A Day After The Storm

The day after the storm which enveloped the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters, was characterised by justifiable foreboding: party supporters demanded order and the exiting of the two persons responsible for the mess. The day was not used to nurse the wounds sustained in the remorseful encounter earlier; and the reason is not difficult to determine.

The man at the centre of it all, Kwabena Agyepong, was consistently unremorseful: on the media platforms that he featured his trademark, arrogance was prominent. Running alongside this moral deficiency was his struggle to justify the lies he tried to present to listeners. Unfortunately, both performances did nothing to help him redeem his fallen image, with most supporters calling for his head.

Talking about employing his own body guards to protect him against imaginary forces at the NPP headquarters because he does not have confidence in those stationed at the party headquarters, was a revelation which underscored the paranoia being suffered by he and his boss, Mr. Paul Afoko.

Exhibiting this level of paranoia is ample indication that the duo is definitely not ready to run a typical political party with doors widely open to swell the membership roll. Altering the status quo so crudely and abruptly to march the standards of a corporate organisation can only result in what has occurred so far.

A responsible political party should not recognise hooliganism by hiring the services of hoodlums.

Kwabena Agyepong's paranoia resulted in what has cost the NPP an image challenge today. We are happy though that the bulk of the challenge would be shouldered by the duo whose brief but stormy tenure is on the precipice ready to fall over as grass-root supporters go for their jugulars.

Party Chairman Paul Afoko has attracted an avoidable reaction from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after pointing a finger at the party as being responsible for the thugs who descended upon the NPP headquarters.  It is such an unnecessary and irresponsible finger pointing that we ask the man to be mindful about his remarks lest he exposes the party's underbelly for further attacks.

Political parties as critical segments of our democracy and sources of future governments, should be run in conformity with acceptable norms.

Those in the leadership of such political groupings who exhibit traits which are inconsistent with good practices such as Kwabena Agyepong and Paul Afoko, should not be encouraged to hold office.

Hiring thugs to offer security out of suspicion and engaging in slanderous pastimes are inconsistency with best practices in a civilised political ambience.

Will Sammy Crabbe shut up? On a trip outside the country, he is reported to have posted remarks which can only stoke the fire we seek to extinguish.

He is advised to find pragmatic ways of quelling the fire in his own party. Is he not aware of Municipal/District Chief Executives and other NDC key figures being chased out of their offices - even some into the bush?