An Incumbent Government In Opposition…

It is become critically necessary that some simple truth needs to be told to the New Patriotic Party (NPP), both as a party and as a government; the bitter and harsh truth that would clear the clogged ears of leadership and force it to stop living in a state of self denial.

A failure to accept this truth would surely land the party back in opposition in no time. Indeed, most party members are already in opposition just as its MPs in Parliament are practically in opposition.

Indeed it is the failure to accept this truth that has landed the party in its current uncomfortable state of leading a government with a hung and an evenly split Parliament led by a Speaker from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), a Speaker with an appetite for reminding everyone that he is a powerful man and would not kowtow to the supposed dictates of the Executive.

And rightly so, the Speaker did not miss his chances in leading the Minority Caucus of the House, a faction he has belonged to for almost three decades to reject the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy tabled by the Government.

Truth the told, the NPP MPs may quote all the Standing orders, Articles in the Constitution and somersault in all manner of legal gymnastics to salvage its image but every right thinking person can feel the painful slap in the face and the deep embarrassment it has suffered.

Indeed to the further embarrassment of the Majority Caucus, made up of 137 Members of Parliament representing the New Patriotic Party NPP, plus one Independent Member who opted to be with the NPP side, Mr. Speaker last Friday threatened to get the Marshals to throw out the Minister of Finance from the Chamber of the House.

The supposed Majority (NPP), the party that leads government, had nothing to do but to watch haplessly and in self-pity as though they were in opposition.

Coming events, they say cast their shadows before them; and the writings are now clear on the wall that the business of government can very easily be obstructed or even thrown off gear by the composition of this evenly split Parliament headed by a Speaker who himself wanted to be President on another party’s ticket. A stitch in time saves nine.

How the NPP sheepishly landed itself in this slaughter-house is not as surprising as the fact that the party has not learnt its lessons and is repeating same  or worse mistakes.

Most of its leaders, not all, have developed clogged ears. They have lost touch with the very people they met on their way up the ladder. They now see any negative feedback as hate speech. They simply do not give a hoot about the larger public interest and would go ahead and do whatever they choose to do as long as it satisfies their personal selfish interests as against the larger collective interests.

The party lost seats in the last election due to several factors including the imposition of Candidates on some constituencies.

No lesson has been learnt else the same party (in government) would not be imposing MMDCEs on its own people, and doing so with impunity!!!

Indeed as Constituency, Regional and National elections are about to start, that same silly attitude of imposition on candidates based on supposed orders from above would be repeated… Perhaps to fasten the process of ‘Chasing The Elephant Into The Bush’.

The party lost seats in the last elections because apathy set in and motivation dwindled. There is a saying that you cannot be eating, drinking and dancing alone and claim you are having a party with friends.

The ignored complaints have even intensified after the last polls.

There are many party faithful, who today are embittered, feel left out and abandoned after the victory, feel used and dumped, feel disillusioned and disappointed, have lost all hopes but are not ready to speak out for fear of mockery.

There is a problem at hand in Parliament; The New Publisher is urging leadership to go solve it with tact and strategy.

But The New Publisher is even more concerned about the prospects for the next polls and the party’s chances of surviving with this attitude of ungratefulness, selective forgetfulness and expecting soldiers to war on empty stomachs.

 

Written by Halifax Ansah-Addo