I have always said that in my opinion, the New Patriotic Party, must discard the name, Danquah Busia Domboas its tradition, and adopt the befitting name, the UP Tradition out of the United Party (UP) which was founded on October 13, 1957.
That was the day, six political parties came together and became united as one, and on that day a tradition was born, the UP Tradition.
All six parties, the Northern People’s Party (NPP) led by S.D. Dombo; the National Liberation Movement (NLM), led by K.A. Busia; Ga Shifimokpee, led by Attor Quarshie and Attor Okine;
Togoland Congress Party (TCP), led by S.G. Antor; Anlo Youth Association (AYA), led by Modesto Apaloo and the Muslim Association Party (MAP), led by Bankole, had different political ideologies, but these were set aside to unite all six as one and a united party.
The NPP was founded to get the Northerners into the body politics of the then Gold Coast and not be left out, but duly recognised in the independent country to be founded soon.
The NLM was founded as a party which wanted to stand out and fight for federalism in the event when Nkrumah started removing some powers of the traditional leaders and also failed in his campaign promise to raise the producer price of cocoa but rather reduced it to a third of the world market price and hedged it for four years.
With this the whole of the then Ashanti region, which comprised today’s Ashanti region and the erstwhile Brong Ahafo region, was upset and when Barima Baffour Akoto, a traditional leader founded the NLM, majority of Nkrumah’s CPP members, like Victor Owusu, R.R. Amponsah and Joe Appiah, defected from their party and joined the NLM.
While the TCP and AYA called on all Ewes in the Gold Coast to remain in that country, the Ga Shifimokpee, like the NPP, wanted Gas to be recognised and the MAP felt Nkrumah had nothing good for Muslims and also came together to push the Islamic idea into governance.
In 1964, the UP ceased to exist when Nkrumah declared Ghana a one-party state and personally nominated parliamentary candidates (PCs) for every constituency and all were returned unopposed to form a Parliament with only CPP MPs.
In 1969, the UP came out again, this time to be called the Progress Party (PP). And in 1979, it became the Popular Front Party (PFP) and finally in 1992 it became the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
All these while the Nkrumaists and other socialists resolved to break up this tradition but they never succeeded. However, today, it looks like the dreams of the pro-socialists could materialize, from internal aggression and not from external.
Someone first decided to call the tradition that united diverse political groupings as one, the Danquah Busia Tradition and when opponents of the UP Tradition called the NPP, an Akan party, instead of standing firm to defend this tag, the leaders, decided to add Dombo to the two names and come out with Danquah Busia Dombo Tradition.
So, what if the Ewes and the Gas, who formed the integral part of the United Party also start saying that the NPP is only for Akans and Northerners?
Will we hear Danquah Busia Dombo Quarshie Okine Antor Apaloo Tradition? And what if the Muslims also claim the NPP does not identify with Muslims would Bankole be added to the long name?
The fact that the UP Tradition is known as Danquah Busia Dombo Tradition is ethnic biased enough. And by the way, I always ask and continue to ask until I get a sound and good reason, why was Danquah’s name added to the tradition.
He never led any party to the table and if it was because of his activities in the UGCC, then why was Paa Grant’s name, left out?
None of these three illustrious leaders had any unique characteristics to be emulated, so that someone can stand up and say “I identify with Danquah,” another also will say,“I identify with Busia”and yet another “I identify with Dombo.”Rather, this clearly comes out as a tribal thing. Any NPP person from Akyem is a Danquah, any NPP person from Ashanti and Bono is a Busia.
(When Busia led the NLM, he was from the Ashanti and it remained so until April 14,1959 when the Brong Ahafo Region was carved out of the Ashanti region). And any NPP person who is from the regions in the north of Ghana, must be a Dombo.
In effect, what NPP is telling Ghanaians and the world is that only Akyems, Asantes/Bono and Northerners can lead the party to occupy the high office. What about the Gas, the Dangbes and the Ewes?
The NPP is gradually and unknowingly drawing to extinction with this Danquah Busia Dombo Tradition thing. Look how the clarion call “It is Dombo’s turn”is leading the party into.
And when last weekend a southerner, Hopeson Addoye also came out to hotly challenge this, referring to the tradition where a Southerner is flag bearer and a Northerner, a running mate, some people wanted his blood.
Even, as I will not agree with this Danquah first, then Busia next thing, I think Musa Superior, my good friend blew things out of proportion.
What I heard of Hopeson, he never said the Northerners were not fit to lead the NPP. He was only stating how the tradition of electing a flag bearer goes on in NPP.
In 1992 a Danquah, in the person of Adu Boahen led the party, in 1996 and 2000 a Busia in the person of J.A. Kufuor led the party.
Where were the Northern folks when it got to 2007 and a Dombo, in the person of Aliu Mahama, was contesting? All the three regions in the north did not vote en bloc for him, because the total votes Aliu Mahama had got no where near the total number of delegates from the three northern regions.
Why was 2007 not a Dombo turn, but the party gave the leadership back to the Danquah group?
In order to save the party from any such internal ethnic conflict and division, I will suggest that the NPP adopts UP Tradition as its tradition and from here the party can identify with all the various tribes and religions that came together that day in October 1957 to unite and be called the United Party.
By the way, why should Northerners be called Dombo if they do not come from the same ethnic group as Dombo? This is simply looking down upon all the various tribes in the North and classifying them as one tribe. It is disrespectful to say the least.
How will the Ewes feel when, the name of their tribe is pushed aside and they are grouped with Gas, Dangbes and Southern Akans as one tribe? Everyone adores their ethnic group and this must be respected.
And finally, what makes a Northerner a Dombo? Today we say, a Dombo is a Northerner and a Muslim, but Dombo was not a Muslim. He was a Christian and Catholic, so why should his stool be given to a Muslim?
Will Muslims accept to identify with a Christian? Let NPP be careful, because this Danquah Busia Dombo thing is going to cause problems from within the party.
NPP is from the UP Tradition and that should be it.
Hon. Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
