John Mahama
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) showcased its might at its National Campaign Launch at the Jubilee Park in the northern metropolis of Tamale last Saturday.
By all standards the event lived up to its bidding as a national event to shake the foundations of the political architecture. All the bigwigs of the party were in attendance with the focus on its leader, John Dramani Mahama and his running mate, Grandma Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang.
Besides the pomp and ceremony, we are concerned about the substance of the launch but not the form it took in Tamale where John Mahama and other leaders failed to explain to Ghanaians how they will fix the challenges facing the people.
The rally was more of an attack on the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) than policies that will reset Ghana. While John Mahama speaks about his 24-hour economy, his running mate talks about Women’s Development Bank, two key policies of the NDC which they have failed to explain what they mean to the ordinary Ghanaian.
In 2008, when then candidate Akufo-Addo conceived the free SHS, many Ghanaians understood it and bought into it. And indeed, the persistence of Nana Akufo-Addo to get the people to appreciate the policy helped the free SHS and other initiatives such as One District, One Factory and One Constituency, One Ambulance to catch the imagination of the electorate like wild bushfire in 2016.
The question is, since John Mahama performed abysmally in the 2016 elections and has remained in opposition for almost eight years, has he been able to convince the electorate that he and his NDC are a better alternative? The answer is a big ‘no’, and we shall give reasons for our position.
For sometime now, John Mahama has erected billboards and posted banners across the length and breadth of the country trying to convince the electorate about his character and achievements. His catchwords include integrity, honesty and trustworthy. Again, did John Mahama exhibit those qualities while in office and even now in opposition?
We leave that to the assessment of the electorate as we inch towards the next elections. Those that defeat stare in the face have started calling the Jean Mensa-led EC names and some NDC elements have even threatened mayhem if their party loses the polls.
The NDC does not believe in the sovereign will of the people, and that is why less than five months to the polls, it is struggling with its campaign messages. A keen observer of the campaign scene described the event that took place in Tamale as a jamboree or fanfare to showcase the best dressed gentleman or lady.
It was not a serious event to tell Ghanaians about how the NDC plans to avoid another session of dumsor. It was as if the NDC had taken us to the studios of GTV on a Sunday afternoon to face the quiz master for a ‘What Do You Know’ contest.
Cross check John Mahama’s track records in terms of performance and utterances against his statements in Tamale, and one will not be far from right that the NDC was teasing our brains whether we remember anything about the erstwhile NDC administration or we are really suffering from “short memories.”
We are not being harsh on John Mahama and his NDC if we say the rally in Tamale lacked meat. One of the leading members of the party and an intellectual bully, Tony Aidoo, in October explained why he stopped attending congresses of the NDC, detailing how the party has lost focus over the years.
He said the NDC never holds discussions on significant issues and policies that will improve the party, but rather focuses on trivial matters such as nominating party officials and flagbearers. His verdict; “Our congresses never extended to the discussions of policies and programmes. It was only for elections; elections of party officials and flagbearer whose razzmatazz ends and we go. We never had time to discuss policies and programmes.”
Does any discerning NDC member contests our description of the Tamale rally as a jamboree to showcase best dressed personalities and those who shouted loudest and blew the vuvuzelas?
The problem with NDC supporters is that they hate the truth and also detest the reality that, first remove the beam in your eye before you talk about the speck from your brother’s eye.
The NDC is quick to call Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia a liar, but they forget about John Mahama in their backyard. We think the question as to which of the political parties has a superior policy option can be settled at the presidential debate. Let no one run away from the debate as the electorate will be better informed to make better choices.