Big Lesson For Bawumis' People

I have read with mixed feelings about the contributions made by a number of people concerning the painful defeat of the NPP government as they termed it. I remember vividly the contribution of Harona Esseku whose argument centred mainly on greed. Many people have attributed the defeat of the NPP to sheer arrogance, corruption, greed, the Volta virus among others. I associate myself with a lot of these prepositions. I will like to help Harona Esseku’s to dilate on the greed in the NPP but in a much broader perspective.Esseku indicated that sheer greed contributed to the fall of the NPP. He postulated that money that was released from the headquarters of the party for the foot soldiers for campaigns did not reach them or even if it did but not in the right amounts. This is indeed greed but at the lower level. The NPP in general is a party full of greedy personalities and selfishness. In 2000, during the run off election, the PNC and other minority parties threw their unflinching support for ex-president Kufour.He did promise that he would for instance, appoint members of the PNC to constituencies that PNC candidates won the parliamentary seats as District Chief Executives (DCE’s). Out of sheer greed this did not happen. In the case of Walewale, he made an attempt but the greed of NPP members at even the lower level did not permit him to do so. At the ministerial level, he singled out Mallam Issah the then chairman of the PNC for a ministerial appointment against the wish of the party. All Ghanaian are witnesses to what happened to Mallam Issah.A scapegoat of zero tolerance for corruption rhetoric. At a time during ex- president Kufour’s reign the leader of the PNC Dr Edward N. Mahama demanded to meet Kufour for discussion and he turned his back to him.Ironnically however, Kufour invited Edward Mahama during the run off of the 2008 election to once a gain solicit support this time not himself but his widely perceived arrogant kinsman; Nana Akufo Addo.A demonstration of shamelessness, greed and self centeredness at the highest level of the highest public office holder at the time.

At the local level the NPP disregarded the minority parties and blatantly indicated that without their support NPP could still win elections. The case of Walewale where I come from and where I participated actively in the last general elections and witnessed the brutalities and flagrant abuse of incumbency of the NPP was an eye sow. Before now, Walewale was one of the strong holds of the PNC’s support base until the NPP out of “I” syndrome put a sword and cut the people apart. NPP and its greedy personality for which Kufour was the chair person succeeded in luring some unprincipled, quick desire to become rich overnights members of the PNC to their fold and used them to create confusion and divisiveness in the PNC.

NPP members saw PNC member as stupid, uneducated, poor and hungry, enemies of progress and development among others.At any NPP campaign platform the PNC was the black sheep in the politics of the area. The NPP members in Janga the hometown of Mr. Nabla Sulemana the two times defeated NPP parliamentary candidate of the NPP forbade the PNC campaign team from visiting Janga for campaign. The reason was that the PNC campaign team was criticising the NPP parliamentary. This matter was reported to the opinion leaders and the police. Mr.Nabla Sulemana is a good person but unfortunately he did not do any thing about these threats from his kinsmen.

Apart from this, most NPP members even at the local level threatened to punish some people who did not belong to their party should they win the 2008 election .For example, one madam Amuda who supplies bread to the Walewale Senior high school was told by some NPP members that should they win they will stop her from supplying the student with bread and reassigned an NPP member to do so. Another prosperous businessman who has offered a number of employment to the youth of the area, contributed in the provision of development infrastructure in the area, help pay students school fees, electricity bills, marriage expenses, medical expenses among others were been threatened of imminent punishment should NPP win. My own brother Mohammed Sulemana was told by some NPP members that should NPP win they will ask Bawumia not to give him any job. I am sure that Bawumia will also be searching for job vacancies to apply.

You see greed, threats and disregard for others opinion has contributed immensely to the defeat of the NPP and this should be a lesson for NPP especially Bawumia and his people.

Mohammed Osman Programme Coordinator SEND Foundation of West Africa Kailahun, Sierra Leone