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The National Jeopardy: Tribalism and Political Fanaticism breed interparty rift.

Our fragile, infant democracy and our quest for economic freedom are taking a wrong turn lately—courtesy of the bad blood between NDC and NPP.

The political cage -fight between NDC and NPP seems not to stop anytime soon because a knock- out is nowhere in sight. But can't we all get along for the sake of the national progress and mother Ghana? Paradoxically, when two elephants fight the casualties are the weeds, small trees and plants that need nutrients the most.

The main casualties of the political fight are the poor voters who have to stand in line for hours to vote every four years for the people who are busy fighting each other instead of finding solutions to our emerging problems. Please somebody should tell me: Since when did trying to beat each other in the head in a cage- fight constitute national progress and a political maturity?

The relationship between the NDC and NPP has never been lovey-dovey since Rawlings' era, but it's getting out of control these days. The poisonous political feud between these two main political parties is so fiercest that it's preventing us to see the good in political and tribal diversity. The sad part of this national tragedy is that the media is standing idly by and fawning, drooling and crooning all over the feudfest .It has done little to change the tone, tenor, or temperature of these two political parties and their interparty rift.

But all that is about to change—at least if I have my way to mediate a ceasefire over a cold star beer at my place. Yes, it's a dream but I'm not giving up on my dream of mediation in order to stabilize the situation.

Yes, I know I have stepped into dog poop by bringing this in house fighting to live. For one thing I didn't set out to write a piece that would attack or explain tribal diatribes on our political landscape. I have got no illusion that writing about tribal politics is the equivalent of walking a picket line—I can not do everything right. But, how long can we stand by to watch the fight? I'm not a formally trained mediator or philosopher. I'm fundamentally a social commentator and a person who roots for Ghana and her quest for economic prosperity. However, I don't expect to see any full-fledged impact of my writings, supposedly on the Ghanaian political or social equilibrium .But, I hope one day history would prove me right.

Unfortunately, we have reached the point where if a point is made on anything that affects the country, the first question people ask is:” Whose idea was it?” In effect, people want to know which party came up with the idea before they are willing to support it. So to them the issue is not whether it is a right idea or wrong idea for our country. Instead it has come down to whether the idea originated from NDC or NPP. It depends who looks at it and one's party affiliation and tribe. But, I'm not sure if we have true NDC or NPP ideas. Though we have plenty of anti-NDC or anti-NPP ideas floating around in Ghana's political corridors, we still don't have rooms for positive ideas from a party we don't like.

Virtually, every meaningful conversation I have ever had with well-meaning Ghanaians on the subject of Ghana has either gotten around to politics or tribal fanaticisms .They are problems to Ghanaians who want Ghana to be a place they can live. The point is we don't have to be unusual or saintly human beings to confront these problems. So to defuse the volatile relationship we need to get them to sit down at a” cold beer summit”.

On July 30th, 2009 President Obama ended a feud between Harvard Professor Gates jr, and Police officer Sgt. Crowley of Cambridge over a cold “beer” at the White House. That got me thinking: “What if the NDC and NPP could end their feud over a cold Star beer or a bottle of Herb Afrik bitters at my private Retreat at Tweapease, tucked inside kwaebribirm district?” We can even top it off with goat meat with okra sauce and banku .And, if that is not enough we could play the late Bob Marley's music;” One love, let's get to gather and feel alright.........” and we all would hold hands and dance the night off.

But, I'm beginning to worry. So forget about a cold Star beer summit .That's not happening with the rate the parties' foot soldiers and power brokers are fanning the hatred flame .The best we can hope for is a country being ruled on tribal lines. Given the toxic tones of the parties I wonder whether or not anything meaningful can be achieved within reasonable time.

It appears neither Herb Afrik bitters nor a cold star beer and okra sauce with banku could resolve the feud because NDC and NPP parties and their sympathizers don't want a cease-fire. They don't want civility to be introduced into the Ghanaian political arena because the spectators have wrapped themselves up in the tribal costume. They have little inclination to shift their beliefs and hatred towards each other and they continually and covertly fan the tribal fire while openly chanting their love for Ghana.

I know I have my work cut out for me because the two parties are not willing to end the feud anytime soon. It isn't just that they can't solve it, but they're using it to promote their own tribal agenda. The car-hungry, property-grabbing, me-first, I-get-mine—politicians ---with insatiable appetite for worldly toys make their daily breads by promoting tribal and political tensions.

The feud has underscored the politically hazardous ecology that the parties are busy helping to cultivate. But, in these hard economic times do we really need that political drama? They are doing that whilst the people are suffering, schools are falling apart and road network are ridden with pot holes, water shortages and youth yeaning for employment.

Unfortunately, the feud is gaining political and social tractions to a larger extent with the help of the parties' power players and foot soldiers, who use party affiliation to camouflage their tribal -cleansing sentiments and their own personal short –term agenda.

A multi-party system is a good thing. It provides a system of checks and balances. And, from a distance the feud between NDC and NPP looks and sounds like an ordinary political check and balance. But, it's characteristically loaded with tribal diatribe, innuendoes and the promotion of one's tribe over another; all to the detriment of mother Ghana.

These days the lines between party memberships, a fan, or ethnic fanatic are getting very blur---with deadly consequence. Do you know the difference? A lot of people don't. If you don't believe me check the Forum on the Ghanaian blogosphere or the comments that will follow this piece.

One can not say something about a particular party without being put into some kind of ethnicity slur or a tribal straight-jacket. And, for any piece to get the sharp wit readers' attention it has to be either using one tribe against the other or attacking one party and praising the other. And if one could throw in a little Ashanti bashing or downgrading the Ewes the article will most likely hit a home-run with no sweat. And if one wants to break the blogosphere's seismograph, just throw in the former Presidents' names. Forget about lack of quality or lack of socioeconomic importance in some of those articles. Who needs good, uplifting ideas in Ghana? As long as we can have tribal-baiting attacks in our articles all is well.

A party fan is a person who likes what a particular party does. He cheers for the some of the party's policies and voices his objectivity when he senses any political hanky-panky .On the other hand, a party fanatic is the one who believes that his party can do no wrong. He makes up excuses for anything his party does. To a party fanatic, NPP never made any mistake or NDC is the best thing that has happened to Ghana.

A Party or ethnic fanatic tends to be one –dimensional person. He has no balance, no middle ground, and no other depth, when it comes to his beliefs about his party or tribe. Continued    Source: Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi

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