Hubris, Mahama & The NDC

The Writer

Before the gods destroy a leader they first make him arrogant. Hubris is when you lose an election by landslide and you still think you have the mandate to govern. Hubris is when your party lose parliamentary seats by a landslide and you still think your decisions are irrevocable. Hubris is when your government is on live support soon to die in a month and you still think it’s your birth right to make decisions that will last a generation for the new administration.

Before the gods destroy a leader they first make him arrogant. Hubris is in not knowing when to accept a defeat, especially, a humiliating defeat. Hubris, is in not knowing when to quit, especially, when you are fired abruptly. Hubris is in not knowing your self-worth, especially, when you are worthless.

Nana Addo and the NPP won the election big. Their win is humiliating and morale bursting to Mahama and the NDC. As much as I sympathize with their loss. I don’t agree that Mahama and the NDC should use their last days to make decisions that will make Ghana poorer and ungovernable. As much as I understand the urge. I discourage it.

I understand the political urge to get a message for 2020. The reasoning may go like, increase the pay of public sector workers to an astronomically high levels. So much so that it becomes unbearable that the NPP will reject them. If they do, then campaign to Ghanaian people that they should vote you so that you will bring back all the increase you gave them. If they don’t, then they won’t be enough money left to fulfil its campaign promises, then campaign to Ghanaians that the NPP is a failure. Here is a problem with that, the Ghanaian voter who truly matter in any election is becoming more enlightened. And the NPP isn’t dumb.

Take the honorable path, study the Ghanaian economy and society. Search for genuine problems and suggest genuine solutions to address them. Not half baked Machiavellian red hearing imaginary problems and imaginary solutions.

After all, it makes you unpatriotic. Wanting your country to fail because more people in your country disagrees with you or your party is not only shameful but dangerous. Going down that path makes you even more unfit to participate in the democratic process.

Again, the gods or the good lord or Karma works in mysterious ways. Sometimes it may work in your favor. Sometimes it may not. Trying to pull them down may signal to Ghana lenders or donors and or floating voters that the NDC is pitting the public against the NPP. So it may work to NPP’s favor politically and financially. That’s more sympathy votes from the floating voters. That’s more grants or loan forgiveness programs for the NPP government to fulfill its campaign promises. That’s more trust from Ghanaians. You know the rest…

The ideas expressed here are that of Umar Najeeb Mohammed, a Data Analyst for a global financial firm in New York City. He can be reached at [email protected]