Let us be honest about it. The NDC sought the mandate of Ghanaians--- to take Ghana backwards. In only six months, they have turned the best economy in our history to the worst economy, in our history. In only six months, they have reversed all the significant gains we made in our freedoms under President Kufuor. And they have strained those ties that bind us together, to the breaking point. They have lowered the international prestige we earned so painstakingly under President Kufuor, dramatically. President Rawlings had it right when he described the government as one with mediocrities that is dull--- except when pursuing the wrong priorities. In short, they do not have the men and the women to take Ghana to the next level. As Ghanaians from Axim to Zebilla regret their votes and yearn for the return of the NPP, the question on every lip is whether the NPP has learnt the necessary lessons from its defeat and is ready to return to power in 2013. On the surface, it would seem that the NPP is destined to return to power on 7TH January 2013. After all, most experts believe that our most important obstacle to victory in 2012 is UNITY. All we need to do is unite, do a few other things and as Nana Addo puts it “we shall be back”. Of course, we need to do a few other things too. Amongst these are:

• Re-affirming our core principles. Amongst these should be an unambiguous commitment to the election of DCE’s. It is embarrassing that the party of Danquah and Busia has problems in aggressively promoting decentralization. Before independence, we sent people to Britain to argue for decentralization.
• Acknowledging that despite doing a very good job in administering the country, we made some mistakes and we regret those mistakes.
• Enhancing humility amongst our elected officials both in the party and in government.
• Admitting to Ghanaians that despite being in government, we did not do enough to protect the votes that they cast for us and that we regret that.

Unfortunately, to return to the central issue of unity, since our defeat last December, we have shown a disturbing tendency to focus away from unity. Right after the elections, a committee was established under the Chairmanship of Dr. Hayman to ascertain the reasons for our loss. While nobody has officially acknowledged the work of the committee and their report, there have been efforts to rectify some of the supposed causes of our defeat, like the large number of aspirants and the size of our Electoral College. While reducing the number of aspirants will make our primaries more orderly, it will have no effect on our chances in the next elections. If anything, it may cause more division in our party. Which brings up the congress this weekend. There are certainly good proposals worthy of support but we must not over-estimate its importance. The proposals to enlarge the Electoral College, to have deputies for National officers and to have a timeline for providing cards to members will deepen our democracy and improve our party. Indeed, on the expansion of the Electoral College, we must make it clear that it is only a half-way stop to the adoption of full, unambiguous “ONE-MEMBER-ONE VOTE” (OMOV) in 2016! The NPP must not allow this congress and the passions it has unleashed, to divert our attention from our central task---UNITY. All well-meaning ELEPHANTS and Ghanaians must be concerned about our ability and willingness to unite. After all, our electoral fortunes have faltered on the rock of unity before. In 1979, with victory almost assured, we managed to snatch defeat right from the jaws of victory by refusing to unite. As Nana Akufo-Addo puts it, “If we had been united, Papa Victor would have been elected President in 1979 instead of Dr. Limann and our history would be very different.” Since the 2008 elections, even while we have complained about the treatment of former President Kufuor by the NDC, some of us have not treated him very well either. He has sometimes not been accorded the respect that should be due a successful ex-President from his party. Some have blamed him unfairly as THE MAJOR cause of our defeat. Others have questioned his motives and even his right to convene meetings in his house. Those who questioned his motives and his right to convene the UNITY meeting in his house are wrong. He was perfectly within his rights to convene that meeting—just as any of us would have the right to do. Of course those who felt the meeting was inappropriate could have refused to attend. I would have attended if I had been invited. Aside from his right to convene that meeting, the President raised some important issues. When he suggested that due to the historic challenges facing the NPP and the need to recapture power, we should consider filling leadership positions by consensus rather than competition, he raised an issue that deserves serious consideration. Unfortunately, the President’s logic should have started or stopped with picking our next flag-bearer. If picking a Chairman or General Secretary is divisive, then picking a flag-bearer will be even more divisive. Indeed, it can be argued persuasively that most of the contentiousness and divisiveness of races from the constituency right to the national level are fuelled by pending flag-bearer races. As they say, when you advice the cat, you must also advise the “stinking fish” or “momone”. To maintain his unique standing in our party and in our affections, the former President must, respectfully, in the words of Senior J.H. Mensah, “check himself”. He should strive to be a uniter, not a divider. When he takes sides on every divisive issue, he risks being attacked by those on the other side. Furthermore, when he appears to be unduly interested in picking a nominee for the Presidency which he can no longer occupy, he risks having his motives questioned. He risks being accused unfairly of pettiness and vindictiveness. The President, for the sake of his party, must heed the lessons of the last primary and not take sides. As Santayana said, “Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat its tragedies.” There is no doubt that aside from the President, the other person whose conduct is crucial to the unity of the party is Nana Akufo-Addo. Nana must work hard at building bridges to the President and others and mind his language. Whether he is our next nominee or not, the NPP will need him and his supporters to win in 2012 and he must be accorded the respect that come with that influence while being encouraged to rise up to his historic responsibilities. While he has always been respectful of the President in my presence, when he or others perceived as acting in his name appear disrespectful of the former President, it exacerbates tensions. As the Akans say, “he who aspires to be a family elder must respect the elders”. He and the President must tamp down the divisive voices around them that make it hard for them to work together. Party and national interest require that. As for our party’s elders, they must stop being elders who allow things to fester at home. Sometimes, one wonders whether we have a “Council of Elders” or “Concurring Elders”. Where are they when leaders who have no philosophical or ideological differences refuse to unite to ensure our victory? Why can’t they work to prevent problems rather than coming to preach “fama Nyame” afterwards? Our politics is fuelled by too much pettiness and too little principle. There is too much ambition--- TO BE rather than TO DO. I remember election night when one of our leaders announced to anxious supporters that we had won and one old man started to dance for joy. Then a few hours later, that announcement turned out to be false. The old man wept like a child. To many ordinary party members, our defeat was more painful than a death in the family. While we pursue our ambitions, let us always remember that it is about them and the millions of Ghanaians who know that only we, in the NPP have the men and women to take our nation where it needs to go. Let us feel their pain. Let us respond to their hopes. As party members, we must insist that as Alan stated so eloquently, “While no individual is larger than his party, no party is larger than the country”. Let us do our duty and unite for victory, for the sake of Ghana. Ghanaians deserve it and it will make our nation and our world better, for our children and their children. Let us say with Nana Addo that “we shall be back” and work to be sure that we do in fact come back. Yenko yanim Wonya Wor hie Written by Arthur Kobina Kennedy (Thursday, 20th August, 2009) Email: arkoke@aol.com Myjoyonline.com/Ghana