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Ghana: Ruling Party Set for Sweep in National Poll

Francis Kokutse

31 August 2008

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Accra — If crowd attendance was only what it takes to win an election, Ghana's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) would have been declared winner of this year's polls long before the December 7 voting date.

Two rallies at Kasoa near Accra and Takoradi in the Western region drew such a big crowd that even President John Kufuor was forced to remark that in his 40 years of politics he had never seen such a big rally.

But, as the ruling party draws large crowds, it is becoming clear that if former President Jerry Rawlings had a way, he would have rewritten his past in order to clear the path for the candidate of his party, the National Democratic Party, Mr Evans Atta Mills.

Unfortunately, this is not possible and even though it is generally agreed that Mr Mills is a good man, the shadow of Rawlings has come to drive away support from his party.

The NDC is suffering from the ghost of Rawlings, who metamophorsed from a military dictator into a civilian president. But the ills of his military rule from 1979 -- as chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council and from 1981 to 1991 as chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council have refused to go.

At a recent rally by the ruling party, one of its vocal members of parliament, Mr Kennedy Agyepong told the teeming supporters: "I for nothing at all, remember the ills of Rawlings in order not to cast your vote for the NDC."

This is exactly what has come to give the NPP a head start. President Kufuor's eight years in power has provided the basis for growth and has been acclaimed worldwide as a example of good governance.

President Kufuor has tried to heal the past by setting up a National Reconciliation Committee to clear the past but it does look that most older people who lived under Rawlings' military regime have refused to let go and Mr Mills is suffering from this. Rawlings performed three coups d'etat in Ghana, two of which were successful.

But, as a civilian head of state from 1992 to 2000, Rawlings cannot be faulted. He did his best but President Kufuor seems to be lucky.

During his tenure of office, commodity prices have surged and the government decision to declare the country as a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) has provided the government with external influx that has provided the basis for unprecedented growth.

Against this background, says Mr Ibrahim Adzei, an executive of Black Star TV, one of the many new companies that have sprung up within the past eight years, "the business community has enjoyed a boom time with the NPP and would want to see that continue."

This contrasts sharply with accusations that Rawlings killed the Ghanaian entrepreneurial spirit. As president, Rawlings openly campaigned against local companies that he thought were sympathetic to the then opposition NPP.

Mr Adzei said, "inflation has been reduced from 47 per cent in 2001 to under 18 per cent currently. The NPP has a long tradition of policy formulation from its days as the opposition United Party under the country's first President Kwame Nkrumah unlike the NDC which is thriving on the personality of Rawlings alone."

But, deputy general secretary of the NDC, Mr Elvis Efriyie Ankrah says the NPP has allowed corruption to grow and this is one of the main theme that party is using for its campaign.

President Kufuor has constantly denied accusation of corruption. "There is no need to be asking for proof if a former national chairman of the ruling party openly accused the President of corruption and accepting kick-backs," he added Mr Ankrah says, recent global energy crises have come to compound the poor living standards of the people and has "has been brushed aside with figures which do not reflect the true living standards of the people."

The people do not seem to be listening to these remarks as the NPP continues to pull crowds to its rallies with the a local Gospel song "We Are Moving Forward" which it has adopted for its campaign on radio and television.

Mr Jonathan Abbey, who is a senior high school teacher says he has not yet made up his mind to vote. He says he is not sure that voting for Mr Mills is the right thing to do because Rawlings seems to have a strong hold on the NDC and it is alleged that none of the senior members would want to cross his path.

Mr Abbey admits that, the past eight years has brought some serious infrastructural development in the country. " We see a lot of businesses coming into the country and with the recent oil find under President Kufuor, we need peace to push the country's development." As a teacher, Mr Abbey says, "the decision by the government to cancel tuition in primary and middle schools was a nice move that deserves praise."

"Health services have been greatly improved," he added. That is true as deputy information minister Frank Agyekum noted, two major hospitals have been rehabilitated and health services have been expanded to several parts of the country.

The government has also introduced a national health insurance scheme together with free maternal care for pregnant women.

Good governance

The high premium that most Ghanaians place on peace and good governance is what the NPP is gradually using to attract votes. Mr Agyekum told the Nation that, "there is an air of freedom.

Ghanaians speak freely and write about whatever is on their mind without fear. Under the present regime, no one has been sent to jail without going through the due process of the law.

The criminal libel law that Rawlings used against journalists has been repealed and journalists go about their work without fear."

Another area that the NPP seems to have an edge over the NDC is the party's presidential candidate and its running mate. Compared to Mr Mills, the NPP's candidate Nana Akufo-Addo is not a novice in politics even though Mills was Rawlings vice president.

Mr Akufo-Addo, son of a former president is a lawyer who has spent much of his life in political activism. He led several campaigns against military rule in the 1970's under General Kutu Acheampong and at a point had to flee into exile.

The NPP's running mate, Mahamadu Bawumia, who is also the son of a former politician was until his selection the country's deputy governor of the central bank.

Mr Agyekum says: "The man has helped shape most of the policies that have made the economy very successful." Together, they seem to be drawing more sympathizers to the party.

Political experience

Mr Akufo-Addo's political experience is showing on the campaign trail as he sells policies that would transform the country. The party has pledged to spend $1 billion in the north to bridge the development gap with the south where Nana Akufo-Addo has most of the support.

But, Rawlings has constantly accused the NPP of using terror to cow the people and have said, "the NDC would resist every attempt by the ruling party to win the elections through intimidation."

Mr Agyekum disagrees and says, "this is just a ruse by Rawlings to enable his party activists to engage in acts that the NDC is noted for and gave the assurance that the security services would be awake before and during the elections"

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