: Again, Let’s Wish Them Well

By Alex Bossman Baafi

Yesterday, May 04, 2011 marked the end of the suspense many good people went through regarding whether the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings would Be Bold, to pick her nomination forms to begin her journey to the NDC flagbearership race, during the impending party’s Congress at Sunyani come July 8 – 10 this year.

I congratulate the former first lady for her courage to break the new grounds to set the pace for our women to be bold to pursue their dreams and aspirations in all fields of endeavour including their political career aspirations. I admired the way and manner in which she went about the picking of the forms and the excellent organisation of the subsequent launching of her formal Campaign a day later.

Today, the President also confirmed his bid for a second term as the NDC forerunner should he clear the Sunyani Congress and the 2012 General Election hurdles to remain in office as president for the second term by picking his nomination forms at the Party Office. What I will take away from the organizers of the president’s time was the way principal streets were blocked to create hell for many commuters at the time the President was going for the forms. Again, the occasion proved counterproductive as many government officers left their offices to troop behind the president perhaps to create the impression that the president commands a large support. Bussing many sympathizers of the president from afar just to witness the form picking was not the best in my view.

Many political scientists, consultants, practitioners and observers have commended the president’s leadership challenge by the former first lady, though rare, as beauty of democracy in the NDC Party in particular and the country as a whole. For me such a scenario has many positive and adverse implications depending upon how it is managed, more especially, being the first of its kind as part of our young democratic dispensation.

In my humble opinion, there is a controversy with the advent of and positions of the two groups; Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR) and Get Atta Mills Elected (GAME) with the messages to outwit each other to the advantage of each group perhaps, forgetting about the overall interest of the good people of the country.

According to FONKAR, President Atta Mills’ Administration could be likened to a brand new Yutong Bus in the hands of inexperienced driver. The driver must be changed now to avoid a catastrophic accident that is looming ahead. The NDC party now is uninspiring, full of arrogance, lacks confidence to give the good people of this country hope in the future. The party had deserted its core values and principles of probity, accountability as well as freedom and justice and must be brought back under the able leadership of the former first lady. For them, president mills is facing leadership challenge because of a catalogue of charges including widespread corruption, incompetence, weak leadership, joblessness of the party foot soldiers and the mass majority of the people and the neglect of the welfare of the NDC party on whose ticket he rose to occupy the highest office of our dear country. They allege that to all intent and purposes, the president has a hidden agenda to promote the political interest of the Peoples Convention Party (CPP) founded by the Late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of the blessed memory to the detriment of promoting the principles and ideals of the ruling party with him as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the country. What is more, these critics from his own party are now convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that the president is a liability and could consequently pose a threat to the electoral fortunes of the party come the General Elections in 2012, hence, he must be changed.

Despite the above deadly sins that call for the crucifixion of the president by FONKAR and their patrons, the GAME group and their leadership represent a different School of ideas. To them the president is on course to deliver his better Ghana Agenda for the betterment of the good people of the country. The numerous key achievements of the president within this short space of time of two-and-half years are ample testimonies why the man is a deliverer and a winner. To GAME, some of the laudable and applaudable achievements include the payment of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) debt, provision of free school uniforms and exercise books to certain deprived areas in the country, the low single-digit inflation and the low interest rates the country is enjoying. There are massive developmental projects in the areas of schools, electricity and water in the rural areas to mention but a few. They contend that in addition to these, the president’s personal traits set him apart from others. He is God-fearing, patient, peaceful, and humble among others. He is therefore the best bet to victory after the congress of the crucial 2012 General Elections.

The above controversy within the ruling NDC government has blinded them about the real suffering of the masses. There is high cost of living emanating from low wages and high tariffs, high school fees, mass unemployment. There are widespread diseases including Malaria and Cholera borne out of poor sanitation everywhere, lack of good drinking water and erratic supply of electricity and liquefied petroleum gas. Indeed the economic conditions of both the urban and rural dwellers of the country are worsening by the day under this government. There is mass poverty and underdevelopment emanating from the policies of this government and that is fact.

Many good people of this country are disappointed to witness the acrimony, backbiting and selfish group controversial intra-party interests that had consumed our economic and political leaders to the neglect of the very people they claim to serve through the current dispensation. It is very true that “Asetena Pa Ma Awerefi” to wit, ‘Good Living Brings Forgetfulness’ and it is exactly the reality on the ground today.

As a citizen of our dear country however, I have some few words of advice. By virtue of their behaviour in office, by taken the electorate of this country for granted, by neglecting or forgetting why they are in Office, the NDC party and government is writing its Obituary to be read after 2012 General Elections. This is in accordance with the canonical writings as spelt out clearly in Mathew 12:25. All we can do for now is to wish them well ahead of their Controversial Congress.

Email: abkbossman@yahoo.co.uk