The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is losing its political bites on the political landscape in Ghana. The NPP is gradually losing touch with the grassroots due to the party’s “booklongism”. The NPP likes too much big English that does not make sense to the ordinary Ghanaian, and until the NPP changes its posture the party will continue to lose elections in spite of the economic hardships facing Ghanaians, especially, in the midst of erratic power supply.
When the NPP National Chairman, Paul Afoko, was quoted as saying that Mahamudu Bawumia will play a leading role in the run up to the 2016 general elections, he quickly retreated and said he was misquoted but the “Bawumialogy” being adopted by the NPP simple shows that Bawumia is actually playing a leading role, a role that will lead to the NPP’s defeat in the elections.
NPP claims Bawumia is an economic guru, economic best-brain, economic expert, etc so they have been pushing him around junketing from one place to another with his economic message which does not make any sense to the ordinary Ghanaian who is struggling to make ends meet.
The Bawumialogy Lectures have been the order of the day for the NPP with Bawuimia repeating the same thing over and over against the NDC government’s IMF bailout.
A story was told of an old lady in one of the Fante towns who was watching the evening news on one of the TV channels when she saw one of Bawumialogy Lectures on the economy being aired as part of the news bulletin. Bawumia was at his usual best pouring out some economic figures laced with the terms such as IMF bailout, 12% of this and that, 18.6 % of GDP ………. adding that the current account of the balance of payments has seen a steady deterioration over the last four years, increasing from a deficit of $2.77 billion (8.3 percent of GDP) in 2010 to $4.92 billion (12.2 percent of GDP) in 2012 and $5.8 billion (13.2 percent of GDP) in 2013. The deficit narrowed to $3.6 billion blah blah blah blah.
The old lady asked one of her grand daughters who was watching the news with her in the Fante dialect, “Na abrantse yi eben asem na oreka odzen GPP na pesent na difisiit? Asem a oreka yi mennte ase. Ekom dze hen ma ye pe edziban edzi a ebegyina teevee yi do na erakeka GPP na pesent pesent. Dem borofo ambodae yi nyina wommfa nsolf dumsor dumsor. Mbrantse na nkataasia nnya edwuma nnye na ebegyina teevee yi do na erekeka brofe ambodae a yenntse ase. Eben asem so nyi”?
The old lady’s concern translated into English was, “What is this gentleman talking about saying GDP percent and deficit? I do not understand what he is saying. People are hungry and want food to eat but you appear on TV and say GDP and percent percent. This big English cannot solve the dumsor dumsor (power problem). Young men and women do not have jobs and you appear on TV to speak big English that we do not understand. What is this?
Yes, this old lady represents about 90 % Ghanaians who do not understand those big economic terms and jargons Bawumia has been using. How many educated Ghanaians even understand the NPP heralded Bawumialogy.
While the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is seriously engaging the masses at the grassroots explaining and giving them the assurance that the economic downturn experiencing in the country coupled with the erratic power supply would be solved, NPP is only happy in Accra holding press conference after press conference and also holding unnecessary demonstration in their Asante stronghold with Wontumi as the lead joker. While the NDC is quietly mobilizing and building up its voter bases in the rural areas, the NPP is in Accra trumpeting the Bawumialogy as an achievement.
Bawumia cannot even explain what he has been saying on his Bawumialogy platform in his own local dialect, let alone in Twi, Fante, and other Ghanaian dialects. More than 90% of Ghanaian voters cannot discern what Bawumia has been lecturing about, yet NPP led by its unimpressive Nana Akomea, the Communications Director, keeps on trumpeting and praising Bawuima as an economic best brain in the whole wide world. One cannot understand why NPP retained Nana Akomea as the Communications Director. That man is a total disappointment. He is only interested in hopping from one media house to another, speaking big English that does not make sense to the ordinary voter.
Instead of NPP getting closer to the “kingmakers” in the rural areas and the hinterland, they are sitting in Accra and basking on the glory of Bawumia’s IMF nonsense.
Mark it on the wall, NPP will lose the 2016 general elections even if Jesus Christ and the Prophet Mohammed (s.a.a.w.) are appointed as joint Chairmen of the Electoral Commission, if they continue to rely on Bawumia to play a leading role in the campaign. Bawumia does not appeal to the ordinary voter with his economic monotonous message.
Led by Kwamena Duncan in the Central Region the NPP made noise with the Woyome and dumsor mantra in the run up to the 2012 general elections, yet the party lost miserably in the region.
If NPP wants to win the 2016 elections, they should relegate Bawumia to the background and allow people who can communicate well in the language that the grassroots understand to be at forefront.
Bawumialogy does not win elections. It is a useless venture.
December 7, 2016 is just at the corner. NDC will definitely win the elections if NPP continues like that.
Ghana Politico would like to use this opportunity to advise President John Mahama to be circumspect when appointing people for ministerial appointments. Those “small small” boys he nominated as Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and Deputy Minister for Defence, Gilbert Kenneth Adjei are not mature enough and have no adequate experience for them to hold such important positions. Why? President Mahama, in the abundance of human resources the NDC can boast of, you pick these nyatsenyatse boys for these gargantuan Ministries. Look at how Akandoh disgraced himself at his vetting.