The Election Is Over - What Lessons Have We Learnt.

THE GHANAIAN CONDITION (PART 29)

The Election Is Over—What Lessons Have We Learnt.

Those who refuse to learn from history, has the tendency of repeating it—so said one of the sages.

Ghana’s just ended general election and it’s results is in some strange ways look similar to that of the recent American election.

Just as in America where the Republican Party was so right-wing and anti-blacks, anti-Hispanics and anti- women issues, so was the NPP anti Gas, Ewes, Northerners and any other tribe who is non-Akan.

Here let me be charitable and give you a few examples to buttress my point ----statements made by leading NPP officials which are all in the public domain:

1) Mr Kennedy Agyapong calling for the killing of Ewes and Gas---this case is still in court.

2) Mr Anthony Karbo vowing to visit Afghanistan on this country if the NPP is not declared a winner the after the elections.

3) Mr Sammy Awuku telling students at Koforidua to use pestles to smash in the heads of his political opponents.

4) Ms Ursula Owusu for her derogatory and patronising attitude in saying that those educated Northerners who are against the NPP Party’s ‘Free SHS Education Policy as ‘good for nothing except for being herdsmen’.

5) Mr Jacob Obetsebi Lamptey advising ‘All Akans to rise up and fight for their rights as their counterparts did in the Ivory Coast.

6) Mr Akufo –Addo himself calling for all ‘die be die mantra’ an obvious call for war, and the Ye Akanfou tribalistic appeal to stir up tribal hatred against other tribes.

You do not need to be a rocket scientist to work out why the majority of the other tribes and some decent and peace loving Akans rejected the narrow-minded and tribal NPP at the polls.

It is pure madness to expect people who you regard as inferior to you to vote for you at a general election----it simply won’t happen.

Just as it happened in America where the Republican Party were anti- Blacks, anti Hispanics and anti –Women Issues and paid a heavy electoral price for it, so too did the NPP paid dearly for their folly.

Those of us who knew the forebearers of the present NPP viz The Matemehu Group and the Progress Party are not in the least surprised of the Ideological Stand of the current NPP. After all ‘ a leopard does not change it’s spot’. The sad thing is that if the NPP does not change it’s political ideology and keep to it’s narrow and tribalistic ways of doing things, it will end up being a spent political force in the not too distant future. Just look at the way they treated the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama who was the vice-President under President Kufour for 8 good years. The guy was good enough to be a vice-President but not good enough to be elected to be a Presidential Contender, so they have to go for an Akan. Compare this with the NDC when the late President Mills unfortunately passed away and you will get my point.

Unfortunately for the NPP, try as much as they did, they simply cannot sell their product Nana Akufo-Addo to the electorate.

You see, in salesmanship, if your product is not good enough, no matter what marketing strategy you adopt, your product will not sell—period. Nana Akufo –Addo has so many negatives that even Angels from Heaven will find it difficult to convince the majority of Ghanaians to vote for him.

As I write the NPP is talking of going to court to seek redress as they felt hard done by. It is their constitutional right to do so but I hope saner heads in the party will prevail and advise against this course. My take is that they will end up with more eggs on their faces and earn public ridicule. Do they expect the court to reverse and usurp the collective will of the people of Ghana? How ridiculous can you get. Please NPP, stop navel gazing and take a hard and sober look at yourself and find out how you can attract other tribes into your fold and put them in prominent positions for the future. Secondly please stop using our brothers and sisters from the North as appendages who are only good for the Vice-President slot but not good enough for the Presidential slot. Thirdly retire to the background hotheads like Kennedy Agyapong, Sammmy Awuku, Ursula Owusu, Jacob Obetsebi Lamptey and similar people will lose tongues who do not engage their brains before they put their mouths into gear.

As long as you have people of such pedigree in your fold your party will keep scaring people of other tribes from joining your party.

Finally, whilst congratulating His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama on being elected with such a mandate to rule the country, I humbly appeal to him to be magnanimous in his victory and try to form an inclusive Government.

Irrespective of what I wrote above, I sincerely and honestly believe there are some good and non-tribal men and women in the NPP who can be given some Government appointments. Let us remember that we are all Ghanaians and we need all hands on deck to move the country forward. Let us take a cue from President Obama of America. It is about time we stopped this attitude of ‘Winner takes all’. We have to move from that position. Can we do it---- Yes Can.

KWAKU.KELE.ASHIAGBOR