Hajia Alima Mahama - I Have Tomorrow To Protect.

For those who have been following the politics of this country, Hajia Alima Mahama's name does not only ring a familiar tune; it is indeed a familiar one. She has traversed, remarkably, the political landscape from the year 2000 when she contested for the Nalerigu-Gambaga Parliamentary seat on the ticket of the NPP and lost to her NDC counterpart. She was returned unopposed by the party and in 2004, she worked hard to reduce the NDC margin by over 50% to win the seat. She has been Deputy Minister of State for Local Government and Rural Development, Deputy Minister of State for Trade, Industries and Presidential Special Initiatives. She is now Minister of State for Women and Children's Affairs. In all these positions, she has excelled creditably.

An astute politician, who has to deal with people who are not politicians, she had to go to her armoury and employ tack and diplomacy in order to reach her set target. Her doors are always open and she likes to listen to everybody, irrespective of one's affiliation, be it political, religious or otherwise. She believes the NPP Administration under President Kufuor has kept faith with the electorate. Perhaps, because of her background as a legal practitioner and a politician, she is very careful in arriving at decisions.

It is therefore with humanity and love for the party that I propose the Honourable Hajia Alima Mahama, Member of Parliament for Nalerigu Gambaga Constituency in the East Mamprusi District and Minister of State at the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs for consideration as running mate to our flag – bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. I have read in various media that the Party elders are not favourably disposed towards her selection, but I will still make my points

In nominating her as running mate, I am not unaware of the odds against her. But as the saying in Twi goes, “S? woposa nunum a na wote ne kankan” “Nunum” is a type of leaf used to cure fever and other ailments. It is when you squeeze the leaves that you can have the real scent and know its potency.

How can we dispense of her when we have never tested her? When the arguments for and against her candidacy started. I took it upon myself to do a background on her and what I got amazed me. At the Ministry for Women and Children Affairs, where she holds the fort, I realized that Hajia Alima Mahama’s style is capable of satisfying the yearnings, aspirations and hopes of the staff, children and women all over the country. My interaction with the staff of the Ministry gave me a fair objective and balanced report of how the affairs at the Ministry are run. She does not take hasty decisions. She does her consultations with the professionals before coming to conclusions.

There is this talk that Ghana is not ready to accept a woman as a leader, at least for now. On this, I beg to strongly disagree. The world is changing and we also have to change with time. Whoever thought that a time would come when the United States will have a black or woman as a Presidential candidate? But it has happened with the selection of Barack Obama as the Democratic Party’s candidate and it nearly happened in Hillary Clinton’s case. Mrs. Clinton, with one or two congressional term experience and eight years as First Lady nearly proved poll makers wrong when she almost won the Democratic Party’s nominations.

Women have held important positions throughout the world and anytime destiny places them in such sensitive positions they excel. In Ghana, the Chief Justice and the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHIRAG) are both women. Mrs. Bennazir Bhutto of Pakistan held the position of Prime Minister at different periods of her life, so it was with Indira Gandhi. Mrs.Sirimavo Bandaranaike was also Prime Minister of Ceylon or Sri Lanka. What about the Iron lady, Margaret Thatcher? She became Prime minister of Conservative Britain at a period when Britain had voted not to join the European Common Market. Mrs. Golda Meir was Prime Minister of Israel at the time the nation was at war with her neighbours and the country came out victorious. At the moment, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf holds sway as President of Liberia- a country just recovering from the ravages of war. The President of Indonesia is also a woman. Not long ago, Mrs. Aquino was President of the Philippines. Isabella Peron had also acted as President of Argentina when her husband passed away.

In all these instances, the women excelled. Thus, I am making a strong case for a woman to be made the running mate to Nana Akufo – Addo. The notion that a woman’s candidacy will not appeal to Northern Muslims should be discarded. If a country like Pakistan with a conservative Muslim population could elect a woman as Prime Minister, what prevents us from doing a similar thing?

A little illustration is necessary here. “Maame Dorkono” had vied for the NDC Parliamentary slot and lost. When Cecilia Dapaa was chosen on the ticket of the NPP to contest the Abirem seat, Maame Dorkono switched over her allegiance to the NPP. It was then we had the famous exchanges between the then two firebrands’ women in the NDC, Maame Dorkono and Frances Essiam. MaameDorkono’s argument was that the election of Cecilia Dapaa to Parliament will enhance the gender balance and lead to “empowerment” of women. Thus, the selection of a woman as running mate will result in more women voting for the party.

But of all the women being touted as possible Nana’s running mate, why single out Hajia Alima Mahama? She has been singled out because she satisfies the yearnings and aspirations of a large percentage of the party. Even though, we have not zoned the Vice Presidential slot to any part of the country, it is the consensus/convention and tradition of the party that if the Presidential Candidate comes from the South his running mate should come from the Northern part of he country to give the ticket a regional balance and a sense of belonging. The reverse has also been the case. In a similar vein, since the candidate is Christian, his vice should be a Muslim. This has been and unwritten, but workable agreement by all true believers of our tradition.

Thus it is un-ethical and against the tenets of our tradition to parade other aspirants from the Southern part of the country as potentials to the running mate slot. We have followed this convention from the period of Professor Adu Boahene though the Kufuor era. The only period this convention was not applied occurred when Ekow Nkenson Arkaa was made running mate to Candidate Kufuor due to a pact the NPP entered into with Arkaa’s party. I am therefore calling on all other aspirants from the Southern part of the country and those who are non Muslims to withdraw from the race. In the alternative they should call their supporters to refrain from further prosecuting the agenda of putting their names forward as likely Vice Presidential candidates. This will enhance party cohesion and give a sense of belonging to party men and women from all over the country All of us are in support of a woman as running mate. However, Hajia Alima Mahama, among all the names being considered for the V.P. slot, is the only person who satisfies all the three criteria enumerated above.

She is a woman

She is from the North

She is a Muslim

Apart from those listed above, we need a hard core party person to take up the V.P. slot. Even though, all those being touted as prospective running mates to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo are members of the Danquah- Busia- Dombo tradition, not all of them could trace their roots to that great tradition. Some of them were compelled to abandoned ship mid-stream to join our own when they were short- changed by their previous political parties. Thus in selecting the running mate, care should be taken not to make a stranger the running mate to the flag-bearer; since the running mate has the potential of becoming the president should something untoward happen to the incumbent President. Hajia Alima’s father, Mr. Mahama Tampurie had been a great follower of the UP tradition. He was the party’s MP for Walewale Constituency

Hajia Alima has brought into the governance discipline, transparency, hope and dedication. A lawyer by profession, her inclusion on Nana’s ticket will give the people of Ghana a new lease of life. She epitomizes hope in every living Ghanaian. She has proved beyond all reasonable doubts that, indeed, there is truth in the saying that “determination is the key or route to success”. What others will regard as her demerit is her strongest asset. Here is a single parent, who by dint of hard work and the belief that with God, every obstacle is surmountable, has been able to raise her child to a stage where every parent should be proud. Her son is doing his second Degree in Law.

She therefore serves as a role model to the numerous women folk throughout the country who are lamenting their woes due to the absence of men in their lives. Other single women could take a cue from the struggles and anguish of this woman, who, against all odds, and against the notion that “this is a man’s world”, has proved to all that she has taken her destiny into her own hands and that from then on the sky would be her launching pad.

Hajia Alima Mahama’s style, life and achievement have touched the lives of many Ghanaians positively. With unyielding tenacity and uncommon determination, she trod on when any lily and faint-hearted would have quit. Every where she goes the crowd in their thousands are there. Her infectious smile is enough to enlighten any gloomy atmosphere.

Her sensitivity to the plight of the less fortunate in the society is without doubt. She feels bothered about the plight of the unwanted child, the abandoned mother and child, the widows the Trokosi’s, the ostracized and ex- communicated witches, the prostitutes and the under-aged child being used as sex object. She has spent her entire life given back to the people what society has spent on her.

Before I conclude this piece, I would want to state that I have been under undue pressure from both blood relations and colleagues in the elephant fraternity not to dabble into that area and fly the kite on Hajia’s candidacy, when I made known my intention to promote her candidature. They told me in plain language that her candidature will not fly. But poor me, my unyielding spirit will not rest. I remain unshaken in my firm belief that the inclusion of Hajia Alima Mahama will add sweet tunes to the melody of the ticket.

Now to all those party gurus who are against Hajia Alima’s candidacy, I have this piece of advice. They should always be guided by history. I have in one of my write ups, enumerated many instances in which the party imposed running mates on the candidates and he result was catastrophic. I shall repeat it here for the sake of posterity. What precipitated the Congolese crisis was the imposition of two incompatibles, Joseph Kassavubu as President and Patrice Lumumba as Prime Minister on the country then called Congo Kinshasa. Joseph Kassavubu sacked Lumumba and the latter also went on air and announced the dismissal of Kassavubu as President.

In the Republic of Dahomey which has been renamed Benin Republic, a three member Presidential Committee made up of Migan Apithy, Albert Ahomadogbe and Nesopho Soglo plunged the country into chaos resulting in the sacking of the civilian administration and the imposition of military rule.

In Ghana, Rawlings was compelled to accept Arkaa as his running mate/vice President candidate because of the alliance the NDC went into with Arkaa’s Party. We know what happened. Shove resulted into push and then punch. In Nigeria, Obasanjo was compelled by the party gurus to accept Abubakar Atiku as his running mate. They peacefully co – existed for sometime after which the two threw all caution to the wind. It got to stage where Obasanjo called his Deputy a traitor.

In Lagos state, the Pan -Yoruba organization, the Afenifere convinced Governor Ahmed Bola Tinubu to accept Buckner Kofo Akerele as his Deputy. The two started “boxing” right after their swearing into office. The rift and tension between the two culminated into the Deputy alleging that the Governor and his aides had locked her out of a cabinet meeting. The Governor and his aides referred to her as a weeping grandmother in need of attention. The relation got so bad to the extent the one occasion when the Governor traveled out of the country, he named his Commissioner for Special Duties acting Governor while there was a substantive Deputy at post.

In Abia State, to satisfy the yearnings of different ethnic groups in the State, the party elders imposed one, Abaribe as running mate on the flag-bearer, Orji Kalu. The rifts brew into the open when impeachments proceedings were preferre3d against the Deputy, whose job was saved by a single vote.

In Osun State, the rift between Governor Bisi Akande and his Deputy, Iyiola Omisore who had been imposed on the Governor by the PDP elders in the State was so strong that it consumed the then Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Chief Bola Ige. I have recounted all these instances to alert the party hierarchy about what an imposition of a running mate on the flag-bearer could do to the party. The Elders and National Executive Members should allow Nana a free hand to choose someone he can comfortably work with. If Nana Akufo –Addo feels so strongly about the credentials and candidature of a party member, so be it. If the party imposes a candidate on the flag-bearer and a conflict arises, whom are we going to blame?

One strong [point about Hajia Alima Mahama is her appeal to both Muslims and Christians alike. Between August 1993 and April, 1996, she was a Training Facilitator on part time basis at the Ecumenical Training and Consultancy Centre at the Christian Council of Ghana. In that position, she helped empower the womenfolk to acquire relevant skills to enable them cope with the numerous tasks that confront them on daily basis. In short, Hajia Alima Mahama gave hope to our womenfolk. She feels bothered about the plight of our women and children because according to her, “I have tomorrow to protect”

Hajia Alima’s mien will enable her to work harmoniously with Nana Akufo-Addo. With what I have seen, read and heard about Hajia Alima and what her inclusion will bring to the party, the people in the three Northern Regions are now ready for a change. With Hajia Alima Mahama at the forefront, the people are ready to be part of the NPP Progressive Government. The three Northern Regions, through the instrumentality of Hajia Alima Mahama are coming back to their roots where they rightly belong.

Hajia Alima Mahama has re-invigorated the political landscape and re-awakened the ancient Ghanaian dream of brightening the corner where one is. She has breathed new life into the politics of this country by preaching politics without bitterness. Her success story is a test of strengths and proof of her resilience.

Daniel Damptey Danquah

Kwame_dennis@yahoo.com 0243715297.