NDC Think Twice: Light a Match, Start a fire!

With the NDC fanning the flames of social unrest

1. In the middle of a global pandemic (which has railed Ghana into a recession for consecutively two quarters of 2020)
2. In a climate of high unemployment and
3. Over 50% of the population under 25

This is a potential recipe for complete disaster when it comes to increasing the possibility of slowly de-stabalising the country and leading it to a possible civil war. All die be die but not at all costs.

Although the appointment of 11 Supreme Court judges by Mr. Nana Akuffo-Addo in the last 2 years would be enough to make any political party think twice about seeking redress from the Supreme Court in Ghana; it appears that Mr. John Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have no other option but to go to court!.

Furthermore, Mr. Mahama may have to consider why he didn’t select an additional pool of young and diverse strategists who think outside the box to plan his campaign; since the de facto skirt and blouse selection by Ghanaian voters suggests that the Ghanaian voter is now more discerning than ever and it’s going to take more than a pretty smile and natural communication skills to win over voters who may not have been convinced that Mahama had more to offer for now.

On the face of it, it was incredibly easy for Mahama to have overwhelmingly won the 2020 presidential elections with key messaging, none of which appeared to feature in a campaign that relied heavily on theatrics, as it is continuing to do so now.

There was national touring but not much substance in the messaging; a lot of money spent on the actual campaign to tour but not enough on people who would have helped refine Mahama’s messaging and disagreed with him to the point of making him a better candidate for public consumption and acceptance.

Although authenticity and sincerity can never be taught; it can however with the right prodding be coaxed out of a politician who may have travelled this road before however arguably it is not the same political road and climate and a different bag of political tricks needed to have been presented nationally for absolute maximum effect.

Lighting a match and starting a fire might seem a political experiment, the reality of societal flames however can sometimes be unending; unforgiving; indiscriminate and detrimental to fledging new democracies like Ghana’s democracy.

Although the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Asiedu Nketia, recently stated that: “So why do you want to go to court when the person who knows that when you go to court you will need A, B, C [pink sheets] and they are blocking your means of getting there so that you cannot go to court. And then sycophants will be sitting outside and shouting go to court.”

Arguably however the only way to force the Electoral Commission to produce pink sheets the NDC claims the Electoral Commission is withholding, is to seek a swift injunction compelling Ms. Jean Mensah’s Office to produce the pink sheets. Especially since obtaining the sheets will supposedly pave the way for a Supreme Court bid. Any decent lawyer could have advised them that.

Furthermore, as entertaining as it may be to watch the latest daily antics from different members of the NDC; they have got to remember that they are a serious political party in Ghana who were recently in power with some credibility remaining and a former President of Ghana leading their cause. Mr. Mahama must therefore DEMONSTRATE his reliance and fundamental belief in the rule of law, for the international spotlight is now firmly on Ghana.

We only have to look to Sierra-Leone to remember how easy it was to take the political cocktail of lots of youth, high unemployment, social unrest and the lighting of a political flame to spark the kind of civil wars Sierra-Leone is still recovering from.

The NDC has also got to believe in the judiciary in order to save face publically. Afterall, Malawi recently overturned their 2019 presidential elections with their Supreme Court agreeing that the elections were seriously flawed. And besides leadership at that presidential level means strategizing to ultimate success not letting a frail ego and familiar sympathizers be part of one’s thoughts.

For our democracy has been hard earned and can be further challenged with redress to actual courts and not only the court of public opinion.

Amanda Akuokor Clinton,

Msc. African Politics (SOAS), London.