Is it over too soon for the NPP?

If the results, of both the parliamentary and presidential elections, are anything to go by, then, there is a strong indication that the Ghanaian voter has become more sophisticated. Voters are wide awake and they (do) watch the actions of their political leaders. As a matter of fact, I am very surprised by the outcome of the elections and, I believe, so are many people, including the politicians who stood for elections. That Ghanaians (in the same constituency) could resoundingly vote for the presidential candidate of a party they support and equally, enthusiastically, vote against the parliamentary candidate of the same party, is demonstrative of a trait that is characteristic of independent, objective, and sophisticated people.

Developments like this can only be good for our ever-growing multi-party democratic process that began more than a decade ago and that seems to have taken shape since then. Having begun with a one-party-dominated parliament in 1992 (for obvious reasons), the parliament of Ghana—for the next session—will run without a clear majority, especially now that it is clear that no single party managed to amass the magic number needed to control parliament. Only about four years ago, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had a healthy majority with 128 members as against the NDC's 92.

Already, Political Scientists have described this year's elections as the keenest in the country's political history, and I can't agree more, as nothing of a sort has happened since I began voting so many years ago. The outcome of the elections is interesting for so many reasons. Before the elections, the public was fed with so much information that did not suggest what we witnessed. First, some polls, seeking to convince Ghanaians that they were rigorous and objective, had given indications that the ruling NPP was going to clinch a first-round victory. I can quickly recall the poll conducted by no less an organization than the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) whose discourse for reporting the results of the poll was so categorical that no one, including (I believe) members of the opposition parties, expected anything to the contrary.

Second, the impression was created as if the NDC was a dying party (if it wasn't already dead), for which reason there was no way it could make a strong case to the electorate that it should be reconsidered to govern the country again. Seriously, I never expected the NDC to make the huge gains it recorded in the elections. Third, the impression had been created as if Ghanaians in the various regions, no less the various constituencies, had the same identity for which reason their voting patterns could be predicted. Lastly, the NPP ran a hi-tech, sophisticated, almost flawless campaign that lacked no energy, resources (including human), and finances—unmatched by the opposition parties. Fortunately, for the party, too, some top musicians, who themselves have a large following, in the country joined its bandwagon.

What could have gone so wrong that a party, that enjoyed the overwhelming goodwill of Ghanaians just a few years ago and that had majority shares in parliament, will be fighting for its political life? Was the NPP too complacent? Is the NPP becoming too weak too soon? Or, the NDC is becoming strong again? I have heard people say that you don't call a party weak when it did better than the others in an election; what those people forget, however, is that the NPP is not any other party; it is the ruling party. All over the world, when a ruling party finds itself in this situation, the chief reason could be a sign of weakness on its part.

From a personal perspective, the obvious reasons that can be attributed to the NPP's poor showing are the gratuitous neglect (by the party) of the needs and concerns of the people, arrogance on the part of some government officials, unchecked corruption, unfulfilled promises, and the ever-growing gap between the hierarchy of the party and the grassroots. Interestingly, most of these were the same 'disease(s)' that infected the NDC administration that faced the wrath of Ghanaians in 2000, which also sent it back to the doldrums of political opposition. Clearly, the NPP did not seem to have learnt a lot from the NDC.

It will be very unfair for anyone to say that the NPP has done nothing in its eight years of being in power. That will be an aberration! On a comparative level, the media has done far better than it did under the NDC, the economy has fared better, and, while democracy did not originate with the NPP, it has deepened under the NPP's watch. However, given the NPP's goodwill, the growing international interest in Ghana, and the economic boom that happened until the worldwide economic downturn, the government could have done a lot better. Nevertheless, I believe the most crucial reasons why the NPP is stuttering are the unattended to official corruption in high places that were reported but about which no actions were taken, open arrogance of some government officials, and the waning negative associations with the NDC—in the minds of Ghanaians.

The NPP, before 2000, campaigned on a platform that promised to 'uproot' corrupt activities in government, but just about three years after it took office, it became a victim of its own pronouncements. Thus an NPP government that promised to tackle corruption, political inefficiencies, and immoral political practices proved to be worse than its predecessors. Officials of the NPP engaged in many economic and financial activities that enraged the voters: excessive spending, the ethical conundrum surrounding Richard Anane (and his later re-instatement), the $50 million expenses on Ghana @ 50 without proper accounting, excessive spending and display of opulence by MPs, ministers, and party members in the face of severe economic hardships. I am surprised it took the NPP only eight years to 'grow wings'. I can understand the NDC's because it was in power for a longer period—that is if we include the PNDC days.

Interestingly, even though the NPP, in this year's elections, ran a campaign that partly seemed to harp on the human rights abuses that took place during the Jerry Rawlings days, many Ghanaians did not buy into it; as a result, the view that a vote for Prof. Atta Mills will be a vote for Jerry Rawlings has become untenable in the Ghanaian body-politic, and this is rightly so, because an angry, hungry voter will be oblivious to such issues because they mean less to him or her. Voters can easily forget about the past and focus on the present, especially when some of them were not even born at the time of Jerry Rawlings' ascension to power. Simply put, corruption and the biting economic realities trump all these human rights issues—at least as far as the elections are concerned.

On another note, I must state that the NPP ran a very sophisticated campaign that did not lack any resources, but in spite of the fact that its campaign message of “Going Forward” was positive and well received by Ghanaians, there was nothing “Going Forward” about the rhetorical maneuvers of the campaigners. The campaign, as was the rhetoric in the presidential debates, was more about how Nana Akufo-Addo was going to continue the good work—and rightly so—of President Kufuor rather than a campaign that should not only have indicated that it understood the current frustrations of Ghanaians, but one that represents a change from some of the policies or actions of President Kufuor.

Therefore, behind the obvious energy and enthusiasm of the electorates, in addition to the color and pump at the rallies was an undercurrent dissatisfaction (on the part of Ghanaians) that showed in the final outcome of the elections. So, is it over for the NPP? I don't think so! The New Patriotic Party still has a good chance to put things in order to win the presidential election, but, at the moment, the NDC has the momentum, that can work in its favor. I believe a respectable 47.92 percent in an election by an opposition party that was branded lethargic, cash-trapped, and dead, is victory; thus, even though the NPP did better (in terms of current numbers), the NDC 'won' and that is what is crucial. The NDC seems to enjoy some kind of goodwill that can work in its favor come December 28.

Significantly, however, Ghanaians deserve a lot of credit for proving to our politicians that the real power is in their hands. It is apparent that the voting public is not asleep; their eyes are wide open and they are watching. Perhaps, from today, politicians will know, truly, that the statement “no condition is permanent” doesn't apply to only a certain group of people; it applies to all of us!

Credit: Godwin J. Y. Agboka, [[email protected]]