Congratulations To The NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), over the weekend, held successful primaries to elect parliamentary aspirants in constituencies where the party has sitting Members of Parliament and The New Publisher says a big ‘ayekoo’ to the party for the success achieved.

Participatory democracy where the members of a political party are given the freewill to decide which persons become their candidates ahead of general elections is the best way to go in building a country.

History has taught us that free and fair primaries to elect candidates are always better than imposition of candidates.

The general elections are in December, some 12 months away and certainly a good enough period to patch whatever internal cracks that may have surfaced during the rater tough and sometimes near-rough campaign period in the respective constituencies.

But of course, that is what primaries are all about. Only one aspirant gets elected as candidate. It is expected that the other aspirants who do not win would accept the decision of the party’s delegates and in the interest of the party, support the elected candidate to win in December.

The fact that some 28 incumbent Parliamentarians lost their primaries should send a signal to the party that the primaries was indeed useful for the people themselves to decide who they want to lead them. It is better for 28 sitting MPs to lose at primaries than for them to go and lose the main elections in December.

A few lessons have come up. Key among them is the fact that some NPP notables overrate their actual influence and weight in the party. They are just bloated balloons in need of a pin prick.

Key among such notables is one who recently bragged that he would ensure some MP’s lost at the primaries. The loud-mouthed fellow had bragged that he has what it takes to kick out any MP in any constituency and he had specifically mentioned a few of his targets he would kick out.

At the end of the polls, it turned out that the bragging fellow was living in a bubble. An empty barrel makes the most noise indeed. The very persons he campaigned against won their primaries. Rather, the candidates he campaigned for were floored and beaten to pulp.

It is funny how some politicians over rate their importance. The fact that you may be popular and celebrated for a particular reason does not mean your popularity can influence the party’s Electoral College in each constituency to tow your line even when you are wrong.

How on earth was he expecting that the delegates across the constituencies would inherit his personal enemies he has his own private problems with? What has your personal quarrels got to do with the delegates and who they want as their candidates?

It is not even a sign of good sportsmanship to escalate your private and individual differences to that level. It would not be wrong to describe such misbehavior as pettiness.

Another lesson worth noting is the way the NPP in Dome Kwabenya exhibited wisdom and maturity in kicking out Sarah Adwoa Safo. Not even her yogurt and meat pie could appease the angry party faithful.

It was a clear message that the party is supreme. No individual can hold the party to ransom, punish the government, behave like a spoilt baby girl wailing in public and throwing tantrums because she would not be allowed to play with the father’s balls and yet expect to be given yet another chance to hold such a high office. She simply dug her own political grave and dived into it.

Once again, we congratulate the party; especially the elected aspirants and we wish them the best of luck.