Northern Votes don't matter

NORTHERN VOTES DON’T MATTER - KONADU RAWLINGS

When the wife of the former President, Mrs Rawlings, charged on the flagbearer of the NDC, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills like ‘Hurricane Katrina’ destroying and attacking anything that stands in her way to get Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu chosen as the NDC running mate, the tsunami of Mrs Rawlings did not leave out our brothers and sisters in the three Northern Regions. According to Mrs Rawlings, Northern votes do not matter to the NDC.

This article is not aimed at fanning ethnic or tribal sentiments, but the double standards of some individuals and political parties should be exposed and condemned. The NDC has consistently portrayed itself as having the interest of the three Northern Regions and the Zongo Communities at heart. But the owners of the party (Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings) have revealed that, the Northern Regions do not matter to the NDC because they don’t give the party enough votes to enable them win elections.

Revealing that Prof. Mills was treated with kids gloves, and attacking the competence of the Bole Bamboi MP, John Mahama, Mrs Rawlings who was said to be the shadow President during the P(NDC) era, said even votes from Bantama Constituency in Ashanti Region alone were more than those from the Northern Region.

Speaking on Joy FM, Mrs Rawlings said “if you look at the three Northern Regions, even with NDC not getting many Constituencies in Ashanti Region the numbers we brought on board, if you take Bantama alone, we got more than 27,000 even though we didn’t win there but it equates 9 Constituencies in the Northern Region in numbers; don’t forget politics is about numbers.”

There is no disputing the fact that, the three Northern Regions and the Zongo Communities have been the centre bolt that has kept the NDC alive till date. But for the NDC to disparage them and treat them with such disregard as exhibited by Nana Konadu whose views can be said to represent that of the founder and owner of the NDC, Mr. Rawlings, is unfortunate indeed. No wonder the NDC under the leadership of Mr. Rawlings never considered any Northerner worthy to occupy the Vice Presidential position for the eight years that they were in power.

As the saying goes; ‘even pets go where they are welcome.’ Why should any Northerner continue to stay put in a political party where those in authority play down their contributions and make them feel they do not matter. The NDC left the Pwulugu Tomato Factory and the Tamale Meat Factory among others to collapse; they did not create any specific fund for Northern development, did not build a single Sports Stadium for recreation in the Northern Regions and yet they claim to have the interest of Northerners at heart. Now the cat has been let out of the bag and Mrs. Rawlings has spilled the beans; Northerners and their votes do not matter to the NDC, “let’s concentrate on other regions or areas.”

It is only fair that the three Northern Regions and the Zongo Communities also reject the NDC come December 2008, the same way the founders and owners of the NDC, Mrs. Rawlings and her husband, have rejected and ridiculed the importance of Northerners to the party. A word to the wise is enough.