accra Mail has information that the NEC is compiling data on nominations nationwide. What this means is that if at the end the GCPP has not filed any parliamentary nominations, the presidential candidate, Dan Lartey might have to be declared an independent candidate.