Reject Haruna's Half-baked Segregated Tradition

Under the heading, "We Have a Tradition: Alan Is Next," Haruna Nuako of Amakom, Kumasi, painted the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a sectional party with a certain parochial agenda and interest. However, I am of the strongest conviction that the NPP is not the kind of party Haruna Nuoko claims it is. Rather, he might have been influenced by his parochial self to misrepresent the NPP in that manner.

In his article, "We Have a Tradition: Alan Is Next," Haruna Nuako tries to convince the NPP members to consider Hon. Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen as the next presidential candidate after Nana Addo. In this regards, he cooked a tradition that ordains Hon. Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen as the NPP flagbearer for the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.

In his intellectually deceptive and dishonest article, Haruna Nuako traces the route of the NPP to a group called Young Executive Forum (YEF). According to him, the NPP tradition which is traced to the YEF, demands that Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen succeeds Nana Addo as the next flagbearer of the party. His argument is that YEF, which was formed and led by Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen has been very instrumental in propelling the NPP to victory in 2000 since the party’s formation in 1991.

Apart from the fact that this position of Haruna Nuako undermines the perpetuated tradition of the NPP, which is traced to their UGCC ancestors, it also seeks to mislead the young NPP loyalists. In fact, Haruna Nuako has not only shown ingratitude to all the new crop of NPP loyalists who have contributed to the sustenance of the party in diverse ways, but has also attempted to paint the NPP as a party whose tradition favours a particular group of people. This is the more reason why I deem it politically prudent to call on Ghanaians to reject his half-baked segregated tradition that seeks to project one individual above a whole tradition of committed men and women who have sacrificed so many ways to sustain the party.

It is a known historical fact that the NPP takes inspiration from the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) which preached libertarianism. Though the UGCC metamorphosed into several names before it assumed the name NPP, the libertarian tradition has always been their guiding principle, regardless of the new name it assumed at a point in time. For instance, during the 1954 general elections in the Gold Coast, the UGCC adopted a new name, thus, Ghana Congress Party. In 1956, the same party transformed into National Liberation Movement to contest the general election that ushered Ghana into independence. The same thing happened in 1969 when the UGCC tradition adopted the name Progress Party to contest the 1969 general election. We can also talk about the Popular Front Party, which contested the 1979 general election under the UGCC tradition.

All these parties traced their origin to the UGCC tradition. No wonder they referred to their tradition as Danquah-Busia Tradition. As time went on, they added Dombo to it to appreciate the northern factor for aligning with them to form the United Party, after their humiliating defeat in the 1956 general elections.

The internal inaccuracies of Haruna Nuako’s article also calls for its rejection by all well-meaning Ghanaians. As part of his argument, Haruna painted a picture of the NPP as a party whose tradition started in 1991. At the same time, the same person also asserted that until the NPP won power in 2000 through the ingenuity and commitment of Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the party had suffered power drought for about 30 years. ‘It is instructive to note that the Young Executive Forum under the chairmanship of Alan Kyerematen largely served as the financial backbone of NPP, especially, from 1992 to the year 2000 when we won power for the first time in about 30 years as a tradition’ Haruna contradicts himself. How can a tradition which began in 1991 with the formation of YEF suffer 30 years power drought by 2000?

Proper historical assessment of Haruna’s 30 years power drought of the NPP dates back to 1972 when the Progress Party government was overthrown by Colonel Ignatius Kutu Acheampong. From this time till 1991, there was nothing like Young Executive Forum but history reveals that the remnants of Danquah-Dombo-Busia stood for the UGCC tradition. Notable among these gallant men who fought to preserve this perpetuated UGCC tradition are the current President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the late Professor Adu Boahene, Dr. Wereko Brobbey, aka Tarzan, Ing Kwabena Agyapong, etc.

Though the remnants of the UGCC tradition gallantly defended and preserved their tradition, it took them the support of others to be able to win power in 2000 when Former President John Agyekum Kuffour led the party to victory. It is therefore necessary and politically expedient for any well-meaning NPP person who wants the party to continue to remain relevant to acknowledge and appreciate all the people who have sacrificed for the success of the party from its formation in 1991 till date.

For the fact that Haruna Nuako’s intellectually deceptive and dishonest article distorts the NPP tradition, which largely forms part of the history of Ghana, I would respectfully appeal to all Ghanaians to treat his half-baked, segregated tradition with the greatest contempt it deserves.

By Bala Ali, Social Commentator

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