.... AND LEADERSHIP FAILURE, HOW WILL 7TH AUGUST BE REMEMBERED? THE DYE IS CAST!
About 72 hours from today, the elephant family will do what most analyst thought is unthinkable in Africa, that is over 115,000 will elect their leader who will then wrestle power from the failing government of the NDC.
The question is whether the powers that be will be ready to maintain this arrangement after the coming elections and especially its culminating effect on the 2012 general elections. It is very apparent that this arrangement has really given the grassroots power and the onus will be on the eventual winner of the7th August race to effectively utilize this arrangement.
As if by design, all the two leading candidates have alluded to the fact that the grassroots of the party were neglected in the last elections and should they emerge victorious; their attention will be on how to utilize the polling station system. I cannot agree with them better because as someone who served as campaign secretary for my constituency and has not even gotten a word of appreciation from people who matter in my constituency, I believe this resolve will quench the disaffection and seeming apathy and ginger the grassroots to work harder to win power. But I hope this does not become one of the unfulfilled promises.
Again this process of electing a candidate for our party has also come with series of accusations and criticisms of the higher echelon of the party. Some of the candidates have smelt a rat and claimed that there has been a calculated attempt to favour a particular candidate against the others to the point of even undertaking a press conference to let Ghanaians know their unaddressed concerns. What about the current outburst by the good professor who I believe is in the wrong field? In any case I think you cannot always excel in all fields of endeavour as we are all witnesses in this country today. As I am writing this, the good professor has not step foot in MY CONSTITUENCY in Kumasi but is complaining of bias .He is simply not a politician, will that be a fair assessment?
In fact, such actions have not pass without a strange criticism from those in the party who think that they shouldn't have come out to tell the public. To such school of taught they believe they should have used the party grievance address procedure. But the question is whether such claimants are being realistic at all after almost all the party leadership and those who matter failed to respect the leadership positions they occupy whether by de-facto or de-jure. Even by this public outburst by party leadership after the press conference, have they really as leaders or just as executives. Repeating what you accuse people of doing! Definitely, two wrongs don't make right.
But I wonder how a mother or a father can be seen to be fair in matters concerning their family after declaring an open support for one child against the other. How will you feel save in the hands of a father who openly rebuke you and shows enmity even in matters you think you are not at fault. These people then expect you to use party procedures where they themselves are judges and lawmakers themselves.
The past few weeks have put me in this state disappointment and sheer dismay as I sat down to reminisce about some of the utterances of our party leadership which makes me wonder.
It all started with an attempt to bulldoze Nana through as a sole contender and then to 'no Nana no vote'. Finally, what is been peddled around in my Oseikrom constituency is that the 'magazine boys are saying they want one candidate so vote him or else they won't vote in 2012'. But I tend to wonder if these people were not there when we lost in the 2008 election. Why then should our attention be on them at all and not floating voters if the claim was even true? As far as I am concerned every voter should be very reasonable in taking this decision so that we are not condemned to another 4years in opposition. If the going gets tough then a voter must seek the face of his God since this is our future. For NPP supporters will always be there for the party especially in my village but the truth that the party needs more than the constituency of our voters to win elections.
Even when a son of Jesse was been sought for by God to anoint as future king of Israel, even Jesse the father, had a choice. He forgot about David and taught his other sons should be anointed but God taught otherwise. Your thoughts are not my thoughts, God said!
Sometimes when you hear some of our party leaders and elders speaking, you will be tempted to think they have lost their father and leader sense. You have five children and four go astray and you then condemn them to destruction. Is this the reason why you were voted for? This is one reason I will not vouch or guarantee for any of the current candidates because when you put your trust in a candidate and he disappoints you after he is elected, it becomes very disappointing. Come to my constituency right in Kumasi and you will see glaring deprivation, un tarred roads, dusty environment, etc which has led to the only radio station relocating but we have an MP.You hear Offinso MP talking about market in his constituency and what do I hear my MP always talking of?
Obviously, the Electoral commissioner in our national elections has a choice as he is a voter. But will it be prudent and acceptable on his part to declare in a public interview that it will be insincere on his part to say he doesn't have a choice especially at a time people are questioning his objectivity. The irony of this is when even seasoned politicians and analyst saw nothing wrong with this statement but saw something wrong with a press conference.
I wonder what at times makes adult behave as toddlers, thinking that their mass declaration of support for a candidate will let that candidate win or convince the grassroots. This is more especially when such people contributed to our defeat immensely by not being in touch with the grassroots. It is high time these people understood that God rather makes one a leader and like Saul, if you are made a leader out of God's will but rather by people's pressure you will definitely fail.
By their acts, they really confirm the Asante saying that 'woni panimu a due'. To wit, 'woe unto a house without a leader'. Who is then a leader? Sometimes you don't have to wield a political or legal office before you can be called a leader. This is not a condition at all because you may even be the president or chairman and still not be a leader. But generally, it is assumed that once one has held a position of trust whether by default or order, then the person will exhibit a form of leadership especially in public utterances. A leader actually commands obedience and is seen to live above par. When every body is opening his mouth, he seldom opens his mouth and when he does, even his enemies can't agree with him more.
How can a whole party leadership, past failures and success alike come out and declare a rapturous support for one candidate when that tradition is an alien to the party. This is where I admire people like the former president Kufour. After all the insults and abuse at him in1998, he passed the test and won the 2000 election. This is a man who was tested, proved and then passed.
Why can't people understand that Nana needs to go through the mill and if he comes out unscathed then he has passed the test for presidency? To date, Nana is the most popular politician in Ghana apart from the two former presidents but Ghanaians proved that popularity alone does not win vote. When he had to face a test of second in 2007 so prove that he is ready for the long race in 2008, his advisors gave him a wrong advice and Alan has to be convince to leave the crown for him. But when it came to Ghana, they could not frighten the good professor to leave the race for Nana and everything was clear that the whole party was not ready for a second round.
Right now they are at it again, ill-advising Nana that there will not be any SECOND ROUND and coming to tell voters to vote ONE TOUCH again since they are not ready for another lengthy process. SOMETIMES YOU WONDER WHY PEOPLE RUN AWAY FROM THEIR DESTINY OR THEIR SHADOWS! I hope when it falls on Alan or Nana to decide, they will stretch the whole process to second round to bring the warrior in whoever emerges eventual winner since the 2012 election is not going to be delivered on a silver platter.
Now Alan has become the bad boy who wants to spoil the 'party' but is it not more about winning power in 2012 than who wins it on 7th, especially when this Alan man his proved to be a business and entrepreneurial brain. Imagine one of the 100 business icons in the world been a president of a country which is noted for unemployment. Two years after university, there is still no work for us to do and why should we miss this opportunity. You even go to a bank with a business plan and all you get is disappointment. Kufour has come to pamper Ghanaians and now it seems the time of 'free loans' and pay increments to commensurate utility tariff increases are over. At least a job for now will help us raise capital for a personal future business. Or is it the case of, it is not his time and all the falsehood that people are peddling around. In any case who determines whose destiny? Who can determine any body's time except God and until you seek for it, how will you find it?
What about each of the leading contenders playing a major role when the other wins so that political experience will then unite with business brain?
Before I say jack, has any one thought of a possible run-off or we are caught in that frenzy of 'ONE TOUCH this time round? I heard Ursula and Kwaku Baako predicting on 'Kookrokoo' on Peace fm this morning. Can they recall what they said even before 2007 and 2008 party and national elections respectively? This election will be keenly contested and the earlier the aspirants prepare for a possible run-off the better. The voters have made their minds already and some of these speeches will not change anything. I do not know what Alan is doing but I hope 'Nana boys' DO NOT ADVICE HIM INTO THINKING THAT THERE WILL BE NO SECOND ROUND. As popular as he is in Ghanaian politics, you will always get the crowd following him but it takes extra more work to win elections as 2008 election proved. The scramble for power has begun and to whom the cup fits let him wear it.
Daniel Donkor, Ksi
