Lessons for Independent Voters- What the Sissala East should avoid

Politics of Incompetence: Lessons for Independent Voters- What the Sissala East should avoid

Fellow compatriots, and colleagues young democrats in NDC, I do not underestimate the challenges we face in trying to achieve these goals, specifically since many of you do not want incompetent politicians to misrepresent our young district in parliament. We have had many broken promises in the past and we cannot afford that any more.

Women are asset to humanity. I know this for a fact because I was raised by my mother, loved by my grandmother, sisters and a lot of women within my community. There is a growing pressure from NGOs for increased women participation in parliament. Our late President (May his soul rest in peace) vowed to give women the opportunities the long deserved. However, in line with this promise, our district benefited with the late president appointing an unemployed, political naïve, professionally inexperience woman, who did little to unite our great party in the district. From day one of her being in office, our sister and mother (Alijata Sulemani) waged unending war against the then sitting MP who happened to be a woman. As if this was not enough, she took hostage all district projects, was alleged to be in bed with some high ranking party officials at the district and regional level. The end results are what we all witness today; the sitting MP has been ousted, our district is much more polarized and divided than when we were in opposition, our district development has been stagnated, the rural electrification projects still a myth.

The questions that run through one’s mind are how did this woman win the primaries if all these things are true? The answer to this question is very simple: the axis of evil principle- divide and rule. This strategy has at least worked to her advantage. By supporting some factions and making others pitch against each other, she managed to again some support from those factions. Secondly, we had a great number of contestants in the primaries for the first time in the history of the Sissala East District NDC primaries. Thirdly, a great majority of our party delegates are poor and not well enlighten. So by supporting them with motor bicycles, fertilizer, roofing materials and other materials she hijacked from NADMO, she managed to win the primaries.

Well, let us all pause for a minute and reflect. Can Alijata win the Parliamentary seat for the NDC? The answer is NO. Can she represent us in Parliament? The answer is NO? Does she have the expertise to represent us? You know the answer better than I do. This is not to insult anyone, but facts will always remain facts. With all due respect, I have no personal problems or ill feeling with the candidate in question; I have my people and my party at heart. I have made several personal appeals to Alijata about her leadership style not being in comport to the party all to no avail. I have personally criticized the former MP- Halutie on her weak leadership. I shall not stop until we have the right kind of leadership. We must do everything within our power and means to remove babies with hard teeth from amongst us.

What can we do as people within the party to ensure that the right people represent us in Parliament? In my candid opinion, education is the key. Let all meaningful Sissalas speak this mind. There is a saying that “in politics if they superior refused to join the party at the right time they end up being by their inferior” if so this is what is happening in NDC in Sissala East. Let us arise and let people like Alijata know that we are matured, that we are enlightened and that politics should be a means of helping others and not a means of amassing wealth. In addition to these things, I call on all well qualified candidates to start getting closer to these people at home, do not sit in your offices in Accra, Kumasi or anywhere else and expert the people to vote for you when it is election time. Thirdly, contribute your quota by helping in the development of our district. Finally, voters should vote not on party lines but on the basis of who can do the job for us. Infact, Alijata is just like the NPP parliamentary candidate in the district are both untested, inexperience, ignorant and highly temperamental people. Never should we allow such people to lead us because, they have no vision, no foresight and no knowledge of how to unite and govern people.

In fact, in my candidly opinion and advise to all young democrats and well meaningful NDC people who have the district development at heart should not let us follow our political ideology and make a mistake to let her be our MP. It will be catastrophe to let her represent us in parliament. As I have stated earlier, I am not in support of the NPP candidate as well. Currently I have no one in mind. I however edge our people to vote massively for President John Mahama and any independent candidate they deem competent. BE WARE, NO BABIES WITH HARD TEETH DESERVE TO REPRESENT OUR GREAT PARTY, AT LEAST NOT FOR NOW. WRITTEN BY JUSTICE ALI.