The Ewe Factor within the NDC

It is recommended that a politician is widely read. If that is the case, chances are that an average politician would have read Machiavelli the Prince, a book that discourses on the different types of leaders and their constituents and how leaders are to govern. That knowledge would help one to understand the political character of people and how to manage it. I will attempt to analyze the positive contributions and the negative roles Ewes have played in the NDC and how that has impacted on the country as a whole. The noun ‘Ewes’ is used in abstract terms to connote the people of the Volta Region. As you may be aware the region comprises about four major tribes- Ewe, Guan, Akan, and the Gurma. This tribal mix is not exceptional to the Volta Region as the country’s demographics confirm the phenomenon. Having said that, what follows is a look at the positive contributions of the Ewes within the NDC.

The party was founded by an Ewe, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, on the threshold of the Fourth Republic, with the combined efforts of his cadres drawn from the other ethnic groups across the country. Over the years, since the inception of the Fourth Republic, the Ewes have given their unflinching support to the NDC, but with reasons subject to analysis. And the party is equally rewarding their loyalty with political considerations. Because of their skillfulness, the Ewes have become a legion of political daredevils. They have produced political deities and principalities that lead the attack against their opponents and orchestrate their defeat. A political deity is one who has a large following and cannot be easily replaced. They have a huge political clout, so to speak. People look up to them as if all their hopes hang on them as they become the lifeline of their party. They become deities based on their values and what they stand for, and that is what commands their following. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, J.J Rawlings, Professor Attah Mills, and Nana Akuffo Addo are good examples of political deities.

Let’s consider the other one, political principalities. These are people who can make or unmake the fortunes of a political party. They are also very crafty and influential people who do determine the direction of a party. In a word, they are very domineering and overly influential. A few examples of the principalities that come to mind are Professor Kofi Awoonor, Tsatsu Tsikata, Victor Selormey, Togbe Afede, Asiedu Nketia, and Kwabena Agyepong of the NPP. I think Kennedy Agyapong also makes the list of examples here.

Through his literary work and his work in governance, Professor Awoonor played a big role in deepening the tribal divide between the Ashanti and the Ewes, just for political opportunism. As a matter of fact, he shaped the perception of the other tribes concerning the Ewes too. He knew the cultures of all the tribes in the country and, therefore, advised appropriately on who should be included or not as Rawlings’ revolutionary government was being formed in the 1980s. He was also very influential in crafting the Fourth Republican Constitution. Tsatsu Tsikata is noted for his vast knowledge in legal matters and provides the legal backbone for the NDC. The latest son of the Eweland is Togbe Afede who has contributed immeasurably to the NDC’s return to power from opposition in 2008 to the present. He particularly courted sympathy for the Ewe people when he overtly alleged that President Kufuor’s government was making Ewes feel like aliens in their own country. That allegation was given a political overtone and used by the late Professor Mills to whip up sympathy for people who might have felt the same way in the country. Consequently, the non-Akan people’s link fate mentality was reinforced. They are using the tribal victimization card to confound the general public, thereby preventing any serious politicking based on issues. Therefore, going forward under the current political dispensation, it will take a lot of critical thinking to balance the political equation set up by this phenomenon, which has been created by the Ewes together with other smaller tribes. Any politician who becomes a president on the ticket of the NPP, for instance, will have to do a lot of differentiations and integrations to balance this political equation. Political analysts will agree with me that the setup will stay with us for at least a few more election years to come, at least three general elections’ cycles.

In spite of the positive contributions of Ewes to the success of the NDC, they have contributed in equal measure to the bad image of an NDC government. I will offer readers a couple of examples to buttress my point. Victor Serlomey was the de facto Minister of Finance under the Rawlings government, even though there were substantive ministers in the persons of Dr. Kwesi Botchwey and later Kwame Peprah. This is an indisputable fact. I came across a scholarly article in which the author claimed that Victor Serlomey was the reason behind Dr. Botchwey’s early exit from the Rawlings administration. According to him, the doctor had attended a conference in Paris on aid to Africa and was successful in negotiating a deal with a French diplomat. However, on his arrival, Victor started pestering him as though he had pocketed the money. This infuriated him and he decided to quit his position as a minister and politics even before the fourth republic was ushered in. The irony is that Victor was never seen going to look for money or negotiate any deals abroad, but was the controller of the national purse.

Our prolific professor was no exemption in this domineering attitude of the Ewes. It will be recalled that during Professor Mills’ term in office, Professor Awoonor made a political appointment, which is the sole prerogative of the president, without President Mills’ prior approval. But he got away with it!

Alfred Agbesi Woyome caused a political tsunami in the NDC by his judgment debt scandal, which has consequently supped a lot of energy from the party. The damage was expected to have huge negative implications on the electoral fortunes of the NDC during the 2012 elections. But with their ‘no contribution, no chop’ concept, they raised the needed money to hold the opposition back.

Lastly, recent nasty events at the Flagstaff House took people who cherish the proper functioning of democratic institutions aback. The former Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani was alleged to be in absolute control of the soul, mind, and the very person of the president. He literally cordoned off the presidency from the ministers who were not in his good books, making the president inaccessible to even senior NDC personalities. The outcome of the power play was the resignation of the Presidential Spokesperson, Ben Dotse Malor and the Executive Secretary to the president, Dr. Raymond Atuguba.

The points that I have raised are meant to inform my readers that the Ewe tribe is a political force to reckon with and must be treated as such. By the same token, it is advisable that anyone who receives political support from them and thinks that they have found a political goldmine must get tons of painkillers in stock to relieve them of the headaches that their actions would continuously cause them. “Professor Awoonor ore haw me.” Remember?

Immanuel Okrah Boateng.

New York-based Guan from the Volta Region.