Destabilizing NDC

The revelations

that emerged from the confrontation between Ato Awhoi and Herbert Mensah

on the airwaves of FM stations betray the character and methods of the

Ghana’s political elite. The undemocratic methods of king makers is

a major destabilizing factor in all the Political Parties.

Their ability to

destabilize their Parties in their quest for control is predicable and

could happen in any Party because the current Political Parties are not

under the effective control of its ordinary members.

In the volume 1

number 4 (Wednesday, January 27 edition) under the banner NDC Unity:

Delegate Impose Unity on NDC factions” The Talk in its front page

comment stated? that: ’what had taken place during the NDC

congress in Tamale was just a semblance of unity” and “the

seeming calm is bound to be tested because the interests of the opposing

groups still persist”.

We stated further

that “How they [opposing groups] pursue their interests after the

congress, will determine whether the perception of unity endures.”

prior to the congress, the various interest groups in the NDC were

struggling against each other in the open.

The fact is that

the elite in Ghana have no respect for democratic practices and methods.

Their preferred method is the use falsehood, treachery, bribery, character

assassination, fabrication, corruption and all sorts of underhand dealings

to manufacture a perception of popular support. This modus operandi

creates the need for serial callers, spin doctors, partisan media, etc. as

convenient tools for deceiving the public and a replacement of the Parties

rank and file.

It is only a

government that is unsure of the support of its cadres that panics in the

face of a leadership challenge from other interest groups within the

party. It must be noted that not too long ago, the Mills government's

struggle was with its own foot soldiers, as revealed by the criticism of

foot soldiers launched by the Vice President John Mahama from the platform

of a member of opposition NPP.?

The sense of

desperation exhibited by the Mills regime and its propaganda machine in

the face of a suspected internal threat by the Rawlings’ leave much

to be desired. It betrays a panicky leadership that may show weakness when

western countries exert imperial power to back their interest in cases

such as Vodafone, Kosmos, etc.

Public

institutions must build strong structures to respond adequately to

potential issues that may arise in the course of time. This cannot be

achieved in organization such as the political parties where a few people,

due to the wealth, act as self appointed wise men who plot and scheme to

manufacture consent to their views and interests.

If the NDC was

internally democratic, it would have put in place a body mandated to deal

with such issues, and this body would have discussed and decided the way

forward on issues, such as a possible health problem of its flag bearer

and its implications for the Party.?

This would have

prevented other interest groups from taking undue advantage of the

situation to feather their own nests.

The lack of

control of political parties by their members creates the situation where

the elite are not accountable to anyone but themselves. Those able to

hijack the Party hope to use their position to gain control of the

country's resources in case their Party wins power.

The Talk wishes to

advise members of the Political Parties to fight for effective democratic

control of their Parties if they are to prevent intra-elite struggles for

control with its associated consequence of destabilizing the Party from

within.