As the Latin lexis says ‘VERITAS LIBERABIT VOS’ truth shall set you free. My mentor in Ghana’s politics, president Rawlings has done much for the NDC and upper west region, you may hate him, but you can’t take it away from him, President Rawlings remains an icon of true statesman, he stood home above his peers, and stood shoulder to shoulder with global leaders. The people of upper west region will always remain loyal and faithful to President Rawlings for the unprecedented development he has brought to the region. He has extended electricity to upper west region, he has established a University in the region (UDS) which graduate thousands of graduates annually, construction of major roads in the region, creation of the regional capital for the peoples of upper west, creation of constituencies and sons of the region served in key ministerial position and in cabinet, just to mention but few.
Due to these, upper west region remains the strong hold of NDC, people has the notion that even if a goat is contesting on the ticket of NDC the got will surely win. The 2012 election is a manifestation of the people of upper west region loyalty to the party, all the NDC parliamentary aspirant won their seats, even the only independent Member of Parliament (MP) for the Jirapa constituency is also align to the NDC. I have no doubt that the like of Hon. Dr. Benjamin Kumbour, Hon. Alban S. K Bagbin, Hon. Joseph Yieleh Chireh and the rest will continue to win their seats because of the progress they brought to their constituencies. It is undutiful fact that, the former MP for Jirapa constituency Hon. Edward Salia was one of the optimum MP’s we had in the upper west region, but his predecessor Hon. Francis Bawaana Dakura did follow his good work and wish decision as far as the development of the constituency is concern, so he lost the seat apparently to Hon. Paul Derigubaa an independent candidate because he has fail the constituents, the electorate of the Wa municipality constituency is also becoming fed up with the appalling performance of their member of parliament. Even insiders were very aggrieve and do not feel the weight of their MP, this has compel another leading member of the party to contest him in primaries since he wants to be the ‘Mugabe’s’ of the constituency but lost to the incumbent MP during the primaries because of what I described as ‘sympathy voting’. The NPP in its strategy to snatch the seat from the NDC also presented a viable candidate, for that matter a native of Wa to contest the current MP (Hon. Rashid Hassan Pelpuo), the NPP 2012 parliamentary candidate (Hon. Tahiru Issahaku Moomin) perform extremely well in the 2012 election but was marginally won by the current MP for Wa central constituency and if the current MP do not perk-up or not substituted come 2016, from the parliamentary results of the 2012 election, the NPP parliamentary candidate may be the victor of the seat. ‘Cola last long in the mouth of those who value it’, the electorate are becoming despondent with the appalling performance of the current MP and start voting what I called “skirt and blouse”. It is important to state that my emphasis on Wa central constituency because, I foresee our parliamentary candidate losing it come 2016 election.
The NDC 2012 victory in the region was largely gain by grassroots and campaign of the good supporter in the region. These dying heart supporter campaign non stop by attending day and night rallies to maintain the party in government. Some of us put our life in the line for the sake of our loyal to the party and it founder (J.J Rawlings) essentially for free. After election victory a few of fuddy-duddy of the loyal supporters are recognized in the region. Some of us forgo our precious lectures and studies to campaign and use our phone credit and social media to send text messages during radio and other media discussions others dying heart members’ campaign by going from door to door on feet and by bikes. But when the party comes to power, it powers lies on the hands of few greedy executives and these same old executive who do not care about the grassroots but for their selfish interest and families, are the people who are writing the obituary of the party in the region, many of these dying heart party member becomes livid and aggravated.
Our great party (NDC) which I described as the best political party in Africa tend to loss it values and roots in the upper west region, one of the excruciating mark on me in the political history of upper west region is the election of regional and constituency executives, it will surprise you to know that some leading members of NDC in the region do not held on to the spirit of the revolution: probity, integrity, accountability and social justice. When the party prepares to go for congress in 2009 to elect it regional and constituency executives, potential and loyal party members who have the ambition of contesting the incumbent executive were apparently disqualified and some were coerced to step down all in the name of harmony building by the incumbent executive’s base on their selfish interest and unsubstantial reasons, party members were excluded in that election and were goad not to complain, is this the social democracy that we believe in? This is social democratic party that believes in the equality and the egalitarian treatment of all persons irrespective of the social, cultural, educational, political, religious and economic relations in a multi-party environment. This time round such coward and conflict of interest act can never and ever happens again; everybody is ‘armed to the teeth’. If there is any time in the history of the NDC that they have to gird loin and forge ahead as a party, it is now, because the upcoming regional and constituencies election is going to be a make or break affairs for the NDC in the region. So the party needs to mend it bridges in order not to leave any room for any miscreant to burn it.
Party victory is won by highlighting on the party manifesto, it achievement and through real sweat campaign trails. The party communication team members have to sell the party manifesto, achievement and its agenda. They should know what the party has done in the region and Ghana at large and what it plans to do, it is therefore the responsibility and duty of the communication team members to let the electorate or voters know all these. They should talk about removing schools under trees into the classroom in the region, talk about the construction of roads that boast productivity in the region, talk about low inflation rate in Ghana, expanding the economy, drastically reduction in armed rubbery cases, highlight on the clearing of TOR debt incurred by the elsewhile NPP administration, poverty reduction in the region, convince the voter the distinction between NDC and other political party and the rest of achievement. But if you have a weak, pitiable, dormant and uninformed communication team who can not propagate the achievement of the party on radio and campaign platform, the party will continue become unpopular, for the past electioneering season, NDC continue win at a diminishing rate in the region due to the non performance of the communication team member, if the communication team is not change intoto and get effective communication team members, we may continue to lose votes in the region and win at a diminishing rate. ‘When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action step’.
Sometime, I prone to think that our great party (NDC) is behaving in the region as if it’s the first time it has come into power, for the reason that, some of the issues which the party would have resolved swiftly and peacefully are allowed to play off in the media and public domain, which torment those who love the party. As a result it creates wounds in the party. The appointment of regional minister, deputy regional minister, MMDCE’s is a big problem in the region due to this NDC in the region has become reactive than proactive to the NPP. The party executive will have their candidate, the communication team members will have their candidate and party representative in government will have their candidate, this end up causing rebellion and misapprehension in the party.
Even though we are undoubtedly the best political party in Africa and largest following in Ghana, we seem to think that because we are in power we should be abusing it. We moan that virtually upper west region is the strong hold of NDC so we do not care about floating voters. Leading members and party members feel that, the voter will always vote for NDC so there is no need to campaign for the party. This mean, the more our opponent campaign the more they grab floating voters. We are doing things that are turning people off. Radicalism is a problem; too many of those speaking in our name are too high-pitched and too insulting. When we are represented in public by young and ambitious people whose only distinction is their willingness to insult others and their sycophantic attitude to the masses, we turn moderates and uncommitted voters run away from our candidates. We need to strive to be more discipline in our actions.
As party members you owe your party a duty to inspire people to vote for the party. Upper west region is bigger than any anyone of us. Upper west region was here before us and upper west region will be here after us, so at no point, I mean absolutely no point, should we sacrifice the progress of upper west region on the altar of the interest of any individual desire. President Mahama and his government have mettlesome for action to achieve the better Ghana agenda and this agenda cannot be meet in the region if others do not stop the old fashion politics that episode in the region. This is my humble opinion.
Long live NDC
Long live upper west region.
Long live Ghana
Writer: SEIDU SAMAD
E-mail: samad_seidu@yahoo.com
Tel: 0206653517/0541036700