Godspeed NPP!

Today marks another milestone in the life of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The largest opposition political grouping plays out once more the arrangement of a large number of delegates voting to pick a flagbearer.

Being the proponents of the novelty – which their opponents, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) – have embraced, they (NPP) appear to have perfected the novelty, having garnered adequate experience on it so far.

It has been a long journey to today, full of challenges and even acrimonious verbal engagements by exuberant supporters of the frontline candidates.

While we consider the somewhat polemic exchanges as characteristic of political contests, we would have rather they were devoid of mudslinging, given the unwarranted bruises these have etched on the psyches of important personalities on both sides of the internal divide.

At the end of today's elections it would be time to commence the challenging task of healing the wounds inflicted by the sustained, yet useless, vitriolic exchanges.

The social media have been awash with motley charges and counter-charges by party activists. Exaggerations are largely common to these exchanges, but as the curtains are drawn over the heated intercourse, it is our expectation that all would sheath their swords and set the sight of the party towards the general elections in 2016.

As we have noted before, political parties being public bodies, are regulated by the political party laws of the country and the unwritten laws of decency and civility.

It stands to reason therefore that the activities of political parties – from how they raise funds to how they choose their executives – are regulated by both the national laws on political groupings and the internal constitutions of the parties.

It is in the interest of the public that all political parties conduct their activities in conformity with the tenets of decency and civility.

Unfortunately, things descended to unacceptable depths as we watched helplessly. Now darkness must give way to the dawn of a new political setting that would see the NPP coming together – winners and vanquished – to seek political power.

Let delegates go into the polling booths with their sights transfixed on candidates they think sound convincing in their (candidates') campaigns.

Let them not be swayed by sugar-coated promises which would definitely not come to pass. Anything which unsettles today's elections can have a negative impact not only on the NPP, but the overall political landscape.

It is important therefore that both the executives of the party and the Electoral Commission charged with managing today's activities, do so with a sense of responsibility and commitment towards the growth of democracy in this country. The executives should also discharge their duties in a manner that will eventually see the NPP assuming political power in 2017.

Executive officers should be mindful of their utterances because remarks which border on hubris as they associated with some of them are repugnant.

When the results are eventually announced, let the losers embrace the winners in a spirit of a common political destiny. We wish the party Godspeed.