Justin Frimpong Kodua (JFK),
I throw salute, Sir-General.
Your glorious entry into the National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party, really set many a-merry-making, especially when you minced no words and fired your first salvoes at those who dared to violate party laws with such impunity.
“Law and order have arrived,” many said when you openly rebuked, Abdul Aziz Haruna Futa, the National Nasara co-ordinator after he openly campaigned for H.E. Dr. Bawumia during Islamic prayers to commemorate the NPP’s 30th Anniversary.
You later summoned Hopeson Adorye to appear before you for remarks he made at the AduruWusu Walk in Kumasi. Interestingly those who spoke out loudly against Mr Adorye never uttered a word against Alhaji Futa.
After that, there were a series of comments, remarks and speeches made by some party members which violated the NPP’s laws on campaigning. And as these kept coming, your voice kept going, down and down and down.
So, it was not surprising that your silence was very loud, when H.E. President Nana Akufo-Addo went to Senya and openly campaigned for his press secretary, Eugene Arhin, calling on the people there to vote him into Parliament.
The problem here are two, firstly parliamentary primary has not yet been opened so how can someone be endorsed as the in-coming MP? and two, no one heard from, you, our General Secretary.
The truth is, no one was expecting that you can caution the president however, you should have said something.
JFK, your namesake, JFK (John F. Kennedy) once said “Our problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man………. No problem of human destiny is beyond human beings.”
And this is where I come in.The NPP has to review its constitution and come out with a more refined and good working document, which should have entrenched provisions which no one in the party can violate.
Could it be out of place to say that if someone in higher place, violates a provision, the onus should lie on the National Executive Council to administer justice and should they fail, then the entire membership of Council must vacate their positions?
Could it be out of place to suggest that the grass root members who form the polling station executives should be better organised and given more responsibility, so that at least they are given the respect they deserve and not to be used and abused?
Could it be possible to scrap this Super Delegates congress, since to me it can do what the Party wanted to prevent in the first place?
One of the reasons of expanding Congress is to make it difficult for aspirants to buy votes. In the last and only Super Delegates Congress of the party which took place in August 2014, the delegates were fewer less than 800. And before the expansion of Congress, the Party had more than 2,000 delegates. Now, if 2,000 delegates can be bought, hence the need to expand to over 100,000 delegates, what about the fewer than 800 delegates?
Could it be possible that NPP adopts the US primaries system, where all aspirants, even if there are one hundred of them, should go to the regions, one after the other, and lay out their manifesto and political directions and be voted on?
You, see JFK, can you imagine what will happen if the Super Delegates are bought over by a weaker candidate and made to vote out the popular and stronger one? Surely, NPP would soon be lost and forgotten, forever? Democratically, the Party should respect and accept the views of the grass root and make them have a say in any matter. The grass root is where votes come from.
And could it be possible to expand the delegates to include all past and current government appointees and ex-MPS as well.
JFK, I think, the NPP should as a matter of urgency open up campaign for the flag bearer slot. As it is, as soon as party members find out that you are incapable of disciplining some party members who violate the law but ready to crack the whip on others, the goodwill they have for you will disappear and people will start singing “MeyriDadaa”, which will be a dirge to celebrate your political demise.
I will suggest that you have frequent discourse with the president on this matter and beg him not publicly endorse anyone, even after Council lifts the ban on campaigning.
JFK, you see, before the 2007 Primaries, it was alleged that President Kufuor showed support for Alan and the Party thought it was wrong. So, why should we be seeing and hearing Nana Addo rooting out for an aspirant?
JFK, lastly, I will suggest that the Party comes out with businesses and industries which will help to self-financeit. The Party must discourage vote buying during internal elections. Mind you, it was vote-buying by the PNDC/NDC in 1992 that part-inspired the NPP to write The Stolen Verdict.
When the delegates are well resourced, they will not negotiate for monies and high capital items.
NPP, must not be seen to be doing what it accuses the NDC of doing.
JFK, like JFK once said“problems are man-made, therefore they may be solved by man” You and the National Executive Committee should solve all problems in the Party.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
