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Opinions of Sunday, 27 May 2018

Columnist: Disina Bakari Salisu

Salaga South MCE on a war path with newly elected executives of NPP

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The New Patriotic Party has shown its leadership by example and they have demonstrated the fact that they are the champions of democracy not in Ghana alone but beyond the boundaries of the countries.

In fact, it is based on this assertion that the NPP is duly recognized around the globe and they belong to many liberally minded organizations across the world.

Since 1992 with the inception of democracy and its ideals, the NPP has been able to manage its internal democratic credentials in a manner that everybody admires.

The management of internal democracy demonstrates high levels of maturity and growth of the party which in very many respects assist the party to capture national power.

The management of internal democracy is the bane of most parties as that has more often than not, resulted in the disintegration of parties especially at the leadership level.

We are all aware of the happenings in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) especially with the defeat of the then president John Dramani Mahama in the 2016 general elections. The biggest problem confronting the NDC now is their ability to manage their internal democracy. That is by the way.

What is currently happening at Salaga South Constituency leaves much to be desired and there is the need to draw national attention to these happenings.

Since the outcome of the constituency elections in the Salaga South Constituency, troubles have been brewing due to the intransigent position of the Municipal Chief Executive Honorable Mohammed Tamimu has taken. The reason for his intransigence is not far-fetched.

During the just ended constituency elections, he single handedly sponsored some candidates in the elections, and as if by divine grace all the candidates he sponsored and openly supported with “liquid cash” lost in a very woeful manner.

This loss has occasioned bad blood between the sitting MCE and the newly elected executives. He has refused to work with new constituency executives since according to him they are not the candidates he supported during the constituency executive elections and they are not his choice and therefore does not find it suitable to work with. What does he now do?

The modus operandi of the MCE now is to always sideline the new executives when it comes to party activities within the Salaga South Municipality. In fact, he is on record to have said that he is not ready in the least to work with the newly elected executives for reasons best known to him.

What the Municipal Chief Executive is failing to understand is that in a democratic dispensation like ours, people cannot always have their ways and therefore the ideal thing to do is to have compromises so that at the end of the day democracy will thrive and survive for the betterment of the people in any given locality.

We the people of Salaga South want to send a note of caution to the leadership of the ruling NPP that the Municipal Chief executive of Salaga South Honorable Mohammed Tamimu, should immediately be called to order as what he is doing is nothing short of sending the NPP back into opposition since his refusal to work with the newly elected party executive amounts to ‘hijacking’ the party for no any known reason apart from the reason that the newly elected executives were not his choice during the constituency executive elections.

What he should realize is that even the president His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo if he had his way he would want to hand pick his favorites during constituency, regional and national executive elections but being a true democrats he stays very neutral all through such elections, and allow the machinery of democracy to grind on by allowing the chips to fall where they may.

Such is the beauty of democracy and therefore any attempt to stifle the free flow of ideas, choice and the exercise of free will, will be tantamount to destruction of democracy and the very ideals it stands for and against the 1992 constitution especially under the directive principles of state policy at article 35(9) under political objectives, which states that “The state shall promote among the people of Ghana the culture of political tolerance”.

Why then would a whole Municipal Chief Executive of Salaga South want to foist his will on the people?

The Honorable MCE for Salaga South must realize that it is a party that gives birth to government and therefore if some party executives have worked tirelessly to let the party come to power, it is not up to him to reverse the clock of progress by being categorical, saying that he cannot work with the current crop of NPP constituency executives of Salaga South. He does not have the wherewithal to even think about this attitude he is putting up let alone attempt to put it into practice.

By this, we are calling on the National Executives of the NPP to take pragmatic steps in ensuring that, the activities of the Salaga South MCE is halted before he causes mayhem and destruction to the party.

Don’t forget that election 2020 is just a stone throw away and this is not the time to start saying ‘I cannot work with this person or that person’ much to the detriment of the party.

The NPP is gradually gaining its roots in the north and therefore all gains made so far should not be eroded by some self-seeking and self-serving persons. The party is bigger than all.

A stitch in time saves nine!!!