Opinions of Saturday, 23 August 2014

Columnist: Appiah-Osei, Lawrence

The Problem With NPP Is Not The Fighting.

Some few months ago, I went to Ghana for my annual vacation. That was the time, knifes and bottles were swinging around at the NPP Headquarters just because the old security guards were handing over to the new security guards.
A week after the infamous knifes and bottles throwing, I went to the NPP Headquarters and met some guys standing in front of the building. I asked them if they were NPP members and they answered in the positive. I went ahead and asked them what they think about the state of the NPP, and one guy who appeared to be their spokesman told me that my brother, the problem with the NPP is not the fighting. The fighting is just like two kids insulting each other and waiting for their parents to jump in. He continued to say that their prayer is that, the bigger fight will not come before 2016 so that Ghanaians will give them the power to rule Ghana again. He concluded by saying that they hoped the fighting and other major problems in the NPP will continue to be under the carpet until they come to power in 2016. As he was speaking, the other guys were nodding their heads in agreement. At that time, one other guy said in a low voice, “but the NPP is dead”. After he finished speaking, I told them that bad attitude and behavior are just like pregnancy. You can only hide them for a moment. After some point in time, the pregnancy will give you up.
On August 19, 2014 myjoyonline.com reported mayhem at the NPP Headquarters. It was reported that some supporters of the NPP besieged the party headquarters and threatened to attack the party Chairman, Paul Afoko and General secretary, Kwabena Agyapong. The sins of these two fine men were that, after the Chairman, General Secretary and Head of Finance and Administration had met with the Acting Deputy Director of Communication, Perry Okudzeto, it was the General Secretary who had the nerve to tell Mr. Okudzeto to go on a 40-day leave after he has been on the job for four years without leave. In the case of the Chairman, he also had the nerve to hold a press conference to tell the world the reasons why the current administration is doing what they are doing. Should these be sins in an organized and purposeful opposition party? To the extent that people would call for the heads of the Chairman and the General Secretary? Oyiwa!!
Fellow Ghanaians, the NPP keep telling us that the fight within it is an internal wrangling and that it will go away very soon. The internal wrangling in the NPP started immediately after they lost the elections in 2012, but they kept telling us that it is just a family affair. Now the internal wrangling in the NPP has not gone away. It has gotten worse. It has now become a civil war within the party. The small family fight in the NPP has grown into a national fight and Paul Afoko wants the NDC to help him solve it, by suggesting that the NPP thugs were in fact NDC members. I like it when anything wrong that goes on in the NPP and in Ghana is blamed it on the NDC or the Electoral Commission. This is why they are and continues to be in opposition. They have never been able to admit their faults, apologized and moved on.
Ladies and Gentlemen, some of the major problems facing all the members of the NPP are desperation, frustration and greed. The NPP think that the way President John Mahama has mismanaged the economy, they can also recklessly manage their party and still win the general elections in 2016. At the moment, all they are waiting for is for 2016 to come and Nana Akufo-Addo will be President of Ghana. They don’t care how unproductive and meaningless their party become. They don’t care how evil and dangerous Ghanaians will see them to be, and they don’t care if the NPP gives Ghanaians any message or any hope. Their slogan for 2016 is “No Nana No Vote.” What a stupid slogan for a stupid party.
Let us listen to the campaign messages by the front runners of their Presidential race. The only message that Nana Akufo-Addo has been saying for the past eight months is that NPP will win in 2016 and that he is not too old to be President. This is why the GAKE people are saying such a message can never win in 2016. Mr. Alan Kyeremanteng’s only message also for eight months is that the NPP will win in 2016 because he is the most handsome man amongst the candidates to attract floating voters. The NPP think that as they stand on mountain and rooftop, yelling that Ghana is “hard” makes it so. When they were butchering themselves at their party headquarters, President John Mahama and the NDC were cutting sod at Komenda for the restoration of the sugar factory. When they lose elections, then they run to the Supreme Court to have valid votes cancelled.
My Fellow Ghanaians, the civil war we see in the NPP is just a tip in the iceberg. The bigger fight and troubles have not even started. They accused the government of lack of leadership. But where is their leadership? Do the NPP have leaders and elders at all? They have run down all their respected leaders and elders, now they don’t know who to run to for help and advice. If the NPP cannot have time for their own party and manage their 3 million supporters well, what guarantee do Ghanaians have to suggest that if the NPP is given Ghana to rule in 2016, they will have time for the 25 million Ghanaians, who they say are always complaining.
You may be one of the 25 million Ghanaians to vote in December 2016, and if you will allow a disorganized, confused, and meaningless party to rule over you, the choice is yours to make. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to make the decision easier. The NPP is a dead party and we should be bold to tell it to their faces. Unfortunately, you cannot revive it. Sorry!

Lawrence Appiah-Osei (Protocol)
Public Relations Officer (PRO)
NDC Washington Metro Branch
Appiah65@Hotmail.com