Its origin was more like communism and socialism well blended and mixed together. Those were the days when anything coming form the seat of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), was said to be the voice of the people, meanwhile the people were so scared to voice their opinions, else they could disappear from the surface of this planet.
Even servants of the Most High God were not spared, as Rev Bro Kugah of the Holy Catholic Church was mistakenly killed by state assassins who mistook him for the then Rev Fr, Charles Palmer Buckle, now Most Rev Palmer Buckle.
To prevent the truth from coming into the open, the Catholic Standard newspaper, which then had Fr. Buckle, as Editor, was banned by Rawlings who incidentally was a Catholic.
So, dictatorship reign supreme on the land and our lives were directed from the Office of the Chairman of the PNDC. So, that if it were twelve midnight and they say it is twelve-midday, one must accept that as the truth or else funeral dirges would be sung soon.
Many were good Ghanaians who fled the land only to return when true democracy and respect for human lives revisited the land in 1993. However, Rawlings and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) ruled this country based on whatever they will say, instead of taken into consideration the people’s views.
So, it was when the NDC put up an austerity budget in order to balance the books due to overspending during the 1992 General Elections, the NPP suggested ways of raising revenue without increasing the ex-pump price of fuel.The whole of the NDC, members and followers would have nothing of this and defended the high cost of fuel, with then Finance minister, Kwasi Botchwey adding that if he increased cost of hard liquor and people refused to drink where would he get money from?
It came to past that the revenue target the NPP suggested the NDC government would achieve if it stuck to high cost of fuel as main source of revenue, was what the government achieve. And this was far less than its target.
Meanwhile, the NDC was not democratic as stated in its middle name. Rawlings was the Word and Nana Konadu was She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. All through the eight years in opposition, Rawlings continued to bark and directed what was to be done in the party.
Those who defied his commands were classified enemies and crudely attacked. The extent of such undemocratic tendencies made the NDC MP of Amenfi West, Hon Abraham Kofi Asante to resign from Parliament on March 26, 2003. On January 5, 2006, an NDC strongman, Dr Obed Asamoah resigned from the party citing breakdown of democratic characteristics. Others like Hon Bede Ziedeng and Frances Essiam also felt conditions in the NDC to be impossible and also packed out.
Then in 2009, NDC came back to power and Rawlings believed it was time for him to rule this country again. Unfortunately, President John Evans Atta Mills, whom he had fought everyone for, would not take that and when a disappointed Rawlings turned to the men and women he lifted from grass to grace, he was shocked to find out that no one was ready to listen to him. He was now powerless, even though the party he shed his blood for, which was back in power treated him like an outcast.
Relying on his wife, who was very instrumental in the appointments of top political office holders,Rawlings had hope to get his party back and so went on to push her candidacy for flag bearer of the party. He wanted to be on top again and rule everyone.
But it turned out to be the greatest shock in his life when at the July 2011 presidential primary, Team Rawlings was seriously whipped when Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings secured only 3.1% of the valid votes cast against 96.9% won by then President John Evans Atta Mills. A popular radio presenter said 3.1% represented the 3131st December Women’s Movement (31st DWM(.
It was at that time that Ghanaians thought that democracy had entered into the NDC, with members standing up to Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.
Rawlings then started taking President Mills to the cleaners at the least opportunity. This provoked the NDC who through Johnson Asiedu Nketia called him a barking dog.
The indications were that whenever the only general without military uniform took over full command and control of the NDC, true democracy would be entrenched in the party, which as its culture and tradition only a few must think for the multitudes. Whether what they think and do make sense or not, they will come out to say it is the wish of the masses.
Then on December 17, 2022 the NDC conducted its National Executive Elections and Johnson Asiedu Nketia who contested for the National Chairman position took over 65% of the valid votes cast to win. And expectations were that as someone who stood up against Rawlings’ overburdened dictatorial principles, he would usher the NDC into a new era of democracy.
Just as it is said that the oppressed can become worse than the oppressor, Asiedu Nketia reveal how dictatorial he could be.
So, in about a month in office, the NDC national executives, without consulting the NDC MPs, made some drastic and dramatic changes in the NDC leadership in Parliament, which today, some people still feel, they were not justified.
Two top politicians and leading Muslims, Haruna Iddrisu and Mubarak Muntaka, then minority leader and minority chief whip respectively, were evicted from the front roll and thrown into the back bench.
The current leadership has no Muslim, which indicates that the policy direction of Asiedu Nketia’s administration is to do away with the Muslim and Northern bloc which has been the foundation and backbone of the NDC.
The excuse that with finance and economics to become the center of Campaign 2024 the party will need an economist to be the leader in Parliament. If so, to acknowledge the efforts of the Muslims and Northerners, Asiedu Nketia could have picked the Bolgatanga Central MP, Hon Isaac Adongo.
Suddenly, more dictatorial directives started coming from Party Head Office, when all NDC MPs were told when to sleep and when to wake up, on which side of the road they should walk on and who to greet and who not to greet. In short, travel bans were placed on each of the 136 NDC MPs in the House. Those already out of town were instructed to cut short their visits and come back home. With the General Mosquito in command, this sounded like a war situation.
The NDC viewed the vote on the president’s nominees for ministerial appointments and Supreme Court as war situations. With seven days retreat of fasting and prayers the MPs were told that the Spirit had said God was not in favour of the nominees and so they must vote “No,” if they hope to make Heaven.
On the day of voting on Friday March 24, 2023, General Mosquito aka Asiedu Nketia, in mufti, and ex-president John Mahama made their intimidating presence in the Chamber of the House of Parliament. It looked like, giving the opportunity, the two could have sneaked in the queue and cast votes, after they were once MPs and in crucial situations like this it could be possible that once an MP, always an MP.
The results of the voting demonstrated that about 31 NDC MPs decided that enough was enough and democracy must be allowed to work, so they voted “Yes.”All six ministerial and two Supreme Court nominees were approved by the House.
The NDC leadership was thrown into disarray, confusion and disbelief. It had intended to make this country ungovernable for Akufo-Addo’s government. The MPs were instructed to shoot down any bill or policy that could help the government to turn things around. Ghanaians must suffer, for all the NDC cares. Ghanaians must suffer to make the NPP government unpopular. So, anything that can alleviate hardships must be shot down in Parliament.
However, the gallant 31 MPs from the NDC would not have this unpatriotic behaviour. They were NDC members, yes, but they are also the people’s representatives and are obliged to consider the people first before party.
Unfortunately, the 31 MPs were accused of corruption as in receiving bribes and not having the nation at heart. There is a manhunt for these Judases and their punishment would be that, come May, they will lose their primaries.
It however came out that these MPs did not receive any bribe but rather acted on their conscience in the interest of the state of Ghana. They listened to their friends on the opposite side and became more convinced that they should vote along national lines and not on partisan lines.
If the leadership of the NDC gets hold of them before the May 2023 primaries, and make them lose their primaries, then it will spell doom for the Umbrellas, come 2024. These MPs will make sure that they will be on the side of government in all matters to the discredit of the NDC.
Asiedu Nketia recently accused the Akufo-Addo administration of recklessness, but it has clearly shown that it is rather his administration that is reckless and clueless in administering party affairs.
Is the Gallant 31, ushering democracy into the NDC to make good definition of its middle name?
Hon Daniel Dugan
