I woke up one early morning to meet a man at my door step draped in tattered clothing. The man sought my help to get him speak to any government ‘big man’ to help him secure a building contract. I must say here that I have known this man and his contribution to (P)NDC over the years. He spent a great fortune before and during the 2008 elections to the effect that observers thought he would be given a major role in the government.
As I write, this man has become a virtual beggar to enable him feed his family and pay his children’s school fees. This is one of many examples of the ‘New NDC’ government’s neglect of those who helped bring them into power. So much has been said and written about this issue yet NDC led by Professor Mills is so much convinced, albeit, dangerously that they are serving all Ghanaians. That is a novice political thinking and will surely affect the prospects of a consolidated party and government.
The first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, after assuming office made sure that all those who took part in the liberation struggle were catered for. This eventually led to the CPP growing from strength to strength especially amongst the working class. Then in 1969 Dr Busia never hid his bias towards his own ilk and promoted them to first class citizens. During Rawlings’ era, he also followed similar trend but it was not far reaching enough which pundits will agree contributed to the defeat of NDC in 2000 elections. When president Kufuor led NPP into power, he championed the most despicable and offensive era of excluding Ghanaians who were not members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and within NPP if you were not from his inner circle all that you got was a paltry live saving support.
Let me say at this point that it is not only in Ghana that political parties create opportunities for those who help them win political power. That is the only way to ensure unity in any political groupings. On this particular score I congratulate former president Kufuor. President Mills recently warned people thought to be sabotaging his government and his policies. Are you now waking up Mr President? Why warn them? They were rewarded by the previous administration and therefore do not hold any allegiance to NDC government. Ideologically, they think differently and will rather their political masters were in power. So Mr President, do not blame people for your misjudgement.
In 2010, 16 months into the Mills led NDC government, people including businesses, that helped this administration win power are still paupers, even poorer than when NPP was in power. At the very least they knew they had no opportunity then and that was why they sacrificed to bring in a new government so that they can also get some opportunities. However, when President Mills assumed power, he started his father for all nonsense to create the impression that he knows more than God. Yet God craves justice and fairness. And where is the justice and fairness if NDC members and sympathisers are at an extremely disadvantage, whereas their NPP counterparts are feeding fat all in the name of father for all. Alhaji Bello from Ho who complained on Joy News is the latest of such NDC casualties to join a tall list of neglected and insulted people who were the secret behind NDC success. Mr Bello may have to suffer silently before the NDC ‘big men’ at the castle unleash Kwasi Pratt and his gang of sycophants on him. I am deeply saddened by the response of Kofi Adams, the Deputy General Secretary of the NDC is quoted as saying “the party is helping as much as possible members of the NDC and Ghanaians in general.
He advised Alhaji Bello to report the case to the police and so the party leadership will follow it up from there”.
What prevents the leadership of the NDC from taking up the issue to assure Mr Bello that he is not left alone? Such is the arrogance and insulting behaviour sweeping through Mr President Mills’ administration including the party. This party is extremely ungrateful to their members who stood by them through starvation and drought yet are now being denigrated for making their sufferings known. I have no doubt that the NDC is writing its obituary with this level of stupidity.
I admire Prof. Mills for attempting to change politics in Ghana but I have my doubt if he can succeed. In the event of an NPP victory in 2012, all perceived NDC members and sympathisers serving in various capacities will be sacked. This is a bare fact, take it or leave it, period!!! It will be difficult changing a process, so endemic, overnight just like the NDC under Rawlings had no clue about our educational system and switched from Middle School system to Junior Secondary School (JSS) overnight. I would have wished that President Mills took these changes through a transitional phases and not the haste with which he wants to change the political arena cheered on by previous administration members who are beneficiaries of the maintained status quo. Politics as we know it globally is not a pastoral service. It is about consolidating and expanding your territory for future battles. If you do not empower your members and choose to empower the opposition as President Mills is currently doing, how do you expect them to provide arsenals before and during election battles? Mr Kofi Adams and other NDC leaders who think like him must know that their behaviour today will haunt them tomorrow. Their responses to worries from people they intentionally neglected will only lead to the down fall of NDC. They are only lucky that the NPP is now busily shredding itself into pieces. If the NPP does unite to forge a common front, NDC must forget about 2012.
Source: Nana K Eshun
