Politics, it has been said many times, make strange bed fellows. Also, it has been said many times that in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies. The falling out of the founders of the UP and CPP cannot be exaggerated. However, today, we the new generation looks ahead to finding our own ways of doing what we can to move Ghana ahead, finding common ground wherever possible, instead of getting bugged down by unfortunate problems from the history of our founders. After all, our founders did their best and in their own ways contributed their part to advancing Ghana. Today, it is clear that many of the positive ideologies of the CPP is manifested in the NPP.
Indeed, it is a fact that with the disintegration of the CPP, there are many Nkrumaists who today support and more importantly feel very much at home in the NPP. It is also clear that the NPP has worked hard to bring on board the talents and ideas of Nkrumaists into its fold. I personally have a lot of Nkrumaist relatives and friends who today feel very much at home in the NPP. Now let us concisely look at some details of the matter.
Firstly, there is no denying that there are two major parties in Ghana today and both of them are centrist. In fact, I am arguing today that both of these parties are essentially centrist liberal/conservative parties. One of the real differences between the two parties is that the NDC’s background is out of the PNDC while the NPP’s is steeped in the long traditions of the UGCC & UP.
Contrary to the traditional alignment of the NPP as conservative and the NDC as socialist, I submit that the NDC all the way back from the PNDC days has essentially mimicked the NPP’s conservative economic policies. The only difference is that the NDC pays lip service to their socialistic ideology while being a less competent version of the NPP as a governing liberal/conservative party. So, why wouldn’t an Nkrumaist looking for a home from among these two parties, park their support behind the more competent version of two parties essentially governing with the same fundamental approaches?
Secondly, out of the two parties, the NPP has actually shown itself as being more of the interventionist party, and effectively creating opportunities for average Ghanaians to succeed and enjoy the national cake. President Kufuor’s government for instance is universally lauded for its legendary infrastructural achievements, expansion of affordable/free health care coverage and investments in our children and their education as well as actually providing substantial affordable housing projects.
Nana Akufo-Addo is now committing himself to Fully-Funded SHS Education for all our children. Like President Nkrumah realized, the NPP’s leaders have realized the criticality of government help to create adequate infrastructure and investment in our economy and human capital as the basis upon which enterprise shall thrive. The NDC insists that such a vision is unachievable. I bet a lot of Nkrumaists will side with Nana in this important effort.
So, it seems to me that the descendents of the UGCC have come full circle and now our approaches have messed, with the key ingredient being competence in government. The NPP has demonstrated its commitment to bringing all Ghana-First citizen on board to increase its leadership quotient. Some in our party party for instance kicked against Dr. Bawumia’s selection as our Party’s Vice Presidential Candidate because via his father and many of his relatives, he was not considered a NPP man. But, as the NPP’s leaders have realized, today, there are many a number of Nkrumaists and/or their descendents and/or non-idealogues who have a lot to offer the party and Ghana.
Clearly, the NPP by its blend of progressive programs coupled with a robust private sector focus, ensures that all Ghanaians are made to feel right at home in the party. The NPP today is truly a centrist national patriotic party in which the most important thing is competence and skills and not what party one used to support or one’s parents used to support.
Prince Ofosu Sefah. Toronto. [email protected]