Opinions of Wednesday, 18 January 2006

Columnist: Asamoah-Baidoo, Arnold

Is The NDC Disintegrating Or Rejuvenating?

Is the NDC really in shambles,? Or maybe the recent happenings within the party are just minor storms in a tea cup. Think whatever you want,but the recent and much-publicised resignations of so-called key members of the party can either mar or make the party. I only wonder if it's sheer coincidence or a simply ploy that those members who tendered in their resignation letters did so in the same period as Dr. Obed Asamoah.

It is also confounding though,that all these former members of the party assign the same old reason for their quitting the party;violence and intimidation. The reason could be flippant or grave depending on your perception,but is that really the reason?

Yes,there's been some reported mayhem within the party,but does it warrant the leaving of a bandwagon?

For Dr. Obed Asamoah,any sane political figure who has contradicting ideas with some fellow members,and has been 'crushed' in a recent election ,would simply opt out. With such a demoralizing defeat in the so-called violence-filled congress,218 votes to 1,158 votes,the thoughts that did boggle Dr.Asamoah's mind might have been, "Where do I go from here?" "Will my contributions and admonitions be accepted now that I'm not chairman?" or "Can I still face the despise and contempt showm me by my foes?" You see,would Dr.Obed Asamoah have resigned had he won the elections?

Absolutely not! If I'm right,The Frances Essiam assault was the only stain at the Koforidua congress but they(those resigning and the media)make it seem as if the congress was characterised by shootings and beatings. Frankly,it isn't appropriate to applaud violence but haven't we seen worse situations? There've been much more severe and critical violence and intimidations at most NDC-organised fora than that of Koforidua,and Dr.Asamoah and his fellas stayed on ,endured and even won elections. There have been sporadic incidence of mayhem in many congresses including those of the NDC,NPP,NRP,GCPP,CPP,but the Koforidua congress has been blown out of proportion.

I'll only be glad if those resigning would be gutsy enough to state the main reason for aborting the party rather than use the guise of some violence and intimidation. The resignations will either as stated above,rejuvenate the party or disintegrate it. Without Obed,there surely would be no more contradicting resolutions from the party,no more Obed-Rawlings factions for the media to make much fuss about,no more "this is Obed Boy or Rawlings boy," and no more praying for souls. The NDC can now operate as a unified force,which is very good for the future of the party. On the other hand,the resignations could promulgate wrong signals for followers of the party and will definitely divide the party. It will lose numerous faithfuls and may dwindle its chances of winning the 2008 general elections. It is now up to Dr.Kwabena Agyei and his executives to setup new resolutions and formats for the pary devoid of any autocracy,impositions and initimidations. It is unfortunate that some government officials and some media gurus have sworn to see to the demise of the NDC. But will the obliteraton of the NDC help Ghanaian politics? Will a one-party state augur well for the Nation? I surmise that we need a vibrant and potent opposition,whether NDC or NPP,that'll keep the ruling government on it's toes.



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