The regional branches of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have been busy in the past few weeks,their activities climaxing in last Saturday’s elections of officers.
For some, these were moments of jubilation while others had to embrace fate and get on. After all, one person wins in such contests but the political party on whose shoulder all contests are held,is the ultimate victor.
We observed the wrangling in some constituencies, some of which eventually landed in courts for adjudication.
Be it as it may, democracy has prevailed and delegates entitled to vote have played their parts as by the laws of the party provided.
Political parties in any given true democratic dispensation constitute the bodies from which the people make their decisions. They believe in common policies and directions which when voted into power, would be implemented for the good of the country.
It is for this reason that political parties are not mere clubs but groupings whose operations are governed by the Political Parties Law.
Those who fan the embers of disharmony, their action fueled by hatred and bereft of any sensible cause, are doing disservice to democracy.
Whatever our differences within same political parties and across the divides, the national interest should be paramount.
It does not make sense for us to hide behind imaginary factors to pull down political opponents. Members of the same political parties believe in the same directions and so it is insensible for such wrangling to go on especially, for so long.
We wish to shower accolades on the leadership of the NPP for their efforts in settling disagreements within their fold so harmony can prevail.
Troubled political parties presuppose an ailing democracy, something we should not nurture because of the negative impact of such developments on the national interest.
Although our political culture is fledgling and therefore shortcomings not unusual, we must admit that we have covered a number of milestones in our journey.
Every milestone should prime us for better democratic exercises so that repeated scenes are not recorded. The lessons learnt this time around should guide us in our future political endeavours.
Favouritism and outright manouvres to tilt the balance in political contests should be avoided by all means. Many of the instances of disharmony are steeped in the foregone avoidable as they are.
Such delegates conferences are critical in the lives of political parties and so should always be treated with seriousness and not frivolously, as some seek to make them out of ignorance about the building blocks of democracy.
Rival political parties have watched the unfolding of the developments, the climax of course, enriching themselves with the experience.
The final hurdle lies ahead and it is our hope that the lessons learnt would impact on that too.