Why worry, NDC? Leave Nana to listen

THE ruling National Democratic Congress will never cease to amaze Ghanaians. Its functionaries, who are paid with hard earned taxpayer’s money, have decided to abandon their official duties and focus attention on the listening campaign of the Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, a man who they claim “no one will vote for in the 2012 general elections.”

So why worry? Why spend time trying to discredit his decision to go to Ghanaians in their communities to listen and learn? The answer is simple. Nana Addo’s listening campaign is causing major earthquakes and severe aftershocks within the NDC, a reality they do not want to admit and are trying to brush off.

A similar campaign by the young opposition leader in India, Gandhi, is causing similar concerns in the ruling party over there. What Nana’s campaign has done is to remind Ghanaians of who he really is – a man who has devoted his life to sacrifice for the people. Since 1975 he has been on the streets in towns and villages fighting with the people, by the people and for the people.

The NDC used 2008 to redefine him with false allegations and attributes. Nana and his handlers underestimated the potency of the NDC’s false campaign, thinking that Ghanaians would remember who Nana is. But, how many voters were alive or old enough to appreciate Nana as the man of the people?

In 2008, he had very little time to travel around the country and make himself popular against a candidate who had been on the presidential ticket since 1996. It is different this time. Now Ghanaians are believing what those who know Nana have been saying all along. He is not what the NDC want you to believe he is. He is a courageous, confident, committed, competent, compassionate patriot.

The NPP is of the opinion that there is always the risk to overlook the little things that matter to the ordinary Ghanaian and communities in putting together a party manifesto and it is by going onto the streets, into the market stalls, interacting with people and listening to their concerns that a leader can have a good idea as to what it is Ghanaians today demand of their government.

Nana Akufo-Addo is not embarking on a door-to-door campaign, as the NDC would want Ghanaians to believe. After all, how many doors can a presidential candidate knock on? The party supporters at the grassroots are those who embark on door-to-door campaigns. It is a well-known fact that as opposed to Candidate Mills who in the 2008 elections, embarked on his door-to-door campaign, and knocked on less than 90 doors nationwide due to reasons all Ghanaians know off, Nana Addo is touring all the 230 constituencies by himself.

Mills spent 80% of 2 years campaigning in the Greater Accra and Central Regions leaving all the hectic work on the shoulders of the founder of the NDC, JJ Rawlings, who they have now ostracized from his own party, to do. Mills’ running mate, John Mahama later joined the fray and even covered more ground than Mills.

Rahul Ghandi, is Indian politician and member of the parliament of India, representing the Amethi constituency. He is at the moment campaigning against forced land acquisition to the farmer's doorstep, walking from village to village and stressing that he was with them in their fight.

He is quoted as saying, "I have come to you. I am listening to you. I am with you. I went to Bhatta Parsaul to know the truth. Sitting in Delhi, I cannot know the truth." Nana Addo, just like Rahul Ghandi, is on a listening campaign to know the truth and have firsthand information as to what the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian is.

The NDC should stay in Accra in the comfort of their air conditioned offices and the luxury of the V8 4x4 vehicles and ridicule what the NPP flagbearer is doing.

In the words of Boakye Agyarko, “If Asiedu Nketia and the NDC have anything to say they should say it to themselves, their own party is not listening to them, they are in disarray so if he wants to do anything he has to learn to listen to his party first and foremost…the NDC has a huge and bigger problem on its head. You have just gone and disgraced your founder who is the foundation of your ideological underpinning, they have a bigger problem they should go and solve that.”

Leave Nana to listen, NDC.