The Fault, Dear NPP, Does Not Lie In Your Sinning Souls

I am going to church on Sunday for the first time in many many years and I am very excited about that. I have been rehearsing worship and praise songs I have not sung in a long time. I read my favorite bible verse “Give us this day our daily bread” with some appetizers attached, today. Unfortunately, my wife is not too enthused about it. She tells me it is not about going to church and singing songs or praying. It is about recognizing your sinful ways and repenting. It is about realizing that the way you go about doing things is not good and asking for forgiveness and after that determining to do things in a way that will please God. What she means is that, church going without a change in character is a waste of time, and I should add that change in character should be manifested in how you respect and treat your fellow man.

The reader may ask why this sermon today? Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem? The New Patriotic Party is going to church. I am not talking about individual members being religious or Christians, NOooo. The party is establishing PRAYER CAMPS IN EVERY CONSTITUENCY. Wow, how inspiring and anointing it is. It is said by Christians that when one sinner repents, there is joy in heaven. I very much think that there is a jamboree and miliki in heaven right now.

Seriously, this is the greatest news I have ever heard coming from Ghanaian politics. I very much hope the party will go beyond just the assembly and praying in prayer camps to also institute measures to effect a change in the character of the party that will please God.

FOR, DEAR NPP, THE FAULT IS NOT IN YOUR SINNING SOULS, BUT IN YOURSELVES; IN YOUR INVOLEMENT IN USING INSULT AS A CAMPAIGN STRATEGY; IN YOUR VINDICTIVENESSS; IN YOUR EXTREME ARROGANCE AND YOUR SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT; AND IN YOUR ALLEGIANCE TO PROPERTY-OWNING DEMOCRACY THAT SATISFIES ONLY THE TOP CLASSES OF GHANAIAN SOCEITY IN A DEVELOPING COUNTRY LIKE OURS. The Busia-Danquah-Dombo tradition from which the NPP emerged is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, political traditions in Ghana politics. They initiated the fight that finally led Ghana to independence. Since then they have contributed immensely to democratization of the country. They are fierce defenders of human rights and constitutional rule and have led the struggle that has ensured that Ghanaians have the opportunity to enjoy these essential human necessities. They have over the years served as the counter balance to the liberal and socially-oriented Nkrumah-Rawlings tradition. Every Ghanaian no matter their political persuasion respects the party as a pillar in Ghanaian politics.

However, sometimes, the party’s way of doing things border on sinfulness. In their determination to win power, they see every election as a war with their “enemies” that must be won and most of the times use some extreme tactics to “destroy” these enemies. In recent times some sections of the party have come to solve any form of confrontation with some form of insult or fight.

The party has a large constituency that is well educated and others that are sometimes very cunning. Though this constituency is in the minority, the party leadership has not done anything to stop their activities. This inaction comes out as condoning by the party hierarchy, probably because they indirectly benefit from it. Some of the time some of their campaign tactics come out as discussions of personalities or attempts to tear opponents down. Instead of discussing issues, most of the time some members of the party get too emotional and resort to insult and character assassination of individuals. Most of us have come to know that some party functionaries sometimes create artificial crisis and blame it on their opponents to score political points.

The party’s tradition did this to Kwame Nkrumah, Liman and Jerry Rawlings. When Nkrumah could not work with them during the fight for independence, some members subjected him to bombings and the country to virtual civil war that cost the lives of many innocent Ghanaians. When that did not succeed, they resulted to tactics that could disintegrate the country into tiny tribe-based states and allow the party’s strong holds to form their own independent governments. All because some people could not bring themselves to live in a country where they were not the rulers.

When those tactics did not succeed and Ghana gained independence as a single country under the CPP, they resulted to coup attempts and further bombings and assassination attempt that forced Nkrumah to wrongly respond with the Preventive Detention Act. In the 80s when the PNDC allowed press freedom in the country, then Chairman “Akonta” Rawlings was subjected to such vilification that has not been witnessed in the country before and ever by some people who now associate themselves with the party. Political debates by some sections of the party are sometimes too loud and with a too all knowing attitude and most of the time full of insinuations and sometimes downright insults. Any disagreement is met with war-like attitude. Most of the time, the leadership does not show the willingness to work with their political opponents unless they have their way. In the era of technology, some members have started a campaign of electronically distorting people’s speeches and doctoring other materials to stick dirt on their opponents. Some members in leadership have come to have the sense of entitlement and violently dispute any election that they lose. This is a frightening behavior for a party that so believes in the rule of law and constitutional democracy.

Let me tell you a short story. In the late 80s after I was released from police cells where I was kept for months on suspicion of giving a subversive speech against the PNDC, I was recruited into the NPP and made the unit chairman of the Teshie Guest Inn unit of the party. For a long time during the campaigning for Professor Adu Boahen, my house was turned into a court of litigation because of the insulting campaigning members of the party were engaged in. Anybody who disagreed with some of the members was subjected to rain of insult. Everybody who disagreed with the party was an animal with human skin. I finally had to quit my position in the leadership because I just could not stand it anymore and unfortunately, the NPP lost the elections.

Recently, when I went home to Akim Otwereso and Ayirebi and asked party members how they were preparing for the coming general election, a nephew of mine told me “Oh we have told our Ewe brothers to vote for us this time”. When my sister said she was voting for the NDC, all those assembled asked her if she were an Ewe and that resulted in a fight. The impression I got was that we are making the “Ewes” to believe that voting for Nana Akuffo Addo as president of Ghana is voting for the Akans “this time”. I can cite numerous instances of occurrences like that in many parts of the country that I have come across.

What I am saying is that, on many occasions the party’s campaigns have been run on divisional lines that create some sectors of the country as “them” against “us”. These attitudes especially the apparent arrogance with which some party members go about doing things are responsible for the party being in opposition now right after a single Kuffour presidency. Instead of establishing prayer camps, the party should come out with programs that will educate the followers on programs and the manifesto of the party that the foot soldiers can campaign on. Unless they have something tangible to say during their house to house campaign, the less educated members of the foot soldiers would be forced to result to campaign as usual even if in response to others.

All those who are appointed as the public relations face of the party including the foot soldiers and leaders of the women’s groups who are going to be involved in political campaigns should be given public relations education to know how to send the party’s message across to win heart without antagonizing the electorate with insulting or arrogant behavior. Let me make it clear that the culture of insult is NOT the NPP’s invention, neither is it exclusive to them. In fact most of the time, like all people in Ghana, they are forced to indulge in it as a response to insults hurled at them by others. But I must admit that some followers of the party are also deeply involved in the phenomenon. They have helped nurture and used it and most of the time it fore-shadows whatever message they want to send across.

It is not prayers in some camps that is going to win power for the NPP; it is what the party will do to correct the mistakes that sent them into opposition. Aren’t you amazed the party is in opposition now? After being in opposition all your political life, and after 19 years of the P/NDC when the country came together for a change and choose the NPP to lead the country, the people of Ghana were forced to bring back the NDC just after Kuffour’s presidency. In the last election, the NPP won only the Ashanti region. What happened? You think you did not pray enough then?

The NPP is a great party but greatness comes with some responsibilities that to me does not include prayer camps with prayer warriors, but has a lot to do with attitudes and behaviors. You don’t need God to tell you that; you know what to do and you have about a year to do it. If in doubt ask your wives and husbands or go to Kwame Nkrumah Circle or Kejetia and ask your grass root followers there.

I wish you all and the NPP as a party well. We shall meet in a prayer camp nearest to you. Meanwhile, let me leave you so I can go and break my fast. We have prayer meeting tomorrow.

Your born again brother-in-Christ or is it Mallam, Kwame Yeboah

gyeboah@harding.edu