NDC Beware of the UK Labour Party Conundrum

I am gobsmacked about recent developments within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which brings back memory about the gentleman agreement between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown which led to the division in the Labour Party and has since kept them in opposition from 2010.

It is reported that Tony Blair promised to hand over power to Gordon Brown after one term in office but reneged on the deal, a situation which started bickering, protestations and trust issues in the Brown camp and standoff between the two stalwarts of the Labour Party. Blair eventually handed over power to Gordon Brown in 2007 not without protest from the Blair acolytes who insisted he must continue as Prime Minister.

Unending political feuds start with the clash of interests and egos, which when not well managed destroy the chances of major political parties at the polls. Labour Party faced this reality in 2010 when, as a result of the feud between the Blair and Brown camps, they lost the general elections to the David Cameron led Conservative party, which has been in power since.

What happened in the Labour, if the NDC is not careful, similar situation could occur. When David Cameron became Prime Minister he rolled out austerity measures which affected social service safety nets and the British public lost confidence in the Government. They looked up to the Labour Party for succour but Tony Blair’s acolytes known as Blairites, who feel that if they are not in charge or lead the Labour no one else would and succeed, sabotaged any leader who could win an election for Labour. Today, with unity, Labour could easily win the British General elections but factionalism is still keeping them in opposition for the past 12 years.

I have taken time and pain to summarise the above because the NDC has some issues where individual interests and egos are affecting the chances of the party at general elections, especially in the 2016 and 2020 elections and going into the 2024 elections these must be avoided.

Currently, the Ghanaian public is yearning for the return of John Mahama and the NDC but would not give them the mandate if there is no unity of purpose in the party. President Akufo-Addo government may have performed abysmally and Ghanaians are going through excruciating hardships, if the public does not see unity of purpose and the hunger for power from the NDC, the party stands to be disappointed just like Labour in UK.

NDC seems to be giving credence to Ernest Benn popular quote that “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedy.”

Why should individuals’ interests and egos look for trouble at a time Ghanaians are looking up to the party as the only source of succour and liberation from economic hardships?

The personality cult worshipping or following should be watched carefully as it could create a situation where a faction which attempts to control the party, and if they do not get their way, might just sabotage the chances of the party at the 2024 elections.

I would commend the Council of Elders for the timely intervention to rein in the new factions that have reared their faces with the potential of further disturbing the relative peace in the party.

The campaigns for the regional and national executive positions should be devoid of acrimony and unnecessary personal attacks. It is not helpful.

If the NDC defies Ernest Benn quote above, and properly diagnose challenges and proffer the right solutions, victory in 2024 is very much assured. In deed the NDC is the only political party which, if they do away with the recent elitist character the party has assumed, could win elections back to back and no political party can defeat them at the general elections.
NDC is a congress of all classes of people.
Tbc…

Seidu Kpebu
Twitter: @kpebu