Monitoring the social and political happenings of today, I initially and instinctively wanted to write on the happenings in the NDC, which obviously is dominating media discussions. On second thought, however, I chose to write rather on the positive developments in my party, and leave the negative happenings in another party, for another day. “Dzi mi fi asem”, I call it. In ten days, the NPP will go to the polls to elect its candidates for the 2012 general elections. Last month, between 26th and 29th March, about 600 aspirants were vetted across the country and in the end, only three fell short of the party’s constitutional requirements. To me, it is an indication of the caliber of people that the party has.
Also, nearly 50% of the aspirants are below age 40, a strong indication of how Ghana’s youth are willing to devote their life and time to building our beloved country, and working with the party that they recognise has the ideas and policies that can transform Ghana’s economy, for a better today and a brighter tomorrow.
The voting college, made up of about 110,000 people is a definite confirmation of the NPP’s democratic tenets. On August 7, after 107,116 people voted peacefully to elect Nana Addo as the party’s Presidential Candidate for the 2012 elections, the world applauded our party. In his victory speech, Nana Addo described it as a “kra be whe election” and so it was. The NDC congratulated us for the successful outcome and praised us for such an unprecedented internal democratic process and indeed promised to take a cue from us by expanding their electoral college too. That has still not happened, but my thinking is that they are still thinking about it. Knowing the NDC and their record when it comes to internal party competitions and democratic practice, we can allow them some more time to think through it. On 30th April, almost the same number of people will vote across the country, and from what I see, the world would applaud us one more time.
The entire process has been extremely open and transparent, with every detail made available to all the candidates and stakeholders involved. It is remarkable, particularly because once the elections are over, winners and losers alike, will join hands and work together to ensure that victory 2012 becomes a reality. For the first time, there was a nationwide publication of the various venues and times for the vetting of aspirants, making it simple and easy for all. The gossip mill has it that in the past, one or two mischievous constituency chairmen could create artificial shortage of forms in the constituency. This time, the forms were available everywhere, constituency, regional and national. The party has began publishing from today, the full list of aspirants who passed the vetting, even before the official notice of poll by the Electoral Commission.
I bring these up because in every contest, it is the post-election issues that determine whether or not there will be unity or division. Naturally, the loser will not be happy if he thinks that the election was not free and fair. But any well meaning party person who loses the election under free and fair circumstances will see the victory of his/her competitor as the party’s. Before nominations were opened, Nana Addo and the leadership of the party went around the country to meet with aspirants, constituency and regional executives, and explained to them, the rules and regulations and the spirit with which the elections should be conducted. Gauging from how it has gone so far, it is obvious that it was a brilliant and much needed exercise that is helping the party conduct itself and the process very well ahead of the elections. During that tour, Nana Addo made it clear to all that he has no preferred candidate(s) in the parliamentary primaries, adding that the candidates that the party will elect are his candidates. But he also called on delegates to do a proper assessment of all aspirants, to ensure that “we elect the best people as candidates: hardworking, bold and dedicated men and women who can take our message of hope to every corner of the constituency.” Those were Nana Addo’s words.
Nana Addo cautioned aspirants and their supporters to refrain from using offensive language against their opponents, because it is the party that will suffer the consequences in the end. The party people, by and large heeded the advice and the result is the quiet and peaceful contest that we have going on in the various constituencies.
National Chairman, Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey and his team of national officers also assured that they have no candidates and indeed have proved to all, that they have not taken sides. Regional and constituency executives have also conducted themselves well. They have been neutral referees overseeing the contest. The open, transparent, free and fair nature of the contest inspires a lot of confidence and compared to 2008, sends a positive signal to all, that the great elephant family is ready to come back to power. Let it continue to be so. Parliamentary primaries have the tendency to be acrimonious, especially if the ground rules are not clear and evenly applied. It is also so, because of the different interests of various people. Any political party in Ghana that is serious about winning the general election should be mindful of the conduct of its parliamentary primaries. On that front, you bear with me without doubt, that the NPP has done well. It means, we are ready for the job and the Ghanaian people, knowing them, are watching closely, and are comparing and contrasting. The truth is that all politics is local. Elections are not won at the national headquarters of the party but the polling stations and getting it right at the various constituencies will translate into a victory on Dr. Afari Djan’s computer.
I humbly urge our delegates to listen to the voices of the people on the ground and vote with them in mind: the market women, the taxi drivers, the farmers, the fishermen, the workers, the students, the teachers, the nurses, the traders, the businesspersons, the professionals and so many well-meaning Ghanaians. Nana Addo in his victory speech at the Efua Sutherland Park on August 7, said to the Ghanaian people: “you can be sure of one thing this evening – they, at the Castle, can hear all this cheering coming down the 28 February Road to Castle Road, and I am sure they are paying rapt attention because today the NPP has spoken with one strong voice.”
The party has to speak on the parliamentary elections as we did the presidential, after which we will go into the 2012 battle confidently on the strong record of the Kufuor presidency.
Nana Addo also mentioned that night, that, “the efficiency with which the party, under the leadership of our new national executives, organised this election under five months is a major assurance to all of us that we will, indeed, build an efficient and effective political machine to drive us on to Victory in 2012.” Nana Addo’s comments have been vindicated and the conduct of the parliamentary primaries is yet another testimony. On 30th April, the NPP -- the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition, the noblest tradition in Ghanaian politics -- will show once more its bold commitment to enhancing democracy in our country. With Nana Addo’s election, where 107,116 delegates voted, with 95% turnout, we established a strong template for defining the modern contours of intra-party democracy in Africa and that template will be put to good use on 30th April.
Nana Addo recognised, as he put it, that “this victory is far bigger than this little, simple man standing before you now. This is your victory; it’s a victory for our party; for multi-party democracy in Ghana and in Africa. This is a victory for a brighter, prosperous future, where the young men and women of our nation can lead dignified, purposeful and fulfilling lives.” Our aspirants must take note of this, that, the upcoming elections are more about the NPP and Ghana than their personal interests.
The dream of the founders of our tradition to build a thriving democracy and a strong market economy in our country -- which will deliver prosperity for the broad masses of our people under the rule of law, respect for human rights and the principles of democratic accountability -- is still very much alive.
We should all remember that the Ghanaian people are looking up to us in the NPP, to provide a strong, positive alternative to the failing government of the NDC. We cannot fail them.
Let us continue to conduct ourselves in a winsome manner.
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