The NPP Must Not Go To Sleep!!!

The signs are clear that the political environment is getting charged. The various political parties in the country at all levels are pulling up their sleeves in preparedness for election 2016. The largest opposition political party, the New Patriotic Party is seen in recent times setting the agenda for political discourses. Recent in this are the 'Wongo' and the 'yebre' demonstrations.

Although these are ways the party could draw attention to a major failure of the government, it is worth noting that demonstrations or street protests alone cannot win elections. The NPP needs people who will go deep and expose the inefficiencies of the Mahama-led administration. The NDC has no record when it comes to social interventions. Think of the National Health Insurance Scheme, Metro Mass Transit, School Feeding Programme, Livelihood Empowerment programme, Youth Employment Programme, among others. The NDC only have mastery of collapsing these interventions. The NPP should be able and must use the right human resources to uncover the Mahama-led administration's ineptitude in the management of these social interventions.

When this is achieved, the NPP again, should be able to present the failures in explicable language to the masses of this country. The NDC has not more and better human resources than the NPP. The difference, however, is that the NPP needs to hone its communication department. I am not by this referring to TV or radio talk shows.

These are helpful, but the party should not limit its communications to only these media. The party functionaries in the hinterlands must play central roles in the 2016 campaign. The NDC have begun its dirty politics in the villages- propagating tribalism and ethnicity and adopting the tactic of divide and rule, but this deception will not thrive only if the NPP is able to counter it.

Just after the Kumasi demonstration, the NDC have marshaled its ethnic forces and has come out with stupid placards with inscriptions like “How can a northerner lead Ghana? Vote Mahama out.” The NDC as experienced in tribal politics it is not ready to abandon this.

In my honest view, these are the two departments that the NPP should work and get well. Fortunately, the party might not spend much to fix them. I am aware the party has a number of people with research background. It is a matter of pulling together these professionals and getting the right people for them to train.

The same can be said of the communication departments. The party should have no excuse whatever not to train its men and women at the grass root levels. The signs are pointing to a massive win for the NPP. However, if the party becomes complacent and fails to do what is right, well Ghanaians shall not forgive the NPP. Street protests alone will not deliver victory in 2016.

Zuberu Aliu
(Dombo Youth Association-Bimbilla)