The New Patriotic Party needs a leader of substance and conviction who thrives in an age of 24-hour news
On the 22nd December 2007, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates will have to decide who they wish to lead our party over the next eight years. Such is the array of political talent in our party that they are somewhat spoilt for choice. But a choice has to be made. And that choice matters deeply.
Our party has reached a critical point in its development. In the post-Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) years, the task facing our tradition was simple: to keep the Danquah-Busia flame alive in the hope of better times. In 1996, our party moved out of survival mode with an intake of sixty-seven Members of Parliament (MP). Growing at every election since 1996, we now command the support of almost of six out of ten voters and have our largest number of MPs for more than 40 years. And, by the by, anyone who doubts the scale of Akufo-Addo’s contribution to this success doesn't know the man or our party.
But the challenge now is to take the next step up. If we get it right, there is no reason why we shouldn't establish ourselves as a permanent political force. But if we get it wrong, we could see our hard-won gains quickly reversed, with all the damage that would do to our party and to our country. So the choice of who should lead NPP in the coming years could hardly be more important.
After a challenging decade and half, in which we have had to modernise and professionalise our internal structures while trying to cope with a brutal regime and its concomitant atrocities, the time has now come for our party to begin the push back. We now need to get on the front foot, to face outwards, to reach beyond our heartlands and to take our message to every part of our country. The time for introspection has come and gone. But communicating our message clearly and effectively is only half the challenge. The more important part is ensuring that our message is the right one for our times.
This is important, for it takes the public discussion into core centre-right territory. The Danquah-Busia tradition, which for years has been the champions of individual empowerment, freedom of the press and the rule of law, now have the opportunity to lead the campaign for a new political settlement. But only if we are prepared to shape that debate can we be sure that reform, when it finally comes, takes place on our terms, in pursuit of our liberal and progressive aims.
So our party's next leader needs not only to be a skilful communicator who can make the Danquah-Busia message relevant to the modern age, but also to possess the intellect and the vision needed to develop and define that message. They then need the skill, the energy and the burning ambition necessary to take our party, and our country, with them.
There is only one person, in my judgment, who displays all these qualities. That person is Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. It is well known that he has an extraordinary ability to communicate. In an age of 24-hour media attention, that is obviously important. What is perhaps less well-known - for now - is that he is also a man of real substance and conviction.
When I met Nana Addo, some 30 years ago, he was working in Accra as a fine, young eloquent barrister alongside some of the finest legal brains this country has ever produced. A lot of his friends later complained that they had done everything they could to get Nana Addo to join their party. But he refused. He was a thoroughbred, centre-right politician, they said, and he intended to devote his life to the Danquah-Busia tradition.
That party is now looking on nervously, desperately hoping that the New Patriotic Party don't elect Nana Akufo-Addo as their leader, should tell our delegates everything they need to know.
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