Ask Opanyin Yaw Baah

Unity

Through out the political corridors of Danquah-Dombo-Busiah (DDB) tradition, two captivating words that are being echoed or hyped everywhere are that ‘’genuine unity’’ must find their rightful place amongst us. Like one Ghanaian English professor aptly said in his book, if you want to destroy the fabric of this tradition, all that you need to do is to play the ethnicity card between their minorities and the majority clanship and that is all. Have so we soon forgotten the unfortunate episode of 1979 that robbed us of power? What about the recent acrimonious, self-wounding-destructive and waste of precious resources exercise of December 2007, and its appendages at the parliamentary level that has characterized our body politics.

It is against these backgrounds that, some of us are sighing relief especially recent peace and unity overtures by our seniors spearheaded by His Excellency ex-President J.A. Kuffour (JAK). Like the elders say “se wonim owuo a, hwe nna” that is the monument of the dead must be a lasting testimony to the living. As politicians, we need to learn history and learn from it. We cannot pretend to be preaching virtues whilst practicing vices.

As liberal democrats, our greatest triumph card has always been tolerance, but like colonialism that contains the seed of its own destruction, pride has been our achilles heal. Let us bend backwards a bit and analyze what pride did us in 1979. Whilst we were prepared to do jaw-jaw then, pride denied us of that finest hour. Today, pride is rearing its ugly head on our front, such that the ‘’perceived two blocks” is cracking the party. The only era, that pride vanished from our political vocabulary was 2000-2006. We have not yet reached the crescendo or at the cross roads. Let us take a cue from what Barack Obama said in his apology after his uncomplimentary remark of the white officer, who erroneously arrested the black Professor Gates for breaking into his own house, that ‘’as people what brings us together is stronger than that seeks to divide us’’.

Political Observation

My political junketing both internal and external, interaction with fellow Kukrudites and sympathizers of DDB tradition, one thing that has become very obvious among the majority is the need to cede the National Chairmanship position of the party to our brothers and sisters from the three northern regions, something which is miniature of National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in late seventies and eighties based on “rotational principle”. President Shagari came from the North, chairmanship slot went in the person of Akinloye from the West, whilst Alex Ekuewme from the East was vice president. By so doing, we will pave the way for the party to select two southerners as candidate and running mate. Proponents of this idea believe that, it will be an easy task for my great uncles C.K Tedam, Bin Sally, Afoko and with supportive political anchorage provided by good old BJ DaRocha to pick a chairman by consensus from the likes of former Vice President Aliu Mahama, former Deputy Speaker Malik Alhassan, Prof. Wayo Seini, Mustapha Idris, Boniface, Kofi Adda, Ambrose Dery, newly convert Ndebugri and others. It is also the contention of these believers that with such deal becoming a reality, we will be bringing the two perceived factions together since there is likelihood that we may pick the candidate and his running mate from them.

Now my worry is can such a posture stand the test of time today? The answer may be no. It worked for the NPN due to the federal character of Nigeria and the same cannot be applied to our situation. People have so soon forgotten that the late Tolon Na Yakubu Tali was chairman of PFP and later became the running mate of Victor Owusu. Democratic tolerance does not lend weight to the above position because why should we legislate to create division among ourselves. As a party, we have failed to properly repackage our strength in the three Northern Regions but continue to be haunted instead of burying the ghost of Dagbon. We all appreciate the unfortunate spectacle that bevisited our people of Dagbon with the death of our great chief Ya Na or Dagbonwura and its ramifications on our political fortunes in the Dagombaland. Whilst our partners in development NDC is able to blend our Andanis and Abudus like Tamale Central MP Hon. Fuseini’s, Hudu Yahaya’s, Ibrahim Adam’s and others, where are we as NPP. Whilst the party has been amassing votes in the Upper East and Upper West, the same cannot be said of our dwindling fortune in Dagombaland which boast of over twelve constituencies. Either by our acts or omissions, conscious or unconsciously we continue to legitimize politics of alienation towards our great people of Dagbon and to be more precise the Abudus whose majority belong to our tradition. We are afraid to appoint an Abudu or Andani in our fold to higher positions for fear of revisiting Andani/Abudu rivalry. By our stand, we have already eliminated leading political giants in the North in the likes of Aliu, Malik, Wayo Seini, Idris Mustapha, General Hamidu and others from holding higher office now because they are from Dagombaland or Dagbon. What democratic culture is this?

Incoming Chairman/Credentials

In December, we shall all congregate to perform the usual rituals we know best in respect of selection of National Chairman. It is the prayers of all and sundry that the Almighty God will give us the best among the lot to spearhead this onerous task of wresting power again. It is a unique position such that one’s political pedigree must be brought to bear on the party. It is not a cosmetic enterprise, and that whoever may be chosen should be able to work twenty-four hours a day. As for political apprenticeship, it must stand tall among other qualifications.

Modern trend today based on best practices from other jurisdictions among political parties being liberal or social democrats have been the tendency to offer such positions to either current or former MPs, ex-Ministers or Ministers, Self made and Past leadership of the party because of their vast experience. Today, in the United Kingdom, our sister party, Conservative has a chairman in the person of Eric Pickles, the MP for Brent/Ongar Constituency, whilst Harriet Herman an MP/ Minister is the Chairperson/Leader of the Labour Party. In USA too our sister party, Republicans, has a chairman in the person of Michael Steele, the first black chair of the party and current Governor of Maryland who narrowly lost the Maryland Senate seat. The Democratic Party too has Mr. Tim Kaine the current Governor General of Commonwealth State of Virginia as their chairman. It is for nothing that the NDC in their wisdom tactically picked Dr. Kwabena Adjei former MP of over eight years standing, former Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs as their chair.

Unifier / Moderator

Our peculiar circumstance today informs our judgment that, the party needs a consensus chairman judging by our previous debacle of 2004. We are looking for a chairman who is not deeply rooted or appears to be being sponsored by any of the powerful blocks in our camp. The Akans have a saying as reflected in our various lingua francas in the country that “ Ahunu bi da nti, na aboa aserewa regye ne ba agoro a na ni da baabi’’, that is ‘’once bitten, twice shy’’. The party is seeking to elect a chairman who by popular acclamation will be able to pilot our “ unity zion plane” to eternity based on his/her competency, loyalty and not sycophancy with all apologies to Nana Yaw Sarfo Marfo in his brilliant theme for Ferdinand Ayim Memorial Lectures this year. NPP is looking up for a compromise chairman who will be properly accepted by the two main factions for him to champion or forge our unity cause.

Benevolent Dictatorship

Above all, whoever emerges as our next chairman must overcome what some political commentators are saying – the Kuffour factor. For all intents and purposes, and the sake of 2012 elections, JAK remains an enigma. Whilst, he may not be what Rawlings is to NDC, he still remains a force because of the pivotal role his party expects him to play especially in respect of “ways and means”. JAK, your party appreciate your enviable achievement for the past eight years, since you and your able lieutenants remain the epitome of what we boast of today. For, you are like the Afram River of popular adage among those of us forming the Afram Plains Board that ‘’wontumi nko Nta, wo bere a wo nkwatiri Afram’’ that is you cannot get to any part of our three northern regions without having crossed river Afram in the olden days. By this, I am not advocating that JAK should become benevolent dictator or he is. Like himself, knows better than I do, he is constrained by his party’s constitution. As a great democrat who has our admiration, he will never dream of belonging to such school of thinking. It is for this reason that the framers of our constitution having recourse to what the word “leader” caused our tradition, splitting us into PFP and UNC and power eluding us in1979. For the benefit of some super faithfuls of JAK, he has been elevated to a higher order and that time will decorate him. Once a king he does not become a linguist, so leave him alone to remain as periodic match commissioner to oversee things rather than descending. I hope Papa JAK will never be tempted to descend no matter the level of attraction.

Precedence

Throughout my journey, one observation raised was the chairman and next presidential candidate coming from the same region. This may be rebutted because by our action of 2004 we demonstrated to the whole world that, leadership of the party remains an internal arrangement and that being children of the same mother, it does not matter which region the whole executives may come from. What is fundamental to the party is competency. It is only national positions that regional balancing factor comes into the picture. When JAK in his wisdom prevailed on his junior brother Mac Manu both being Ashantis to step down for Mr. Stephen Ntim, a half-Brong and half-Ashanti but Brong by virtue of Akan matrilineal inheritance, the party said otherwise to support my earlier allusion.

CONCLUSION

Until, the partially undeserved indirect embargo on our great people from Dagbon being Abudu or Andani for higher position for the purposes of political expediency, is lifted, I will be opting for second limb of my message.

In concluding, l am advocating for a chairman who may have a combination of any of the following as being self made, clothed with political apprenticeship, former Minister/MP, part of past leadership team, part of past parliamentary leadership, having ears of both two powerful camps, and above all may have good rapport with ex-President JAK.

It will be naïve on my part, if I do not say big thanks to the outgoing Chairman Mr. Mac Manu and his team for their wonderful job done and as real democrat, he has demonstrated the spirit as to when to call it a day.

Fellow Kukrudites, I do not want to mention a name or names for the chairmanship position, but a word to a wise is enough and I say adieu as we converge at La on that blessed day 22nd August 2009.

The Writer is

Member of Parliament for Kumawu and former Youth Organizer, NPP UK and Northern Ireland Branch.