Fault Line Of Local Politics

The fault line of local democracy is the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The daily nagging of members of the party mostly about the necessary compilation of a new voters’ register has assumed a deafening crescendo.

Now, the NDC elements are transmitting perhaps, unknowingly, conflicting signals, as it were, as to whether or not they would partake in the forthcoming registration of names for a new voters’ roll.

A perplexed observer posed this question: “What exactly do the NDC leaders want from the good people of this country?”

From violence-prone demonstrations across the country using hoodlums and spitting fire to other options, all the modules have been anything but decent. Even the inscriptions on the placards flaunted by the paid hoodlums in the demonstrations were obscene and consistent with the DNA of the party.

The boycotting threat of the IPAC meeting of the Electoral Commission (EC) by the NDC members as it announced earlier does not inure to their interest, and we would have rather they rescinded that decision.

We experienced a moment of excitement albeit briefly when the party demanded of the EC documents pertaining to the forthcoming compilation of a new voters’ register. We thought, bingo, the NDC members have found their thinking caps.

Then came the revelation on another hand that they are planning to throw a spanner into the works of the EC through a parliamentary procedure, an unproductive venture though we can bet. It is the foolishness of the effort which is worrying.

When our top opposition party puts up this ‘spoilt child’ approach to elections, we must get unnerved. The leadership of the party must serve their supporters and stop this unacceptable conduct which has become a feature of their grouping, regrettably.

Supporters of the party are being short-changed by the unceasing poor political sportsmanship of the NDC.

Such supporters look up to the leadership to act on their behalf, because they have confidence in them. Such confidence must begin to wane as the leaders keep vacillating about decisions.

When the National Identification Authority (NIA) embarked upon the registration of citizens, the leaders asked their supporters not to turn up for the exercise. They later saw reason to go with the registration.

They did not, however, openly ask the supporters to go and register although most of them snubbed the ‘don’t register’ party directive and got their details captured in the national database.

Opposition politics is a serious attribute of a healthy democracy which the NDC should consider and adjust accordingly.

What sense is there in demanding documents about the pending voter registration exercise from the EC even as they announce a non-participation in a scheduled IPAC meeting to discuss modalities for the compilation?

They would complain about the binding decisions arrived at during such a meeting and tell the world that they were not in attendance. Blimey! What nonsense!

Party supporters have, unfortunately, put in place a leadership which is deficient in ideas that can endear the party to the good people of this country.

Constant naggings over nothing are consistent with weak leadership and a wobbling and directionless party.