By Opayin Yaw Baah

My Preamble

I take this rare opportunity to salute my Senior Colleagues (Presidential Aspirants) for the professionalism so far exhibited in respect of Campaign Teams recruitment which are detribalized (regionally balanced), message delivery and above all the realization of singing in unison, since this penultimate exercise is awaiting mother of all political battles in 2012. Like all human endeavours, it could not be devoid of minor attritions owing to the over zealousness of few supporters, usage of political taboo vocabularies, etc but we could console ourselves because of our common resolve to relegate all other matters to the background.

By this singular act of one major congress dispersed at 230 constituencies where over 120,000 delegates are casting their votes at the same time and same day to elect the flag bearer, your great party NPP has amply demonstrated to all and sundry that ‘’there is no size’’. As pacesetters undertaking this novelty which is unprecedented in Africa’s current political dispensation, we could pride ourselves in the fact that, our contemporaries could only be found among Republican and Democratic parties of USA, and Labour and Conservative parties of Great Britain. In view of this, I would continue to remind you of being guided by the pivotal collaborative roles of your distinguished predecessors of Danquah-Dombo-Busiah (DDB) fraternity whose toils we are reaping today, not forgetting the long journey of political wilderness dating 1972-2001 only to be short-lived by 2008. Therefore no matter the debacle of 7th August 2010, let the common adrenalin run through to maintain the spirit and that larger interest should always eclipse individual interest.
To my uncle/father octogenarian Prof. Fred Sai, I say big bravo and may your Creator extend your stay so far as this unthankful game of Politics is concerned. You have once again demonstrated that you are one of the rare gems around, having superintended over all this important testing meeting in the 1st week of July 2010 to a success. Typical of your philanthropic adroitness of 1999, per Page 74 of ‘’Between Faith and History’’, the bibliography of Ex-President J.A Kufour (JAK), where you donated ten (10) Pick-Ups to kick start your party’s mass campaign was brought to bear on your party only this time in a different disposition. Our era has clothed you with a chapter in our history, hence once again giving meaning to the Akan saying of ‘’woni payin a due’’, literally translated to mean a house without an elder is like a soup without salt hence giving the credence to the fact that wisdom and age are bedfellows.

Deep Factionalism
Throughout the history of politics, political parties being the most loosely of all associations have been synonymous with blocs, interest groups, common lobbyists and so on. Their existence makes the game a healthy and quite competitive one.
That is why during the Conservative Administration of 1980’s up to mid 1990’s they had two powerful groups in the same party. The Thatcherites were Maggie herself, Douglas Hurd, Norman Tebbit, John Major, Lord Carrington and others in one camp as opposed to Michael Helsentine, Kenneth Clarke, Dan Howe also in the other camp. The Labour party also had their fair share of factionalism from the late 1990’s to date. Tony Blair’s favourite disciples were Peter Mandelson, Alistair Campbel, David Milliband, Patricia Hewitt as opposed to Brownrites of Brown himself, Claire Short, Ed Milliband, J Balls, etc.

What we need to eschew is the magnitude or crescendo that such factionalism should be carried to in order to avoid destruction.
We of DDB family (yate yen ho) knowing well our history of how ‘’deep factionalism’’ had cost us in the past have resolved never to go back to those bad days or reinvent the wheel, since Legon Accord of 1981 unified Popular Front Party (PFP) and United Congress Party (UNC) into All People’s Action Party (APP) of which Victor Owusu became the leader with Dr. Obed Asamoah being elected as Secretary General. The phraseology or political vocabulary of ‘’deep factionalism’’ has been consigned to political oblivion and that we should all allow sleeping dogs to have their peace in their slumber.
Hence some of us had our blood pressure escalated to undefined level and our hearts trembled when my good old uncle and one of my mentors Akenten Appea Minka launching his autobiography of ‘’The River and the Sea’’ in May 2010, and in his attempt to elucidate issues further made us nearly dumbfounded on the perceived deep seated rivalry between the ‘’Yaanom’’ and ‘Okomfo Anokye’’ Chambers all in Kumasi between 1953 and 1969 in the legal mines field as to ‘’who was who’’, whose headships were N.Y.B Adade and Victor Owusu of blessed memory. Among the products of Yaanom is Appea Menka and that of Okomfo Anokye is JAK our Ex-President. This perception of rivalry was extended to the frontiers of the political pulpit of DDB in 1979 where Yaanom products and their sympathisers were seen to be in the same camp with their colleague brothers and sisters in the Eastern Region leading to formation of UNC. Much the same way some Okomfo Anokye products also joined hands with their colleagues in Eastern Region to form PFP creating a wild political gulf if not cleavages amongst themselves. The Second Accord of 1992 leading to the formation of NPP had sunk well in the people who are now prepared to move forward without reference to deep factionalism.

Genuine, Legitimate And Reasonable Concerns
Recent events that unfolded nearly rocked the boat. But thanks to GOD, that our Council of Elders has risen to the occasion. Issues raised by four of the five aspirants could find accommodation in any human grouping or society since politics is built on consensus, compromises and tolerance. What really went wrong was the procedure they adopted to articulate or execute their concerns which sinned against our prescribed line of action by exhaustion of all internal mechanism before going public. In their anxiety to ensure their perceived fair play role, they ended up over dramatizing the issues which nearly resulted in the already bathed baby being thrown away with the dirty water. Procedural error does not render substantive issue worthless.
Matters bordering on photo album, proxy voting both local and international delegates could have been resolved through jaw-jaw as a ‘’household exercise’’ rather than the issue being pushed in the public domain. These were curable and thanks be to God that wisdom has prevailed.
All along we have sworn to abide by the rules of the game being a ‘’family convenient fight’’. Like amateur boxers, we are wearing headgears and kids gloves in order not to over hurt ourselves. After all, any strength of ours should be reserved for our political partners in development like NDC.
To the leadership, you need to take a leaf from the speech of JAK at the Kumasi Conference in February 2010, that as a person he has his own choices or candidates, but at the end of the day it is the preferred candidates of the majority that would be the perfect choices. You may also have your preferred candidates and your choice might have been co-incidentally settled on one person; but that is not the issue at stake. What will be of concern is allowing your sentiments to cloud your judgment. However, by your deeds you have risen to the occasion and have our absolute trust and confidence. As the rear guards, you must be the last to react. That is why some few instantaneous and spontaneous reactions to concerns raised did not find favour with us. However, like any human institution, absolute perfection is not achievable. I sympathize with you being a new team altogether, and moreso being your baptism of fire, you could not be faulted much. After all politics remains a continuous learning and healing processes.

Post Political Ramification Impact
‘’Ahunu bi da nti na aserewa regye ne ba agoro a n’ani da baabi’’ literally meaning once bitten twice shy or the monument of the dead must be a lasting testimony to the living.
Also, the Akans have a saying that ‘’nea ntoa akoduru no, nsae nnuru ho’’. That is once damaged at Asesewa Market rebuttal at Techiman Market becomes an exercise in futility.
No matter what happens on Saturday whoever emerges victorious will need the sacred services of his co-contemporaries; he will need them more than they will need him. It is against this background that all cross fires must be ceased before the D-day in order to make things easier for ourselves.
So my clarion call to all and sundry is ‘’adwobre’’ after all ‘’efie ntokwa ye pagya no kakraa nenso ye so gyae si ho bree’’ that is in a situation of family fight pronouncements as to the winner or loser is always shirked and that unity becomes the only primary focus.

Conclusion
My humble appeal to all especially the overzealous youth is that internal politics arrangement is not a ‘do and die’ affair and that be prepared to pay the ultimate price only for a good cause since the five aspirants themselves have equal respect and admiration for one another in each sphere of life.
On Saturday there will be no vanquished or victor but one winner in the name Osono Kokroko – the Big Elephant.
Until then, let us salute ourselves for the solemn occasion.

The writer is an MP for Kumawu Constituency and a Fellow of Danquah Institute