Imposition Of Parliamentary Candidate In Garu-Tempane Constiuency.

Indeed, I could not help but to write this article when I read that a group of NPP Supporters who were going to Bolga to present their petition to the Regional Minister following the imposition of the incumbent MP for Garu-Tempane constituency, Honourable Joseph Akudibillah, by the ruling government without allowing the Constituency Executives to hold the primary for this year election were attacked in Bawku by the Police.

First of all, I want anyone who reads this article to know that I do not belong to any political party but that I am a democrat and a constitutionalist hence I am presenting an objective view of what I think should be the right thing in any true democratic dispensation. Democracy it is said is a government based on the consent of the governed. In this respect, the will of the people should prevail.

We have different political parties in Ghana and these parties build their strong foundation from the constituencies levels. It is therefore,politicalLy imperative that the views and decisions of the constituencies Executives are accepted as final by the ruling government. In this way, Democracy will be seen to be at work.

However, if the ruling government keeps on imposing candidates on constituencies Executives devoid of primaries elections,then, it is a mockery on our infant but fragile democracy which we are yet to consolidate. It is important for us to note that the imposition of candidates on constituencies Excecutives is a dangerous trend of development. First of all, it breeds defections and lowers the morale of parties loyalists.

It is important to note also that Honoural Joseph Akudibillah was a strong member of the NDC and wanted to contest for the 2000 parliamentary elections under the ticket of the NDC. Unfortunately, the NDC as a ruling government with all the incumbency advantages imposed the then incumbent MP, Honoural Dominic Azumbe on the constituencies Executives and he left the party to stand as an Independence candidate. The Honourable MP would admit that he left the NDC because it was undemocratic to impose a candidate on the Excecutives without holding the primary. He may also argue that it was against his moral principles to allow undemocratic values and principles to prevail. Be that as it may, is it now democratic for him to impose himself on the Executives without their endorsement?. Or is he now saying that politics is the art of the possible?.

I think this is a legitimate question and I would like the Honourable MP to response to it. Those who claim to stand for moral principles should not allow opportunism to seize their sense of judgement. What is good for the goose should be equally good for the gander. Put diferrently,those principles for which we stand for, should not be compromised for our selfish and egoistic interest Seconly, to the ruling government, it should be reminded that it vehemently protested against the NDC imposition of candidates on constituencies Excecutives without the holding of primaries.

Unless the government wants to admit that it is playing Michevellian politics,it cannot deny the undemocratic tendencies been exhibited so far.

Gariba Edward Banka.
Ontario, Canada.

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