Opinions of Tuesday, 23 January 2024

Columnist: Anthony Obeng Afrane

Rawlings was right, the NPP never change

The late Jerry John Rawlings The late Jerry John Rawlings

I caution the NDC and its followers not to be complacent after reading this article but to work very hard towards victory ahead in this year's elections.

Unlike the NPP whose support base is largely the elite and the Akan ethnic group, the NDC's bedrock cuts across all social strata and ethnic groups which makes that political party almost unbeatable.

The strength of the NDC is that it embraces all manner of people irrespective of their ethnic background, social status, etc., there is, therefore, a strong bond between the party and the majority of the ordinary people, especially rural folks.

The NPP has mostly won elections through "ways and means".The reason why the NDC was pushed out of power in 2000 for example was the serial killing of women. For many months, female dead bodies were found all over parts of the country daily, and this caused serious fear and panic among women. The businesses of most women suffered because they couldn't go to the market at dawn and leave after dusk.

The NPP as part of their campaign message promised that the serial killing would stop if they came to power. It was believed by many people that the killing of women was a strategy by the NPP to win power and that those female bodies were imported from mortuaries of neighbouring countries. The interesting thing was that none of the numerous bodies was identified by any family here in Ghana. Chai, don't joke with Yaanom. They are terribly diabolical.

So, because women form the largest group in terms of the country's population, and the support base of the NDC, the purported killing of women adversely affected the then ruling party. Life is the ultimate treasure, and must be preserved at all costs: therefore, many women of Ghana decided to choose a government that can protect them.

Fast forward, under one of the worst governance in the history of Ghana, the NPP is very confident that they are going to break the eight, and that they are going to use strategy to win the 2024 elections.

But the by-election at Assin North has taught us a lesson: that unity, hard work, vigilance, and determination can make a difference.