'Know when to take off the party mask' - Barker-Vormawor challenges Ghanaians

Private legal practitioner and activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has criticised the way some Ghanaians approach politics, arguing that many are blinded by their allegiances to political parties, thereby missing the broader vision of societal transformation.

In a post shared on his X page on Sunday, January 5, 2025, he elaborated on his views regarding political parties and their role in Ghana's fledgling democracy.

"One of the biggest mistakes we make in Ghana is that in our analysis and commentary on this country’s politics, we miss the forest for the trees. We see political parties only. We are blinded by them. As such, we misconstrue democratic competition as one involving political parties. I am not like that. I believe what we should be seeing is the competing visions of society," he noted.

He emphasised that political parties should not be viewed as ends in themselves, but rather as tools or masks for advancing a coherent and visionary societal project.

"A political party is a mask. It must mask the project. It is a tool. A tool that must be manipulated to secure the vision of tomorrow. If you identify a political party but can’t find its visionary project, then that political party is a casket. It has allowed the tail to wag the dog," he explained.

The private legal practitioner stressed the importance of understanding when to discard the mask of political parties, cautioning against a perpetual allegiance that could render one a 'clown'.

"This is why I am not a member of any political party. They are masks. And if you do not know when to put on and take off the mask, if you are perpetually stuck with the mask on, you have become a clown," he said.

"The task of the visionary, as I believe, is to enlist that mask to reflect the different vision of the future that ought to be built. My question to you is: Now that you hold the mask, what vision of society are you building? What is the mask masking?" he asked.

Read his post below:

1. One of the biggest mistakes we make in Ghana is that in our analysis and commentary of this country’s politics we miss the forest for the tree.

2. We see political parties only. We are blinded by them. As such we misconstrue the democratic competition as one involving… pic.twitter.com/gUFojljDv6

— Osagyefo Oliver Barker-Vormawor (@barkervogues) January 5, 2025

JKB/MA

Watch as NDC Deputy Youth Organiser cautions incoming government appointees below: