Using the Animals in the Wild to Compare and Contrast NPP and NDC

In Ghana's political arena or body politics, the behaviours of the NPP and NDC, the two largest political parties in Ghana, can better be explained to the ordinary Ghanaian in the street using a perfect analogy relating to the animals in the wild. In the animal kingdom which otherwise is referred to as the jungle life, there is an erroneous belief among humans that the strongest animal survives hence the saying, "the survival of the fittest". No, it is rather the animal that is able to adapt to the changing conditions of its environment that is more capable to survive but not the strongest. This will be seen in the video below.

What is body politics in the first place? Let me cite one of the simplest definitions for the term as found on the internet. " The term body politics refers to the practices and policies through which powers of society regulate the human body, as well as the struggle over the degree of individual and social control of the body"

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have their policies and practices to persuade the Ghanaian to follow them, vote for them and succumb to their wishes. Such policies and practices could be good or bad for the individual Ghanaian when subjected to scrutiny.

However in this write-up, I am going to discuss the true major nature of both parties if they were animals and living in the animal kingdom. This graphical analogy using the videos if the publishers will not mind showing them, may better convey my intended message to the general public.

The NPP, already calling themselves as an elephant will be used as such. The NDC will be assumed to be lions or hyenas. The elephant is a stronger, if not the strongest, animal, in the jungle (forestland). Elephants live in herds or groups. As strong as they are, when they happen to be attacked by a bold predator, although not as strong as the elephant themselves, they begin to run helter-skelter for their sheer lives in what is "God for us all but each one for himself". If they could stand as a group to face their common predator which oftentimes are the lions, hyenas or leopards, they could easily turn the predator into a minced meat using their weighty legs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW01rJ4g5zk
However, as seemingly less intelligent unlike their predators which also live in groups, they often don't lend a hand to their member come under attack. These pride of lions or the family of hyenas work as a perfect group, coordinating efforts hence they are easily expertly able to floor the mighty or the towering elephant. What a shame!

From empirical observations and ascertained facts, the NPP leaders appear to be unsophisticated politically despite being more learned than the NDC. Being book long, similarly as the huge size of the elephant, does not help them. They do not have strategies to persuade the Ghanaian electorates to enable them stay longer in power when they have their seldom chance to be voted into power. Once voted into power, they erect an impregnable wall around them, cutting off those who had been in the trenches with them, hitting the campaign trail and suffering all insults and attacks. They begin to think more about themselves and even behave differently irresponsibly to the expectations and intents of their leader who may be incorruptible and visionary with aspirations to realise policies of collective interests to Ghanaians.

They finally become vulnerable during any attempts at re-election. Is this character of theirs not similitude to a herd of elephants, moving and grazing together but when a mishap strikes, thus attacked, they ignore the one being attacked and keep moving on and away?

Nevertheless, the NDC that are lions or hyenas always rally around any of their group members come under attack to defend him/her. They always attack the NPP at any least opportunity, as greedy, selfish but myopic as they are. All that they want is power by any means possible without reflecting on the legality or illegality of their actions. Like a lion, they will attack even if they knew that standing on their own they could be no match for their target. Nonetheless, as soon as one strikes, all the others will be coming out to help floor and feed on their victim like vermin.

As the NDC always stay together as a solid family, like a pride of lions or a family of hyenas, they are always strong and are often able to subdue their victim. What a true manifestation of, "in unity lies strength". When any of the lions or hyenas is alone, once their other members see that it has come under attack, they run to its rescue. This is exactly what the NDC do best. Their General Secretary, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, doubling as an Elder of the Church of Pentecost, had been caught red-handed on audio tape planning evil and murder against Ghanaians. Having clearly breached the criminal laws of Ghana, we still have the NDC rallying support for him, solidly but stupidly identifying themselves with his cause although criminal as it is.

Their intention is to win power no matter how it comes. This is same as a lone lion attacking an elephant, knowing very well that by himself alone, he will be no match for the elephant. However, he knows that his other members will join in his attempt to feed on this bigger animal called elephant, giraffe or hippopotamus.

Unless the NPP begin to behave like lions or hyenas, seeing the value of their members, the importance of their communication teams and recognise them, they will always be vulnerable only to be fooled and floored by the NDC.

The NPP leadership must learn to live together with their membership as a strong family without always building impenetrable wall around them. Will it not suffice to simply say thank you for a service so nobly rendered by a member of yours (your party)? Do you know how simply saying thank you can go to encourage the person to do more greater things for the party? It is not by parting with money to someone that you can express your appreciation for the person's kindness to you but simply saying thank you to the person will do.

Hey NPP, go to the ant and learn of her ways to become wiser as advised in the bible. Be not only an elephant but a lion or an hyena. Learn to adapt to survive in the slippery political terrain as your elephant size alone will not help you to survive. You can't survive by your sheer huge size since being strong is not the key to survival but adaptation, thus being innovative and pragmatic. Once you as elephants, will turn against any predator as a family same as does the lions or hyenas, you will always be able to defeat your common enemies.

If animals in the wild can be that intelligent, how much more you, human beings with paper qualifications reaching on to the sky?

With God, we are victorious.
Rockson Adofo
Tuesday, 3 December 2019