Executives Peter Mac Manu And Of The NPP, Do Us A Favour. Please, Quit

The atmosphere at the National Headquarters of the New Patriotic Party is not anything to highlight on. This is in sharp contrast to what with what pervaded at the party Headquarters when the Mac-Manu led National Executive Committee was ushered into office about two years ago. Many were those who had spoken ill of the Haruna Esseku led executive – the immediate past National chairman of the party who was alleged to have had the backing of ex-president J.A. Kufour.

The odds had favoured Mr. Stephen Ntim as the person most likely to clintch the party’s Chairmanship. But the kite flown by the hawks at the last minute changed the permutations. Mr. Ntim was alleged to be the handpicked candidate of ex-President Kufour. Overnight everything changed and the favoured candidate lost out an in came Mr. Peter Mac-Manu..

He started well but got lost and confused amidst many controversies that engulfed our Presidential and Parliamentary convention/primaries. Since then, it had been one mistake after another. But how long are we going to wait and watch helplessly as these people continue to plunge the party headlong into the deepest abyss? The time has come to put a halt to this endless misdirection and misadventure of people we had believed could take us to the Promised Land but have ended up sending us back to the land of Egypt instead.

The time to do so is now. There is no other opportune time than this moment. I have received numerous calls from aggrieved and disappointed party men and women asking what we would do to cleanse the Augean stable. It appears our National Executive of the party and the 2008 Campaign Team have lost focus and are meandering in the wilderness with the hope that they might accidentally and luckily encounter a seemingly benevolent spirit who would show them the way out. But was that the reason why they were elected into office? A big No! They were elected into office to perform a specific task. They were elected into office to give us a positive sense of leadership and direction. They were elected into office to ensure that we kept our parliamentary majority. They were elected into office to ensure that the Presidency was retained by the party. But alas, what did we see? We looked on helplessly as both the Presidency and our Parliamentary Majority slipped off our hands.

On being voted into the National Executive Council of the party, the expectations and challenges were very high. They had no reason not to deliver for the atmosphere was just right. We were in control of the Central Government and the morale of party men and women was very high. The goodwill of Ghanaians and that of the international community for the party was at its apogee. But due to the ineptitude of the leadership, the party has found itself in disarray, staggering like a herd of cattle without shepherd.

In fact, the conclusion of a vast majority of committed party men and women is that the Mac-Manu led National Executive is not dancing to the tune/music of the party’s constitution. Isn’t it time to look elsewhere for a much vibrant and vision-oriented National Executive which will take into consideration the views and feelings of its members?

We must all agree that our party did not come up with any strategy for winning the election and as I stated in my previous write up, the NDC is far ahead of the NPP in this area. The NDC had planned for this election since 2004, whereas the NPP was basking on its part glory. The NDC sent some of its members to other countries to understudy how parties, especially, opposition ones, prepare for elections. The NPP, on the other hand was satisfied with the adoption of fire brigade approach to issues.

I had earlier intimated the party executives on how to conduct an effective and practical electioneering campaign. But they did not adopt a single one of my suggestions. I personally went to the campaign office and gave memos on how to enhance the chances of the Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo to the National Chairman, the Secretary and Dr. A.O. Akoto. I had called the office of the flag bearer and the secretary at that end gave me the name of Dr A.O.Akoto as the person most likely to assist me in that matter. In the memo, I commented on the Ellembelle and KEAA constituencies and gave advice on how to retain those two constituencies. If the party had listened to the advice, the disaster that befell our party would have been averted.

But no, they didn’t. For they thought they alone had the repository of knowledge and did not need anyone’s help. Infact, since almost the entire Executives and the Campaign team had refused to pick my calls, all I could do was to send memos through their e-mail addresses. There were times I had to send text messages to the high-handed party executives and the campaign team to take my calls, before they did so. In the case of the Party’s General Secretary, nothing I did would make him take those calls and so I did what I felt was appropriate at that time. I sent him a text message, pleading with him to take those calls. When he did not bulge an inch from his stance, I was compelled to tell him not to treat party members that way, for after all, I was the one who had been spending my money to make those calls. I had earlier on made numerous attempts to schedule a meeting with him to give advice on the way forward.

I don’t want to sound personal, but I would like to state that Nana Obiri Boahen, immediate Minister of State at the Ministry of Interior, Hon. Cecilia Dapaa, M.P for Bantama and Nana Fredua Mensah, a media consultant were some few party men and women who picked my calls without hesitation. Nana Obiri Boahene, for example initiated most of the calls and we discussed a lot of issues as they affected the party and the nation.

I even made attempts for one Minister[name withheld] to interact with members of the congregation where I worshipped by making him Guest of Honour at the Annual Harvest and Thanks-Giving Service of the Church. He gave us his word that he would attend, but ten minutes into the programme, when he had not shown up, I called him. He told me he would not be able to attend for he had visited the hospital the previous day to treat his catarrh. I pleaded with him to send someone to represent him which he promised he would do. About ten minutes later, he called to inform me he had asked someone [name with-held], an equally important personality to attend on his behalf. The representative also did not show up and that was the end of the matter. Period! They forget the saying that those you meet on your way up are the very people you would meet on your way down. And so it has happened..

You see, we need to accept criticisms in good faith, no matter how bitter they might be. When I started my write-ups, I received numerous calls from committed party men and women who wanted my ideas to be propagated through the electronic media. I made attempts to do so but without success. I had my windfall when Happy FM Radio station decided to give me a lifeline to articulate my views on certain sensitive issues as they affected the party. This was done in both English and Twi languages. This went on for about six consecutive times and then came the “mother of all battles”. That was on an article I had written the previous day, titled, “Let me speak out lest I die”. It had to do with the reasons behind the large number of aspirants in the NPP Presidential race. That was the end of such phone in interviews. Obviously, my views did not enjoy the support of the party hierarchy and an order was given to” pluck” me off the programme entirely. I made numerous efforts to contact the producer of the programme without success.

In the course of the 2008 electioneering campaign, my personal interaction with some NPP members within the Weija Constituency revealed that the party might have a Herculean task sailing through smoothly. Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, MP for the Constituency was invited for an interactive session with the various NPP branches in and around Tabora, Alhaji, Israel and Lominava where the numerous problems confronting the areas were catalogued for her. She promised prompt action on them. But lo, nothing concrete came out of it. The rehabilitation of the road was reduced to mere construction of gutters along the roads. The caterpillar which was sent to smoothen the road was hijacked by the chief of Israel and nothing was done to him

Since the project started about some six months ago, it has been construction of one gutter after another, with nothing being done about the road. Infact, as at the time of writing, the entire project has come to a standstill.

Doesn’t the party have a mechanism whereby individuals who are obstacles to the implementation of the party’s laudable programmes are brought to book? It is good to discipline erring party members who through deliberate acts and actions bring the name of the party into disrepute.

Now, coming to the electioneering campaign itself, a lot of things were done contrary to the party’s tradition. It became a field day for cronies, associate and family members of top members of the National Executives and the Campaign team.. We should not forget the fact that the New Patriotic Party, like the Presbyterian Church thrives on long cherished tradition. This tradition had guided the party in all its actions. People have suffered and toiled to make the party what it is today. It would therefore be unethical of the highest order to bring in an outsider, who, a few years ago, when the going was good for her, she spewed forth obscenities on our great tradition to the front line and give her the publicity she should have been denied in the first place.

Anyone who read my article titled, “We don’t need another Gorbachov!” would realize that I made a case for a thorough true bred NPP person to be made Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s running mate. Wherein therefore lies the justification in ushering Grace Omaboe, alias Maame Dorkono to the platform where she spoilt the soup with her infamous, “afei na mani abue” speech. Maame Dorkonoo was ushered into the limelight whereas a prominent and committed party member of Christine Churcher status was relegated to the background, and was only brought into the picture at the last minute when the battle had already been fought and lost. Obviously, some felt peeved and decided to take the backstage.

Infact, any discerning person would realize that Maame Dorkonoo was extra luggage and more of a liability and ought to have been taken off the campaign train, but the executives and the campaign team thought otherwise as the woman continued to commit one atrocity after the other and alienated others from the party by her utterances.

Then came the release of money to our foot soldiers. I say it on authority that people sat on the money and did not care whether the fortunes of the Great Osono party plummeted high or low. Everywhere I went, the message was the same. Release money. I know of contributions by committed individuals to ensure the success of the party. During the December 7 election, some of us personally contributed money to give to the less fortunate party members and students to travel to their voting centres to cast their votes. T shirts were printed but kept and given to friends and relatives. Even, the little stipends that were due to our polling agent are yet to be paid in some constituency. I personally met a lady who told me she had asked her grandson not to pursue the matter any further since numerous efforts have yielded no positive response. I confirmed this from the grand child and she corroborated what her grand mum had said. How long will people continue to make sacrifices on behalf of the party while others continue to reap the fruit of other people’s labour? And the party national executives look on helplessly as such acts of thievery are committed with impunity right before their very eyes?

All our pooling agents were poorly remunerated. In the Afram plains, for example, we learnt some of our polling agents were given some sort of “estacode” to make them turn a blind eye to all that happened. I have personally encountered a similar situation during the party’s parliamentary primaries in my constituency when the other side infiltrated our ranks and influenced the voting pattern of some delegates we were cock sure were on camp.

I was therefore making frantic appeals to our party headquarters and the campaign team to release monies for such an exercise when I heard our opponents had sent out Santa Claus to give “Christmas presents” to the expectant electorate. I called some members of the party executives. Their phones rang many times but they were not ready to take the calls. So, I resorted to the normal route of communicating with the “powers that be” –through their e-mail addresses. At a stage, I called some people in the United States and complained bitterly to them. They asked me to go and discuss the issue with Nana Ohene Ntow. But how could I go and see this “big man” at the NPP headquarters who would make me fill a form before deciding whether to see me or not.. I told them I would not. They asked me how much I needed, but I told them, I did not need any money. I was only asking that the proper and right thing be done. All I was asking for was that our foot soldiers should not be neglected and that the electorate should not be left out when it came to the distribution of Christmas presents and bonuses.

On the day of the run- off just before I left my house for the voting centre, Someone who identified himself as a committed NPP member called me from Wenchi in the Brong Ahafo Region.. He alleged that 45 [forty five] of embarked on a House-to House campaign. When the money came three of their members hi-jacked it and refused to give others their own share of the goodies. I asked to be allowed to speak with one of the protesters. I pleaded with him to let sanity prevail by convincing his fellow rebels to call off their boycott and that their grievances would be redressed after the election. Do you know what he told me? He said “Now or never, for tomorrow might be too late” and the line went dead. Numerous stories like what I have enumerated abound in many areas. People were given monies to perform certain tasks but they kept the monie4s and the party’s apparatus has not deemed it expedient to call such people to task.

What about party men and women who were to ensure that ordinary people within the society had opportunity to access the MASLOC funds? They used the opportunity to enrich themselves. They sold out the forms to their unsuspecting victims. I happen to be present when some party activist after collecting the forms, decided to reject some of the forms because, as they put it, they were photocopies, not originals. I told them the forms were for free and should not be sold. But great was my shock when the victims themselves advised me in my own interest to keep out of what they claimed affected their very livelihood. They accused me of putting “sand-sand” into their garri, as my Nigerian friends might say. So, poor me, whom am I to complain to? Obviously, not to the party executives who would not like to listen to any dissenting voice. I just kept my cool, praying and hoping against hope that the inaction of our party national executives might not send us into political wilderness.

I have catalogued these instances to buttress my point that the national executives of the NPP have short-charged members of the party. They lack a sense of commitment to the principles of the party. They lack foresight and above all, they lack the leadership skill to put the party together and give ordinary members of the party a sense of hope for the future.

Over the past one week, I have been inundated with numerous calls by disappointed party men and women asking for my views on the way forward. And my answer is simple – That the National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party led by Mr. Peter Mac Manu, having exhibited gross signs of ineffective leadership and communication skills and ability to restore hope to a large member of the party whose morale is at its lowest ebb should consider that their continuous clinging to their positions is inimical and detrimental to the common good of the party and should relinquish their positions forthwith. What do you say to that?

Daniel Danquah Damptey.[danieldanquah_dam