Voice From Afar: Is the political party an asset?

I believe that without the decisive lead­ership of the Convention People's Party (CPP), Ghana would not have won inde­pendence when she did. The great support of the party also enabled Kwame Nkrumah to embark on a difficult but necessary social and economic programmes after indepen­dence.

Well may President Nkrumah therefore assert in his book. "Africa must United" that "Ghana's economic independence and objec­tive of socialism cannot be achieved without decisive party leadership".

Nkrumah placed the political party at the helm of the development agenda. In fact, he tried to fuse party and state functions and he quizzed that the "Convention People's Party is Ghana and Ghana is the Convention People's Party".

It cannot be denied that as we practice democracy today, parties are necessary. We cannot have as many views on development as there are citizens. Those with broadly similar views should naturally come together to promote their philosophy and ideas.

And so we have parties each representing a broad coalition of views. During the struggle for independence, it was difficult for a party to oppose the fight and hence the emergence of one overwhelming party. After independence there was great expectation.

The party had to respond to this. President Nkrumah believed that socialism was the answer to the great expectation and he proceed­ed to organise the party to provide the decisive leadership for the necessary socialist recon­struction.

And so the party had a clear aim. Other par­ties since independence have had their own aims and objectives. As we survey the democ­ratic contours of the country; we may well ask whether the aims were kept and whether the political parties had any credible purpose apart from keeping themselves in business and power.

To learn from the past and understand what is happening today, we must be ruthlessly frank about what happened and also what is happen­ing today.

As Nkrumah tried to organise the party to fight for economic independence through socialism, he found that many of his top party officials were indifferent to his ideas and poli­cies. Some used their position to enrich them­selves while careerism and corruption were prevalent.

Quite a few of his collaborators believed that they deserved their position. and wealth because they took part in the liberation strug­gle. Naturally, the masses became passive and sceptical about socialism.

Nkrumah made efforts to change the situa­tion. He gave notice through the Dawn Broad­cast of April 1961 that the party would be cleansed of self-seekers and that its revolution­ary spirit would be restored.

He assembled evidence of corruption against many high party functionaries. But when I asked him why he did not take action against them, he said if he brought new people in, they would also try to make some money to maintain their exalted position. He believed that the incumbents who were corrupt had made enough and would turn over a new leaf after appropriate strong warnings.

Kwame Nkrumah confided in President Maseneba-Debat of Congo Brazzaville then on a state visit that the consolidation of his regime was complete and the quest for African Unity would thenceforth be his major concern.

Meanwhile, the party, the CPP, became less and less cohesive, and the organisation more and more indifferent to the party's declared ide­ology which the hard-core activists or socialist boys extolled with unconvincing vehemence.

Meanwhile, practically, all key-posts in the state were held by those believed to be party loyalists. They reported directly to the Presi­dent. Nkrumah had a phenomenal memory and he co-ordinated the administration well with the assistance of a few aides including civil ser­vants. But the danger of this approach was exposed when he failed to appreciate the accu­racy and significance of military intelligence reports which gave ample warning of a planned uprising.

This brief and cursory survey shows that the past still lives with us. Manifestos unite the various parties and that appears to be all. It should be observed that all the parties mean well. They would like the economy to grow, they would like education and health improved; they would like the environment to be clean.

Towards this end, they would adopt good macro-economic policies, keep inflation down, support both the private and state sectors to pro­duce more and export more. There are differences in the details but clear visions are not discernible nor philosophies or ideologies to realise them.

Thus, the party becomes a heterogeneous collection of elites and aspirants keen on improving life for all. Soon while in official position, they are confronted by irritating prob­lems like employed graduates not been paid for months. They explain this away with bureau­cratic confusion and move on to the next issue whose import they ignore. In their frustration they try to make a little money for the future when they are out of office.

Petty corruption leads to pilfering from national coffers. The main preoccupation becomes staying put in office and power. The leadership of the party is naturally affected. If he cannot appeal to a higher purpose, he gives ineffective warnings and turns a blind eye on corruption believing that the funds generated would help keep the party in power.

Of course to maintain this power, the aspi­rations of the people must be met. Living stan­dards must be raised through production, pro­vision of jobs and social amenities. Attempts to do something are often frustrated because of the absence of that understanding which comes with a political objective and will.

We should stop the party becoming a mere instrument for maintaining itself. It has a pos­itive role to play and the leader must see to it that it fulfills its import national functions. If the party or sections of it make the work of the President difficult, he should ignore them.

We have a good constitution which gives the President sufficient powers and a good tenure of office to rise above party considera­tions and do what is right. A President has four long years to change what is wrong and move the country forward. No party revolt led by a corrupt few can remove him.

If he stands firm against that which is wrong and sets the country on the prosperous path, he will be re-elected. But even if he is not re-elected, he should be proud and happy. After all "one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name".

Credit: K.B. Asante (Daily Graphic)

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