NPP in a Slumber

I am very much surprised that more than four months after the 2012 election, the NPP has not begun any rebuilding and rebranding process which will enable the party win future elections. It is clear the party structures, from the polling stations to the constituencies across the regions and national are in a state of comatose.

The NPP is in grave danger of becoming completely irrelevant in Ghanaian politics. Almost all the party’s vibrant structures are asleep, with the rank and file of the party confused about the way forward for their beloved party. The party as a matter of urgency needs a vigourous restructuring and its members must be prepared to openly partake in this crucial project to rejuvenate and revamp the Party to be able to capture power in 2016 prepared, stronger, more efficient and capable. Many NPP members are losing patience with the slow state of affairs of their party and have expressed their reservation over this situation.

It is obvious the discussion of NPP members is always centered on the case at the Supreme Court. At the moment as Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe put it, “the NPP functionaries are not working; we are static while our opponents are working and organising at the branch to national levels” saying “all our attention is in the Supreme Court. Since December 2012, what has not been discussed extensively as a party has been how to strengthen and reorganise the NPP for election 2016 even as the party pursue the petition at the Supreme Court. Organising and strengthening the party alongside the case at the Supreme Court is the most ideal but as a result of the machiavellian tactics by some few egoistic and selfish individuals, the process of dealing with the structural and policy defects of the party has been put on hold. The actions of these self centered individuals must be condemned in its entirety.

Indeed, the demeanour of the current leadership of NPP would have a telling effect on the fortunes of the party. If care is not taken the NPP would soon burst its ranks and consume its lazy leadership even before the Supreme Court addresses the claims of the three individuals in court. Whiles the NPP has no time table for party elections from the polling stations to the national level, the NDC has shown that it is more serious and poised to win the 2016 election by announcing a time table for elections at all levels of the party.

Ghana needs a strong and responsible opposition. It is only the NPP that can offer this opposition. However what we are currently having is a weak and indecisive party. A few individuals are holding the party to ransom and that is going to affect the fortunes of the party if nothing is done about it and immediately.

The signals are not good for the NPP’s future. I totally agree with a leading member of the NPP who said that "the current leadership of the party are mostly listening to their own voices and brutally shutting down all opposing voices and completely intolerant even to NPP members who venture to speak sense and logic". This "see no evil, hear no evil" posture is the reason why the NPP is in opposition and until some members of the party mature to accept criticism in good faith, the party will remain stuck in opposition. In fact those who are ever ready to clutch the throats of people with opposing views are disengaging so many others from the party because everybody is now afraid to voice his opinion. Those insulting must let others speak their mind. Those who are insulting some leading members for speaking their mind today will become the target of insults tomorrow if they also choose to dissent on any issue that may come up later. Dr Arthur Kennedy believes there is too much extremism in NPP now and I agree with him. Indeed too many of those speaking in the name of NPP are too shrill and too insulting. "When we are represented in public by young and ambitious people whose only distinction is their willingness to insult others and their sycophantic attitude to leaders, we turn moderates and uncommitted voters away from our candidates" was how he put it.

What the NPP needs is self introspection and new leadership made up of articulate intellectuals, moderate, liberal and cultured professionals but not sabre rattlers and foul mouth insulting hawks.

By Mahama Haruna

The writer is a trained Journalist. He is a former NPP Secretary for Bole-Bamboi. He was also a Special Assistant to current NPP Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey