In my first post on the above, I tried as much as l could, to trace the beginnings of one of Ghana’s biggest political parties-the National Democratic Congress(NDC).
From that account, I believe, we all know why the party is a congress. With such heterogeneous nature, it is not a surprise that the philosophy of the NDC is social democracy. It couldn’t have been anything else.
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy that has values similar to socialism but within a capitalist framework. Examples are the Labor Party of the United Kingdom and the Social Democratic Party(SPD) of Germany and many more around Europe. They are described as center-left parties. The point here is that the parties operate within a capitalist setup.
Now, before I proceed, I think we need to understand that in order to survive, man must produce goods and render services. To do these, one needs what is called means of production. The basic means of production are LAND, LABOR, AND CAPITAL.
Who owns the land, labor, and capital is crucial in determining the kind of economic system. In other words, our relationship with land, labor, and capital is key in our lives.
A system of governance in which the means of production is in the hands of the state is socialism. Examples include China, Cuba, North Korea, etc.
The governance where the means of production are in the hands of individuals is capitalism. Social democracy is a mixture of the two.
Now let’s take a look at the publication l described as a trap.
“For victory in 2024, NDC must first deal with Baba Kamara’s hatred for Mahama and his dangerous moles in NDC “. This is the headline of one of those posts l describe as traps for the NDC.
My view is that it could be an insider job and can also come from outside the party. The faceless author claims he is an intelligent officer. Well, making mischief is part of intelligence. It is used to unsettle opponents.
From inside: the objective is to rock the NDC boat and destabilize what seems to be an atmosphere of tranquility now reigning in the party. It is also to discourage any potential opponents of President Mahama. It is the reason names like Mr. Dufuor and Baba Kamara were mentioned. I think that the National Executive is there to resolve such issues and I expect a committed party member to find a way to report to the party hierarchy.
All said and done, l have observed that anytime such issues come up, they are not about ideology or policy or strategy. They are about money, money, and money. Anybody who wants to cause mischief in the NDC only has to get some peanuts and begin throwing around. Prior to the 2020 elections, l met some party people complaining that John Mahama and his brother have all the money but are sitting on it. So I asked them what the national executive is for? No matter what has happened, personal attacks must not be entertained. The principle must be “agree to disagree “.
From where I sit, this government is lame and not performing satisfactorily, and therefore, all NDC needs to do is stay together. That aside, the party must allow as many people as possible to contest any position. After all, those contests invigorate the base of the party while raking in the much-needed income.
From outside NDC: this is very possible because any serious political watcher is aware of a looming internal tsunami waiting to erupt in the NPP. The first will be an Akyem- Ashanti tango. The people of Osei Krom are hurt. They think the Kyebi boys have given them a raw deal since the current president got power in 2017, considering the number of votes the NPP garnered at the 2016 polls that ensured any victory for the party. So the Ashantis would want to “take back their party.”
The second one concerns Vice President Bawumia. If he is not given the green light to go contest the presidency unopposed, the Dombo faction of the NPP will scatter everything. They will point to how Alhaji Aliu Mahama was treated by contesting with others even though he was the sitting Vice President.
With the above scenarios waiting to play out, any Think Tank can easily put across articles such as those making the rounds on social media platforms. In other words, to also brew trouble in the camp of their opponents so they will both be on ground zero.
Turning to the issue of moles, it is neither here nor there knowing very well the beginnings of the NDC. At one point, even ‘the gbagbladza ,’ Capt Tsikata was called a mole who was manipulating the system for the CPP to take power. I am not joking, because it was one of the strong reasons why he was removed from office.
Winding up, l think that differences between or among comrades must not and should not be blown outside in the open. No matter how serious they may be, they must remain internal matters. They are intra-party matters not inter-party(between two different parties).
Another thing is that national executive members, as well as regional leaders, must, with immediate effect, stop the habit of bringing boardroom matters outside. It is a sign of indiscipline.
(by Eric Bortey, a journalist formerly with the GBC and NCCE)
Thursday, December 16, 2021
