CPP -Party in Disarray?

CPP'S CAMPAIGN HAS REVEALED A PARTY IN DISARRAY *

If how a political party runs its campaign is an indication of how it would run the country given the chance, then events over recent months have undoubtedly shown the CPP to be the party that Ghanaians should have gravest reservations about. It is particularly disheartening to witness the internal combustion of the CPP given its role in the struggle for independence over fifty years ago.

It has become apparent as the result of distressed voices raised from many quarters and all corners of the country that under Nduom's leadership the CPP has become a fractured, disunited and unhappy political force.

An early warning sign of the disquiet in the CPP camp emerged when the Daily Guide 'exposed' Nduom's attempts to broker a partnership with the NPP (Nduom Exposed, Daily Guide, Monday 1 September 2008). The revelation that as far back as June 2007, Nduom had plotted to wrest control out of the hands of the CPP's existing party grandees and form a covert alliance with the NPP only confirmed the experience of many in the party's central organisation. Suspicions about Nduom's own personal motives led many to believe that he was sinisterly exploring alliances with both the NDC and the NPP in a bid to secure the greatest possible personal advantages for himself from the election, irrespective of the catastrophic effect this would have on his party. Indeed, since his election as flagbearer of the CPP, it appears Nduom has sought to sideline and frustrate the duly elected party officials, instead organising his campaign through a haphazard and informal personal network loyal only to him. A case in point was the organisation of two youth events – a rally in cape coast and a meeting with TERSCHART representatives – without any of the proper consultation or coordination with the Party's elected National Youth Leader.

Furthermore, across the country constituency branches found themselves short of the materials, logistics and resources necessary to mount a credible political campaign because their flagbearer was hording them all for his own presidential bid. The communiqué from the Berekum Constituency CPP confirms this, stating that they "do not have any means of transport for the campaign. Then again t-shirts, posters, billboards, banners, and all other equipment which would help us through campaigns are not available." The Constituency Secretary is forced to resort to "pleading on behalf of the constituency to support as with what you could afford, to help us in our campaign.", a call that has been echoed by local campaigners across the country including the party's parliamentary candidates Yaw Nkunim of Manhyia in Ashanti, Joseph Bolson of Ejura, Suleiman Ishack of Wa Central and Mamshin Yaro Omar of Adenta. Needless to say their missive fell on deaf ears.

This simmering internal discontent finally broke out into the public arena when a confidential memo from the National Youth Organizer was leaked to the press. Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr's letter to the Party's Leader and Chairman and copied to the flagbearer, national leadership and parliamentary caucus, expressed the grave and serious concerns that had built over the course of the election campaign. It was clearly a last resort after other attempts to raise and resolve these issues had been ignored, but yet again the warning signs were to be ignored.

In response, the party attempted to kick up sufficient dust as to blind Ghanaians and distract them from the issues at hand. But nevertheless it is clearly discernable that the rank and file of the CPP have not been won over by Nduom's flashy style and way with words. Instead, in the words of the National Youth Organiser, he has left them "demotivated and divided" both as a result of his insufficient attention to the resourcing of party branches and because of the manner in which he conducts his campaign in the localities, where here too he pursues a 'divide and rule' policy, seeking to sideline the elected party officers and instead form his own cabal behind closed doors. As Bomfeh Jnr poignantly notes "no Party has survived by destroying the interest of her members" – a cautionary tale Nduom would have been wise to heed but instead has unthinkingly dismissed.

The party's rebuttal to these serious allegations sadly only succeeded in confirming their veracity. Former grandees who had formed the bedrock and heart of the CPP since its resurrection were nowhere to be seen, and the bland and unconvincing statement released by the Party Chairman, Ladi Nylander, failed to offer any convincing refutation of the numerous concerns raised by numerous party members from different levels.

For the sake of our democracy and for healthy political discourse, we can only hope that Nduom either stages a dramatic reversal of his leadership style which up until now has verged on dictatorship (and sadly this seems unlikely), or that following the electoral defeat that will undoubtedly result from such a divisive and disorganised campaign, the CPP find themselves a new, more cohesive and conciliatory leader who properly understands the necessity of working with and seeking consensus amongst all party members in a modern democratic party.