When voters decide.

It had always been risky to write thr orbituary of the incumbent party but the NPP made it easy for Ghanaians to do that. There was an enormous reservoir of mistrust Ghanaians had in the party and therefore the party forfeited it's right to rule Ghana and the forfeiture occured on Saturday the 3rd of January 2008 when Dr. Afari Gyan made the long awaited announcement. The elephant does not go down easily but when it does it's always with a tremendous thud. When the election went to the second round which the NPP had always anticipated to be a one touch election,it became apparent that the party was in crisis control made, and as a result the Tectonic plates in Ghana politics started to heave. I would be the last person to feel sorry for NPP because they didn't believe in the saying "make hay whilst the sun sunshines" and also became like the proverbial grasshopper and knew there was more time and everyday would be Christmas for them. They became swollen headed because they were the odds-on favourite but their plans became unstuck and many mistakes shaped the situation for Mr.Mills. When Mills was going from house to house, door to door asking for peoples votes NPP members were laughing at him thinking they could always pigeonhole Ghanaians. Mr. Mills showed that he was a smart guy this time who engages brain before mouth moves but many people thought his selection to lead NDC as the presidential candidate could be harzardous to the health of the party in the 2008 elections.They forgot that 2008 was not like 2000 or 2004 as Ghanaians now had the ability to process information to make a rational decision in regards to who should govern. Mr. Mills did his ground work very well and that is why he was able to punture the "normalcy sheen" sorrounding NPP with more exposure. He was able to convince the people with the word "change" and Ghanaians took the bait and voted for the best of reasons not the worst of reasons. Really, the economic tempest created a tidal wave for change and Mr. Mills was able to get on the surfboard and ride the wave. Nana Akuffo Addo on the other hand believed he was special and invincible in the Twi speaking regions and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic. He failed to reach out to the other communities and by so doing committed "political suicide". If therefore the NDC was able to win some constituences in the Ashanti region, the idea of always starting off with the assumption the region is pro-NPP until proven otherwise must be adjusted. In short Ashanti region is no more their "Nazareth" as in the case of NDC and the Volta region. There are two traits common to NPP hard-core supporters. First, the inability to accept constructive criticism and secondly the reluctance to look in the mirror and see themselves as others do.They always had their heads planted firmly in the sand, spouting their self-indulgent platitudes while refusing to come to grips with reality. Zero tolerance which helped them to win the first election was thrown overboard and the President was always looking or asking for proves before acting on charges levelled against some of his own people. The party was plagued by a culture of corruption at the expense of Ghanaians.

NPP came to power promising to drain the swamp and the filth NDC left behind but instead the issue boomeranged as they were guilty of similar mistake. In a short time of being in power their sins became so long as the shopping list for a summer camp. In short they were seen wallowing in the swamp. Cronyism became the accepted norm and only people who were die hard supporters benefitted. The few riches the country had were being shared as spoils by these same people. Ministers, DCE's and District Secretaries were junketing around the globe as if Ghana Airways was still in business. Drug trade gained currency in the country while our image outside was constantly being tarnished.

The government being so set in it's ways refused to accept that the party was cutting it's own throat. Most of the politicians were more concerned about saving their jobs than in actually doing their jobs and that is why most Ghanaians now never put more faith in what they say than in what they do. Still a few gullible people do have faith in them and they often get deceived and defrauded big time. It's time people break the tradition of patronage politics and focus on what the party stands for.

The NPP government's policy not only contradicted the anti-corruption mission but indirectly contributed to and did allow corruption to fester at the highest levels of the government. Voters were watching and became really hungry for an alternative to the status quo. What they forgot was that no one party is the only guardian of the Republic of Ghana. Ghana should be for all citizens not just a chosen few. With the passing of this election it has become self evident that the people are now less guided by the compass of party ideology but more by concerns of Education, Transportation, Economy,Jobs,Physical security,Ethics and Faith. Gone are the days when the favourite tactic of the political parties was to force issues into a set of simplistic, false choices that superficially favoured their side of the debate.

NPP should take a cue from this and go back to the drawing board to find out where they went wrong for their downfall at this moment should not be seen as the end of the party. It's only that they did lack the institutional red lights and alarms necessary to warn them of their impending downfall. Next time they would wise up and listen to Ghanaians.

Seth Bonsu. (Denver-USA)