Charting the Cause, Delivering the Promises: Challenges and Opportunities for John Dramani Mahama and Ghana's Presidency

I congratulate the president, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for winning the trust and confidence of Ghanaians to steer the affairs of the country until December 2016. The successful conduct of the 2012 December elections described by many including international observer missions as “free, fair and credible”, demonstrated yet another significant milestone in Ghana democratic development. The election of his Excellency, JDM, has come at a challenging moment. The president has to manage opposition from the NPP which is yet to accept the results of his election whilst delivering on the numerous better Ghana agenda promises to the people of Ghana. Also, the NDC faces internal challenges that the president needs to address to ensure a stronger, more united party that will deliver him a second term victory in 2016. This piece looks at the challenges and opportunities of the NDC and John Mahama's administration for the next four years.

The current NDC administration, just like the previous one under Prof Mills, faces significant challenges both from within and without. Notable among the external challenges facing John Mahama's administration are the main opposition party (NPP), the challenge of fulfilling the party's 2012 manifesto promises (job creation, improving health and education, growing the economy, building infrastructure, providing sustainable energy, etc), and improving relations perhaps with the “Churchdom” (after the Otabil and the Presbyterian church saga during the electioneering period). The New Patriotic Party has and is still putting a strong fight to overturn events and become the legitimate occupants of the seat of government. However, the most significant challenge the Mahama administration faces in my view, is keeping its promises to the people of Ghana. The fact that over 50% of the voting population opted for Mahama means Ghanaians have placed their hopes in the policies, programmes and promises of the NDC for the next four years. Therefore, fulfilling the 2012 campaign promises and meeting the expectations of Ghanaians should be the singular most important priority of the NDC and John Mahama's government between now and 2016. The third most important challenge facing the in-coming government is the opposition from some elements within the “Churchdom”. The church has, over the past year become more active in national politics than before. Improving relations with the church us particularly crucial because the recent census figures reveal that some 28% of Ghanaians describe themselves as charismatic Christians, making this group the largest and most vocal religious group in Ghana today.

The NDC in particular had come under severe attack from some leading church leaders in the country in the run up to the elections. It is clear that this opposition will not just die down with the declaration of the results, especially when key church leaders have already started preaching politics and calling on the government to start fulfilling its promises even before it is sworn into office. My use of the word “churchdom” should not be interpreted to mean the institution of all churches in Ghana or even include the membership of churches some of whose leaders have become what I will call “men of politics”. I think the political pastors need to take an important clue from the outcome of the just ended elections. It's clear to all that despite their attacks, insults and curses, the Ghanaian public including members of their congregations have decided to vote the party they (political pastors) rejected. What should be clear to these men of politics is that unlike the message of the Bible, which is believed to be the message from God, church members are able to apply their sense of judgement on political issues and vote based on their convictions. It is my conviction that to be able to enjoy the continued confidence of their church membership, these men of politics need to focus their energies on delivering the word of God and become truly men and women of God.

Internal challenges facing John Mahama's administration and the NDC are primarily issues of unity. The problems in the NDC with regards the Rawlings' factor, which started during the time of Prof Mills, remains unresolved, even with the change of leadership. Nana Konadu remains a leader of a breakaway party from the NDC. Rawlings seems to remain the Founder and a member of the NDC even though he failed to mount any platform and campaign for the party and its Presidential candidate in the just-ended elections. John Mahama as president and leader of the party therefore has the onerous task of ironing out key differences within the party to ensure a more unified and stronger party to govern the country and win subsequent elections. This is crucial if he intends to rule the country beyond the four-year mandate he currently holds. It is no doubt that the president has the personality capable of bridging all differences within the party and beyond. His emergence in the political scene as president and candidate of the NDC in the just-ended elections has brought with it new air of peace, enthusiasm and energy from all levels of the party and beyond.

In fostering party unity, the president needs to take three critical issues into consideration. President Mahama has to deal with and resolve the issues between the Rawlings's and the party. Setting up a fact-finding and conflict resolution committee to study the grievances of the Rawlings's and that of the party will help provide objective first-hand information necessary for reconciliation. The second important issue to address on the path to unity is the re-integration of Dr. Spio-Garbrah into active governance in the incoming administration. It remains a mystery until today how and why Dr Spio-Garbrah was missing from Prof Mills' Cabinet, even though the President himself reportedly wanted him and offered him a position in the Cabinet. There is no known crime that explains why Dr.Spio-Garbrah lost a cabinet ministerial appointment under Prof mills other than presenting himself as a candidate for the leadership and flagbearership of the Party in 2006. The fact that Prof mills never met jointly with him, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, and Mr Eddie Annan, his three co-contestants goes a long way to confirm this. In contrast, Nana Akufo-Addo met all those who contested him at NPP primaries when the primaries were over. The NDC is undeniably more democratic than the NPP and should be seen to be setting the pace in internal electoral tolerance, forgiveness and unity. We may all agree that the beauty of democracy lies in its very nature of being an institution of multiplicity of viewpoints, choices and preferences. We should endeavour to prevent the impression that our party does not allow those who express certain views contrary to those at the helm of affairs get branded with all sorts of names, and are prevented from contributing their full quota to the party or to Ghana.

In the case of Spio-Garbrah, he is among the few stalwarts of all the NDC' recognised by the rank and file as a competent, approachable, thoughtful and friendly. After loosing to Mills in the 2006 contest to lead the party, he went on to heavily fund the party's 2008 campaign and flew down many times from his London based office to campaign for Prof Mills and many MPs. Subsequently, while remaining head of an international organisation, he managed to get elected as a Vice Chairman of the NDC, and found time to fly from London to attend Party meetings, according to NDC headquarters staff. He at all times remained a committed member of the party, defending it in the media whenever possible. In spite of the temptation to join Nana Konadu's breakaway party, Dr Spio-Garbrah stood steadfast in support of John Mahama, and made this clear in a number of interviews within the Ghanaian media and beyond. He never took to the line of the Rawlings's and even though he could not take active part in this year's elections his defence of the party in the media could have positive impact on the party's victory with regards to the central region. Spio-Garbrah is, no doubt, an experienced global-level leader, manager and politician and I am convinced that it is the hope of the more than 5 million NDC members who voted for President John Mahama that the president will tap into this experience by bringing him on-board the incoming NDC government. The president demonstrated his recognition of Spio-Garbrah's contribution to development in the country by pointing out Spio-Garbrah's contribution to strengthening education in the country during the president's encounter with the IEA few months ago. The leadership trait that made President Mahama to acknowledge Spio-Garbrah's contribution to education in Ghana during his IEA encounter, should guide him to allow Spio-Garbrah to serve his country as President Mills had wanted. It is hoped that the President will also find room for other committed NDC members like Dr Kwame Ampofo, Dr Gilbert Iddi, etc. even as he retains some of the hardworking ministers like Haruna Iddrisu, Fiffi Kwetey, Alban Bagbin, Hannah Tetteh, Ofosu Ampofu, , Seth Terpker, Dzifa Ativor, Elvis Ankrah, among others.

The third most significant initiative towards unity of purpose in the party is for the president to create a proper balance between party and government. Prof Mills' government had failed to recognise this balance and thereby created disenchanted foot-soldiers across the nation. The overreliance on the business of government has the tendency of undermining the attention needed by the party supporters who brought it to power. Ghana is fast becoming an entrenched democracy whereby parties will normally win or lose elections based on their core membership. Despite the youth occupying significant positions in Mills' administration, the very youth at the grassroots who interact with the electorate on daily basis was missing in the picture. This constituency of the youth, which comprises mainly illiterate and jobless youth, is very critical to the party's success in government and future elections.

It is worth noting in conclusion that the very issues that make up the challenges are equally opportunities to John Mahama's administration and the NDC. For instance, the NPP is certainly at a crossroad after the last December elections. Who leads the NPP from now will have significant ramifications for the party. The Ashante -Akyem contentions are key dividing issues to watch out for in the party's quest to present a candidate for the 2016 elections. Also, the failure of Rawlings in particular to campaign for the party in the last December elections has helped debunk the argument of those who felt Rawlings was the NDC. This offers the president and the party leadership, the best opportunity to strengthen the party's institutions so that it becomes obvious to all that the NDC is a party built on strong institutions rather strong personality (ies). How well the president delivers on his campaign promises will secure him the confidence of the Ghanaian voter population in the next general elections. With the increasing entrenchment in our electoral democracy coupled with the electoral map emerging from the last two general elections, a united NDC that is able to deliver on its promises will no doubt lead the country successively for at least the next two decades.

Long live president John Dramani Mahama
Long live social democracy.
Long live the NDC.
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H.S. Wumpini
[email protected]
(writer is an active member of the NDC UK & Ireland branch)