Balancing Personal Interests Against Party Interests

Truth be told, there is no political leader who solely works for the general interest of the party of association without having a personal interest.

The craft of balancing the equilibrium of the two interests is what differentiates a well-baked mature politician most likely to succeed from a politician who is either learning, or a genius suddenly overtaken by evil traits of greed, pride and bloated ego.

The balancing art and craft requires self sacrifice, patience, meticulous calculations and the acumen of ‘The Gambler’ whom the late singer Kenney Rogers wrote about: in the trick-taking game of gambling cards, not only did ‘The Gambler’ know when to play his aces as against his clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades but he also knew how and when to hold them, when to fold them, when to walk away and when to run.

There is no contention that the recent reshuffle in the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Minority Caucus in Parliament could have been tidier.

However, the public responses, utterances and actions of some of its Parliamentarians have been curiously rich and calls into question whether they indeed have not forgotten the art of balancing their individual interests as against their Party interest.

Here they are with daggers drawn and suffocating each other to near death, completely forgetting the African adage that when two antelopes fight to death, it is the vulture that benefits.
And when two brothers fight to death, a stranger inherits their father’s estate.

Completely forgetting that though the Party could have handled the reshuffle in a tidier way, the implications would be worse if the Party’s arm in twisted to reverse the new appointments and bring back the old leaders. It would be a delusion to believe such a reversal is what would make all stakeholders suddenly become happy and live together in harmony ever after.

That imagination would be a pure infantile political fantasy!!!!

There is a clear internal disagreement and instead of using the Party’s laid down channels to address the said disagreement, here are party leaders dirtying themselves in the market square on a market day.

Former President John Kufuor is credited to have made a profound statement once upon a time that it is better to be a messenger in a ruling Government than to be a Chief Scribe in an opposition political party.

Here is an opposition political party with a common goal of taking over political power in the next 24 months; yet they are out there telling the world the Party’s national leaders do not believe in democracy, they do not believe in consultation and that they have appointed “non-entities” to lead them in Parliament.

The rival Caucus in Parliament can only observe and take notes. The larger electorate can only observe and form their conclusions ahead on the next polls.

The emotive responses, personal attacks, free-for-all negative media campaign, inciting of tribal bigotry and clear rebel-like behavior would come back to haunt the Group.

Balancing personal interests as against the larger interest of a Political party to which one belongs so as to accomplish a collective ambition on mutual benefits indeed requires something way beyond having outstanding academic credentials.

The balancing the equilibrium cannot be achieved with greed, ego, emotive reactions and self-centeredness.