Presidential Aspirants Should Tell Us ....

....What They Will Do for Ghana.

....And Stop Insulting Their Rivals.

By Otchere Darko

Reference: “The NPP held a Special Delegates Congress on August 31 to prune the seven flagbearer aspirants to five.

“Nana Akufo-Addo emerged winner with 598 votes out of the 740 ballot, representing 80.78 percent of the total votes cast.

“Alan Kyerematen came in second with 59 votes, while there others - Joe Ghartey, Addai-Nimoh and Osei Ameyaw got insignificant figures.

“So far Osei Ameyaw and Joe Ghartey have dropped out of the race with Osei Ameyaw giving his full support to Nana Akufo-Addo.

“Even though, Alan Kyerematen has come under intense pressure to withdraw from the flagbearership to allow two-time flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo to be crowned the party's nominee for the 2016 presidential election, he has maintained he is capable of overcoming the odds and winning the nomination.” [Ghanaweb General News of Saturday, 13 September 2014, which was captioned: “NPP victory in 2016 rests with me – Alan”; Original Source: myjoyonline.com].

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I am happy that finally Mr Alan Kyerematen has launched his bid to challenge the man (Nana Akufo-Addo) who has beaten him (Alan) twice in two previous flagbearer elections held by NPP in 2008 and 2012 respectively; and who has also recently beaten him VERY CONVINCINGLY in this year’s NPP super-delegates conference that was intended to reduce the number of contesting candidates from seven to five. *NPP, being the root to the UGCC that prided itself on its deep-rooted faith in what that party called [Western] “democracy”, should not only always promote democracy; but should, in addition, be seen always to be doing so. Thus, while I understand why some senior and junior NPP members were piling pressure on Alan and all others to pull out of the presidential race this year and allow Nana to go “unopposed”, I do not thing that there was any need for pressure to be put on the four candidates who, even though they performed extremely ‘very poorly’, nonetheless, made it with Nana to be among the five to qualify to be part of the maximum number that the constitution of NPP prescribes to contest the second delegates conference which has been scheduled for October 18th this year. *In my opinion, in a situation where there is a “landslide victory” by one of the five victorious candidates over the rest of the five top-best, it did not make ‘sense’ to me for the constitution to allow a second election to be held to “waste time” and, also, to create a premise for further ‘throwing of mud and stones’ at another, when it seemed too obvious that the candidate who emerged first winner in the super-delegates conference would AGAIN beat the other four remaining candidates challenging him. Having said this, I am the first, though, to agree that if the amended NPP constitution is wrong [and even seemingly ‘senseless’], the only legitimate thing for NPP members to do is to amend the wrong provisions that allow such unnecessary challenges take place again.

Putting “pressure” on candidates to “drop out” for the overwhelming winner of the concluded super delegates’ conference is both undemocratic [by Western standards] and unconstitutional [from the point of view of NPP itself]. In my opinion, instead of being “pressured to drop out”, it should be up to the four ‘very poorly qualifying’ candidates to decide, ON THEIR OWN FREE ACCORD, to step aside for the dominant candidate to go “unopposed”. Two of the ‘poorly qualifying’ candidates have quitted from the race. Two have not. *The four “very poorly qualifying candidates have NOW made their choices. *The matter should be left as such, to allow the constitution of the main opposition party to be followed to its letter. *What remains for the three candidates to do NOW is to tell NPP members from between now and 18th October 2014 what they will do for Ghana, [not only for NPP], if they emerge as their Party’s flagbearer. *IT IS WHAT THEY SAY THEY WILL DO FOR GHANA WHICH WILL MAKE WHOEVER IS CHOSEN ON THE 18TH OCTOBER 2014 TO WIN ELECTION 2016 FOR THEIR PARTY, IF THE REST OF THE NATION IS IMPRESSED. *Throwing ‘mud’ and ‘stones’ at one another will not convince Ghanaians that whoever wins has anything good for mother Ghana. The three remaining NPP presidential aspirants should, rather, tell Ghanaians [including NPP members] things we (Ghanaians) want to hear from aspiring presidential candidates. Five of these things are: ---

1) If you got elected as President of Ghana in 2016, how are you (the presidential aspirant) going to check corruption which has become an endemic problem in Ghana?

2) If you got elected as President of Ghana in 2016, how are you (the presidential aspirant) going to salvage the VERY POOR Ghanaian economy from sliding from bad to worse, and from there, move the economy towards persistent growth?

3) If you got elected as President of Ghana in 2016, how are you (the presidential aspirant) going to promote interethnic unity and cooperation in Ghana, and end the undercurrent ethnic mistrust, disunity and disharmony in the country?

4) If you got elected as President of Ghana in 2016, how are you (the presidential aspirant) going to end Ghana’s dependence on external loans and “bail outs”, so as to lessen the country’s debt servicing problems, without jeopardising the nation’s socio-economic development and progress, in the process?

5) If you got elected as President of Ghana in 2016, how are you (the presidential aspirant) going to raise education in Ghana, in terms of both quality and quantity, and help Ghana to improve its human resource base?

As a Ghanaian, I, like several others, do not want the three NPP presidential aspirants to tell their party members that they (the aspirants) are the [only] ones who can help their party (NPP) to win the 2016. JUST TELL US WHAT YOU CAN OFFER GHANA; then leave people to do the judging. We (Ghanaians), whether we back NPP, NDC, or any other party, know whose promises, plans and strategies are realistic and, therefore, are convincing enough for us to vote for with our hearts and minds working conjointly; and with our country’s general wellbeing in mind; given, of course, that we (Ghanaians) will generally vote for an aspirant who can deliver for us what we need and want. Each of the three NPP presidential aspirants must, therefore, stop throwing ‘mud’ and ‘stones’ at one another, in what is always seen as “dirty campaign”, They should rather show Ghanaians, in general, and NPP, in particular, that each one of the three has firm and deliverable proposals, plans and strategies that will change Ghana for better, in REAL AND VISIBLE terms; and that, if the aspirant is give a chance by NPP on 18th October 2014, in the first instance, and by the country in 2016, in the second instance, he (the presidential aspirant) will change Ghana for better. *The three candidates must then leave NPP delegates on 18th October this year to decide which of them they NPP delegates believe in; and the nation, ultimately, to decide in 2016 whether majority of Ghanaians believe the NPP candidate that will be chosen on 18th October this year or whether majority of the country believe more a flagbearer of another party. *Insults and other forms of negative campaigning merely show political immaturity of mind of aspirants. *They also show bankruptcy of ideas, vision and plans and backwardness of aspirants who indulge in them.