Ghana at Criossroads: Time for change
For the first time in Ghana’s post independence history, the choice of a president remains a very tight race. For a start, there is an impressive array of presidential aspirants, most of whom, one can say with satisfaction, have the right credentials to run Ghana. That makes it a very tight race. But there is more to this election than most.
In 2000, the election was about whether the Rawlings founded NDC (National Democratic Congress) could be trusted to take Ghana forward without a major political and social conflict. It can be said with certainty that in 2000, there were many political interests in Ghana who thought that another NDC victory would spell a disaster for the country. Rawlings had been in power for almost twenty years in various guises.
While many Ghanaians can point to some positive things about this era, there is an equal number who can list lots of negatives about the period. Some of the actions of the NDC leadership at the time helped to smoulder open democracy, and fertilised the soil with bile and blood, out of which grew ineptitude, incompetence and tribal fanaticism of the worst kind. In spite of this, the local and foreign cheerleaders of the Rawlings (not the NDC), believed that their hero’s mission of destroying a buoyant democracy had not been accomplished, and that those who opposed him were a treacherous distraction. Ghanaians knew better, and President Kufour benefitted from this groundswell of anti-NDC hysteria.
The 2008 election is quite different. Form many this is perhaps the most important election which will define the future of Ghana. The discovery of oil is one factor. Oil is always a source of hope and fear. In some countries, it ahs made the politicians, and their foreign harbingers quite fabulously rich, while impoverishing the many, especially those on whose soil the oil is found. Mention oil, the mouths of politicians and business (both local and foreign – begin to salivate with murderous glee. To that extent, the major political parties – the NDC, the NPP (New Patriotic Party), the PNC (Peoples National Convention) and the CPP (Convention Peoples Party) also have their eyes on the oil prize.
But there is a catch. While Ghana is being praised by many for being able to hold a stable country, there are worrying signs of fracture and destabilisation. There is a feeling that in spite of what the NPP might have achieved; there are worrying signs of national decay, some of which can be traced to the days of the NDC. Poverty is on the rise. When poverty reaches the levels that it has in Ghana, even the cleverest of political economists are hard put to know what to do. Chieftaincy related conflict is increasing daily, while cocaine promises to blight the country, as it is seen as a major transit point. What if Ghanaian youth become users of cocaine? Related to this is youth unemployment and lack of opportunities for upward progression. Corruption remains a serious issue, even though I would not go as afar as suggest that it is the cause of poverty and underdevelopment as some people like to exaggerate. These are issues which the next President has to address as a matter of urgency.
What is crucial is whether the next leader has the right strategic approach and support from his own party to address these issues. The first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah had the undoubted commitment to address issues of development, poverty and change. But some would argue that he lacked the rights lieutenants to help him achieve his socialist goals. The NPP – both past and present, does not have such problems. There seems to be ideological unity of purpose, even though there may be disagreements in terms of strategy. The CPP seems to be grappling with these in manner that is quite distasteful, and can only lead to paralysis. The constant desire to deny the party any ideological affinity is worrying one.
As for the NDC, it is caught up in contradictions of its birth. As party, it has the signs of strong leadership, but not a democratic one. It seems that having helped to found the party, Rawlings would like to treat the party as a personal fiefdom, sometimes, treating the party’s presidential candidate like a tiresome priest. Professor Mills is a man of honour. He has the credentials to lead the country, but his problems do not stem from Nana Akufo Addo’s (the NPP candidate) well oiled campaign machinery, but from his own party. Some ex-leaders have developed a ruthless delusional fanaticism of a man who is afraid of the dark, and has to be in the limelight day and night. Any attempt to shove them to the back is met with the response of a wounded tiger. That is Mills Achilles heel. If the NDC does not control the intemperate behaviour of its leader, it can send the party into a tailspin. If he (Mills) can overcome that, then his chances of gaining the keys to the new Presidential lodge would be hugely improved.
Come to the NPP. They have a presidential candidate with an impressive history of political activism No one can deny that Nana Akuffo Addo has a long history of campaigning for democracy in Ghana. But like the CPP, the NPP can also be expected to see cracks in the party because it has its own contradictions. They may want to deny it, but the problems stems from the two traditions of the party. The Busia/Danquah fraternities, or to put it crudely, the Ashanti-Akim factions of the party. For the sake of unity, and capturing the prize, both tendencies will sacrifice personal interest for their leader, so this does not constitute a major problem yet. .
No one knows how the coming elections will play out. I think the CPP can only out for increased parliamentary seats, for me that will be enough. The real contest is between Professor Arthur Mills and Nana Akuffo Addo, the two titans. The parties should use the campaign period to highlight issues of national nature, explain how they intend to deal with intractable conflicts (e.g. Bawku), but most important of all, how they intend to address poverty from a radical and structural angle.
In the past, some of our leaders have failed to understand the challenges that confront them, or the consequences of their actions. Some have seemed incapable of responding with clarity when confronted with genuine injustices, giving the impression that they are complicit in the oppression of the majority of Ghanaians. 2008 presents us with a chances to change all that. Can we seize the moment?
(c) Zaya yeebo
August 200
