Konongo Fordjour - 03 August 2009

* Mr. Gorbachev, Please Tear Down This Berlin Wall!

* NPP, Please Say NO to that RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE of 3-man flag-bearer contest!

* NPP, Please Say NO to Dictatorship!

* NPP, Please Say NO to Arrogance!

* NPP, Please Say NO to Preferential Treatment!

* NPP, Please Say YES to One-Member-One-Vote [OMOV]!

* NPP, Please Say YES to Universal Voting!

* NPP, Please Say YES to support YOUTH Inclusiveness in Modern Politics!

* NPP, Please Say it to EVERYONE That: OBIARA-NTO-BI!

* NPP, OBIARA-OBIARA, Stand up to INJUSTICE!

In 1949, the Watson Commission of Enquiring Report equated the British colonialist ‘Indirect Rule’ to ‘Traditional Rule’, in which a chosen few dictated to a whole lot. Sixty years down the road, we can also equate Watson€™s Indirect Rule policy to Ghana€™s ‘most democratic’ political party, the NPP Delegates Conference policy.

The Delegates Conference is dead at best and outmoded. The Delegates Conference is discriminative; it easily corrupts, wastes resources, and creates instant enmity. Delegates Conference is non-representative that excludes the Youth, who form the largest percentage of the party. Please say NO to any form of Delegate Conference method in whole or in disguise. Just say NO to DICTATORSHIP.

The 3-Man Contest:

The 3-man contest is too complicated. It proposes to create Two-Tier Electoral College. The first College composes of about 500 predominantly VERY OLD MEN to decide which three among the lot will be presented to the second ‘Extended’ College (for the sake of formalities only, please!), may be 115,000 or 150,000 (they are not sure!) to vote to elect the flag bearer. The winner becomes the flag bearer; and the second placed contestant automatically becomes the running mate to go to the general elections. What happens to the sacrificial third rated stooge? May be answers will come from the skies, as usual. Shame-on-You! NPP, Shame-on-You!

I have some questions, please! Who will decide the selection of that 500 predominantly male clique? Someone tell me, please: Is this democracy? Where in the civilized world would you find this Fidel Castro-cum-Mao Tsetung-type of dictatorship as democracy? You-Right! I might as well call it ‘Jamaase-Democracy’, or perhaps ‘Apedwafie-Rule-of-law’, or probably ‘Kokofu-ball-Electoral-College’. This is a big shame! Arrogant and insecure Time-beaten-Renegades, in their frenzy, are using bullying tactics to legitimize evil and self-destructive principles in a God-blessed party.

Our people have now started coming out boldly to join Konongo Fordjour€™s lone voice to fight a common cause. Today myjoyonline.com reports that, the Agona West Constituency NPP Chairman, Mr. Adofo Dwamena, has appealed to NPP senior stalwarts, such as Mr. B J da Rocha, to step in with their wisdom, and stop the call to the constitutional amendment that has potentials of deepening the ‘cracks’ of disunity showing up in the party and to steer it off the path of imminent disaster.

This undemocratic proposition is unacceptable, so please drop that RESTRICTIVE CLAUSE of 3-man flag bearer contest. Every eligible member must be allowed to vote and also contest. Please destroy that UNDEMOCRATIC proposition, which has the qualities of ‘Political-Tsunami’, ahead of time before it gathers the momentum. Please say NO to ARROGANCE. DICTATORSHIP is never allowed anywhere in the civilized world. Please say NO to political PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT. Away with any form of DISCRIMINATION!

Honestly, the original thinkers that conceived the idea of NPP in Accra included the University of Ghana Legon students. The vital document secured from a prominent member who visited USA, right in my possession now, clearly point to this fact. Unfortunately the current aficionados dictating to our party constitution, although have their names appearing in the document, were very late signatories.

The interesting thing is that the young men and women who brought the idea made a brilliant all inclusive constitution that bound us all over the years. Had a restrictive clause like this one inserted then, perhaps, His Excellency, former president Kufuor, may not have even been considered a candidate in the first place. The young people then, invited the elderly to steer the party - as our custom and respect for the elderly. However, over the years, and considering the elderly disappointments in recent governance, the youth demand the right to rule with the elderly support. This is not hard to ask.

The One-Member-One-Vote [OMOV]

As human rights activist, I strongly believe in freedom of every God-given right to humanity. And OMOV, which means Obiara-Nto-Bi, is the best method that can easily help to increase our membership drive, retain members, and create loyalty for our party that will give us a clear competitive advantage over any other political party in Ghana; thus a political strategy that will change our entire political landscape in Ghana.

If members see that their thump-print will make that final decision, sanity, decency, and discipline will exist in our great party. OMOV is definitely NOT ‘aduru-me-so’, ‘efa-ta-me’, ‘me-ne-no-ayaaka’, or any kind of chest-beating infantile display. There is NO line or queue to follow ‘patiently’ to wait for your turn. OMOV has NO age limit; any ELIGIBLE member can simply sell his or her ideas to convince the electorates; much in the same way as Barack Obama did in the USA.

We must simply raise the bar high enough to seek out the best out there. OMOV uses political debates as the main method to sell the candidate for a total win. OMOV removes the stigmas, impediments, and hurdles in societies and fully assures members that only hard work and smart presentation of practicable prudent policies are the clear factors to make one win the flag bearer position.

There is too much power given to Ghanaian leaders. OMOV strategy will decentralize that power vested in the few people. And this is the HOT BUTTON no politician will want to relinquish. OMOV is a disciplinarian strategy that can strip off leadership from the arrogant NPP flag bearer who becomes president on the party€™s ticket; much in the same way as it happened to ANC former president Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.

Is OMOV the overall panacea to cure the syndromes of the NPP political malaise? Is OMOV imputrescible? In spite of the proponents of OMOV strong argument to convince members to vote for it and open confrontation against Delegates Conference supporters, its critics clandestinely argue on weak peripheral issues, such as cost. Surprisingly, OMOV is the cheapest strategy to implement. When the NPP-USA used it in its May 2009 elections, of which this author was one of the Chairmanship contestants, the total cost in running that election was $44.00 only incurred through posting ballot papers to members.

It will be lot cheaper for the party in Ghana because considering the proposed mode in which members go to their polling stations to vote, there will be virtually no postage to make. I admit that new ideas must sell itself to convince members. Change cannot happen overnight. This is the reason why time must be given to the idea champions of this brilliant idea to inform the world clearly about the practical implementation of it; but not to be brushed aside and secretly rush a proposal into constitution and ask some selected members to make acceptance vote on it to bind everybody over a long period of time.

OMOV was used by India in its recent elections; Ivory Coast is going to use it; and Iran also used it in its recent elections. All those states that have applied OMOV agree that it is the cheapest, easiest, and the most all-inclusive method ever considered. NPP must use its idea champions within the party to help the implementation of OMOV. This author is throwing a challenge to foot all the bills on the use of OMOV - from the start to the end; from every cedi to the last pesewa - that may be incurred on the voting process, just to prove how cheap it is.

OMOV is all-inclusive. It targets the Youth. There are very brilliant, beautiful, and highly experienced young women out there who are better qualified than our currently considered contestants. There are some young NPP women members here, educated from the top five schools in the USA with so many years of experience in the public service in city, state and federal administration; handling budgets in the tune of $500-billion. These early to late forties-aged women can easily pick Ghana up to the next level. Everyone deserves a chance. They have the influence; they have the intelligence; they have what it takes to be leaders; and everyone must be given the chance to prove themselves.

Please, NPP, vote wisely, vote OMOV, and drop all restrictive clauses. I trust your stewardship!

Konongo Fordjour, Boston-USA E-Mail: koafordjour@yahoo.com