Tribalization Of Npp Differences, Dangerous, Petty, Immature

The logic behind the election of Mr. Paul Afoko, for many, was to address the incredible, yet well established lie that the NPP is an Akan Party.

'Power' Afoko was suppose to be the rainbow that was going to shoot from Bawku to Axim the radiant reality, in the most colorful terms, of the multi-ethnicity of the new patriotic party.

He was to be, to quote a popular cliché, the dawn of a new era.

I didn't think it was going to work though, since the 'Akan' tag by our opponents has always been a complete fib. PLUS, common sense has always been opposed to attempting to meet demands by blackmailers.

I knew that our opponents had no genuine interest in the ethnic composition of our National Executive Committee.

I knew that the blackmailers that our opponents, the NDC were, they were definitely going to shift the goalpost if Mr. Afoko was elected. For them this sick joke of playing one tribe against another for political expediency was not going to end, even if our party had elected an all non-Akan group of Executives.

Neither, in the absence of ideas on good governance, were they going to let their educated yet illiterate communicators and supporters lack something not too taxing on their intellect or beneath their mental capacity to speak about.

No matter what the NPP did, the NDC was still going to call it an Akan party.

I was not prophesying, but was only spelling out the truth. After all, anyone who had not been satisfied with the rich ethnic diversity of the various committees and the national council of the New Patriotic Party was not going to be satisfied just because one man had been made chairman.

As usual, just as we did with the election of Sir John (in response to the vain accusations that we were 'coat coat') Paul Afoko was elected in response to a pathetic lie.

My recommendations during the campaign period to the delegates were often summarily overruled. My fears were reduced to the point where they appeared as nothing but irrational.

The morning after the election, I hurriedly penned down some random fears, and had it published. I was heavily criticized, a certain Ahoofe wrote that I was only licking my wounds because my favorite had lost.

Ironically, even today, if someone were asked to point out who my favorite for the chairmanship was, no one would be able to because I had none.

I simply wanted the delegates to, and wish they had looked, beyond the standard that our opponents had set for us, looked beyond tribe and take into account other considerations such as competence.

I am not saying Mr. Afoko is not competent to be chairman, am just saying we allowed his tribe to overshadow considerations of his competence. And therefore didn't have his competence properly established in the minds of our supporters.

Today my fears have come to past. The Ndc is rather expectedly not satisfied. They love to say now that Mr. Afoko' election was mere tokeism.

But, worse than that, the foolish anti-Akan vitriol that was fueled by the NDC without thought or conscience is now being fueled by some of our own people.

We now have voices within the NPP who sing this ugly tribal song of our opponents, against ourselves, in a tone much more louder and shriller than the NDC ever could.

I was scandalized a few days ago reading a statement from a group that calls itself the 'Dombo Advocacy Forum'. The shameful and deplorable tone of their statement was truly shocking and humiliating of our party's position on such things.

This is not the first time the group has written such a 'statement'.

I don't want to point any fingers as to who might be behind these randomly formed groups, and the message they preach, but I believe it is enough to say that competence knows no tribe and nothing short of hidden psychological personality disorders would compel a person lacking a strong basis and acting on mere suspicion to conclude that opposition to another person is the result of hatred for the person's tribe or ethnic background.

Those who play on tribal sentiments to generate hatred for any group of people are dangerous if not sick. With what happened in Rwanda, what happened in Iraq, what is happening across Africa and what is even happening in some parts of our country truly publicized, I need not remind such persons that it is wrong and utterly despicable for them to engage in such play, for I believe they are very much aware of the negative effects of their action.

The current differences within the Party as it relates to the current Executives, as any level-minded person would acknowledge bothers on an interpretation of certain Articles of the Party's Constitution-no more, no less.

I remind all patriots that within our party there is an inseparable chain that links us all to the core values of truth, justice and love for one another and we mustn't allow our opponents to define who we are.

We must be reminded that our Party has a rich history of sacrifices by various people from tribes across the length and breadth of our country.

The same prison and law that held Henry Djaba in prison for his beliefs in a free nation under a just Government, held JB Danquah and held Obtsebi-Lamptey and would possibly have held Busia too had he not been in exile.

Our sworn enemies, which are poverty, disease, inequality, unemployment and hunger do not know any tribe. They affect us all, and so must we fight.

Kofi Opare Hagan