The Indiscipline Within The NDC Must Be Halted Now!

By Kweku Grant
It is said in the local Ghanaian parlance that if a person does not know what death looks like, he or she should look at a person asleep. In the same vain, anyone who does not know how indiscipline leads to failure and shame, he or she should look at the performance of the Black Stars at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
It is indiscipline that led to Ghana’s early exit from the World Cup and the international disgrace regarding the $ 3 million that followed.
Indiscipline always ensures that an individual or a group never reach the height they would have otherwise attained. A typical example is Mike Tyson. As the youngest heavyweight champion ever in the history of the pugilist sport, the sky was his limit. In no time, he became the youngest undisputed and undefeated heavyweight champion of the world. But indiscipline resulted in his being beaten soundly by an underdog, James ‘Buster’ Douglas in Tokyo. Tyson was beaten to pulp. That was the beginning of the end of the feared boxer.
Sadly, this disease called indiscipline has gradually crept into the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which if not checked in time, can cause the party the 2016 elections and keep it in opposition for a long time.
Indiscipline reared its ugly head in the party particularly during the reign of President Mills when the Founder of the party, Former President Rawlings, took up a position against him (President Mills). Instantly, the party was split into two camps; the Get Atta Mills Endorsed (GAME) and Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings (FONKAR). What was to follow later was nauseating. The young people on both sides were the ones hurling insults at both President Atta Mills and Former President Rawlings.
One would have taught that it will be the Totobi Quakyis, Kwamena Ahwois, PV Obengs, Kwame Peprahs etc who will take on Rawlings for his incessant attacks on President Mills. They did not. Instead, it was the young ones in the party who had the temerity to do that.
Yes, Rawlings took on President Mills in such a manner that many cringed but being peers, so to speak, it had nothing to do with indiscipline on the part Rawlings. But, that young persons, many of who were probably toddlers when Rawlings began what would end up in the NDC coming into being should be the ones to insult Rawlings ostensibly in defence of President Mills was unacceptable. It was a mark of indiscipline. Ostensibly, in defence of Rawlings, other young persons who could at best qualify as grandchildren of President Mills had the audacity to attack, nay, insult President Mills. The young persons from both camp continued their act of indiscipline with glee buoyed by the support they were receiving from other senior members of the party and also because others who could stop it failed to act.
The likes of Alban Bagbin added to the indiscipline. They found nothing wrong with publicly criticizing President Mills in public. Could he have done same when Rawlings was President? Could Babgin et al criticize Rawlings in public. Yeah, those were the good old days of public discipline when you either put up or shut up. Yet, Bagbin did not find anything wrong with attacking President Mahama in public.
With all these acts of indiscipline going on within the NDC, by the beginning of 2012, many knew that the party was heading back into opposition. Then fate set in; President Mills passed away. Riding on the crest wave of public sympathy (which NDC will not have in 2016), the party, led by President Mahama, won the General elections again. One would have thought that the party’s members and supporters had learnt lessons but alas, they have not. Sadly, the acts of indiscipline in the party have returned with a vengeance. Once more, it involves mostly the youth with the instigation of the elderly. This act of indiscipline is now in the form of protests and demonstrations once a Minister has been dropped by the President.
The first incident occurred in 2013 when Hon. Haruna Iddrisu’s name did not appear in the list of names of persons the President had nominated as Ministers. NDC youths in Tamale staged a demonstration and vandalized items. Now, these demonstrations have become common phenomena in the NDC.
When Hon. Oppong Ofosu was dropped as Minister of Local government about a month ago, NDC youths in the Amenfi Constituency embarked on a demonstration calling for his reinstatement. In the Upper East Region, a group calling itself Concerned Tertiary Students of the Upper East Region has threatened to demonstrate in Bolgatanga if President Mahama does not reinstate Dr. Ephriam Avea Nsoah as Upper East Regional Minister.
In the Upper West Region, NDC youths demonstrated and vandalized properties over the removal of Bide Zideng as Regional Minister. There is news now that some youths in the Volta Region have decided to demonstrate against the removal from office of Hon. Humado who has been replaced with Hon. Fifi Kwetey.
Why all these acts of indiscipline? Are the youths of the party now saying the President does not have the prerogative to appoint whoever he dims fit can help him run affairs of the state and dismiss whoever he feels is not delivering? The President often acts on information available to him? Are the youths embarking on these demonstration privy to the information the President has on his appointees? Does these rampaging youths know the criteria by which the President appoints or removes a person from office?
It is clear that these acts of lawlessness are masterminded by some elders in the party because the individuals not nominated or whose appointments have been terminated serve their parochial interest. There is also no doubt that either all or most of the individuals in whose favour the demonstrations are taking place are the ones masterminding them.
These acts of indiscipline could not have taken place during the Rawlings regime because the National Executive Council (NEC) of the party, particularly, the Functional Executive Council (FEC) were effective. But today, the NDC has a very weak FEC. In fact, the FEC is hapless. Some of the members are themselves tied to the apron strings of other senior members of the party.
The party has a National Chairman who has decided not to be proactive because he believes others have sabotaged him. The party has a National Women’s Oragnizer who is not on talking terms with a good number of the Regional Women’s Organizers. The party has a Youth Leader who is non-existent; he emerges only when criticized or when elections are in sight. The party has a Propaganda Secretary who has gone AWOL. Why won’t there be so much indiscipline and lawlessness within the party.
The way forward is for President Mahama to be resolute. He should stand his grounds and not kowtow to the blackmailing activities of the youths who allow themselves to be used by some senior members of the party. If the president stands his grounds, such nonsense will stop. Hopefully, the party will elect more efficient National and Functional Executive Members who will stamp out the indiscipline within the party. The party urgently needs a Disciplinary Committee that will investigate and punish party members who take part in such demonstrations or sponsor them. In the meantime, the Council of Elder must act to help the President to halt these acts of indiscipline. It is about time that Former President Rawlings, Capt (rtd) Tsikata, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu as well as other elders of the party put aside their personal differences, come together to institute measures that will stop these acts of indiscipline and lawlessness.
Those who sponsor these demonstrations, the youths who allow themselves to be used and those who should act to stop these acts of indiscipline but have failed to do should remember Ex-President Kufuor’s famous comment that “It is better to be a messenger in a ruling party than the General-Secretary of a party in opposition.”