Opinions of Monday, 15 February 2010

Columnist: Donkor, Daniel

Advocates Of 'Swedru Declaration' In NPP, Beware!

I am not a supporter of any of the so called factions in my beloved party. But one thing that gets me fascinated is the people in the party who have paraded themselves as supporters of each camp in NPP, calling for declaration of a sought in NPP.

Ironically, these people come back on the airwaves shamelessly to proclaim that NPP is a democratic party, touting the names of the founders of our ideology as a political group.

It really beat my imagination when people who claim to be hard-core supporters of our beloved party turned into treacherous foxes in our party, killing and making meaningless the struggles and achievements of people like Dombo, Bussia, Kufour, and J. B. Danquah. Are they party worshippers or individual worshippers?

How come that some of our people lambaste and decry the actions of the NDC in what has become popularly known as ‘Swedru declaration’ and subsequent actions by NDC but lukewarmly and secretly endorse such ideas and actions by consistently saying that Nana Akuffo Addo especially, or Alan goes unopposed in the coming party elections? What hypocrisy?

No body should get me wrong, I have no ‘soft spot’ for any one in particular but my party alone, and who ever wins is capable to rule Ghana. As an ardent supporter and member of the NPP because of its ideals, I do not support any of the so call camps in NPP because public support for any of these candidates is a recipe for disaster.

Again, no individual in the party is powerful but rather anyone who has been given our popular support through a free and fair election. I remember correcting one of the candidates of the Suame Constituency elections during a campaign about his consistent reference to a camp that he comes from. I personally believe that to campaign on the strength of some one is an admission of weakness and such people should not be voted for at all. But I don’t also doubt the qualities of the man they are talking about now, but should they reduce one of my mentors to a man who fears competition? NPP as a party does not belong to any one person and that is the reason why we have been strong as a political tradition right from independence.

And of course, I believe any of the names that have been in the airwaves, being Nana, Alan or Isaac Osei could be a better candidate. But I am personally cautioning those who are behaving as if NPP cannot do without any of these people. Those who think that they have supported and funded the party all these while and that the party belongs to them should rethink?

Though they think they have done a lot for NPP, they should rather think again! Don’t they realize how they have benefited from the votes of our fathers and mothers when they had their people and families holding key positions at the expense of the thumb of our fathers who supported the party as illiterates and got no benefit or political position with its accompanying rewards and troubles?

Are they discounting those of us who have come to reap what our fathers sowed by maintaining the NPP tradition with their thumb, but could not get any political appointment because of illiteracy? Are they describing us as minors in NPP? They should think of this, our fathers supported them and now that we are literates; we will not only support them with our thumb but rather will compete with them for the ultimate.

In fact, what we all should know and understand is that even if they try and have their way through this party elections, the national elections will not be easy because their thumbs alone will not win them the elections. And they also get some of us angry by their claims on the airwaves. How on earth should anybody who wants to be a president and a leader of a country be afraid of mere party competition? From the way our party has been organized till date, it is only when they win the competition in the party fairly that they can be assured of a win in the national elections. Have we leant any cues from 2008 elections?

No body should misunderstand me, leaders are ordain by God and until a right leader has been elected without intimidation, harassment and some of the ‘dirty’ news coming from the Kumasi airwaves, we can forget the national elections, until those selfish, ambitious and bootlickers in the party are eliminated by age and the next generation takes over. I think we have a history from the 1979 elections and are our leaders learning anything from history?

I mean our leaders from the constituency who are championing and perpetuating this so call division because of positions they are eying at, if we take over power in 2012. PLEASE, BE RESPONSIBLE AND ACT FAST BEFORE 2012 ELUDES US AGAIN. A WORD TO OUR LEARNED NPP LEADERS AND ASPIRANTS IS ENOUNGH!

DANIEL DONKOR

SECRETARY OF ASABERE POLLING STATION EXECUTIVES.

SUAME CONSTITUENCY NPP. Dannydon19@yahoo.com