The CPP Is Different

It is encouraging that some Ghanaians are waking up to one element in our politics that has contributed to Ghana being a poor performer in terms of improvement in the quality of life for the majority of the citizens. Politics of intimidation, exclusion and insults has been that combined element that has in the 4th Republic become the tool used by the NDC and the NPP to cow the people and muscle their way to power. It is good that the Methodist Bishop of the Kumasi archdiocese has added his voice to the call on political parties to sanction members who exhibit insulting behaviour. We congratulate the Bishop for his statement. However, we want to amend the targets of this call. The specific targets should be the NPP and the NDC. We find it particularly heartwarming that the Methodist Bishop said, �It is time those of us in the church and politics should be able to speak about it and tell our members. I think the time may come when we have to declare to our members that if you hear a party that does this do not vote for that party.� We agree. This new concern has arisen due to the verbal altercation between the NPP�s Communications Director Nana Akomea and the Deputy Tourism Minister James Agyenim Boateng on Joy FM�s news analysis programme Newsfile this past Saturday. We also note that Mr. Kwasi Amakye, a political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has said that the two individuals must be sanctioned by their respective bossed for using abusive language on radio. He is quoted by the media to have said that. "Nana [Akufo-Addo] will have to take a drastic action. I will have great difficulty seeing Nana Akomea continue to lead Nana Addo's campaign. President Mills has got his own reputation to redeem. He is dining with many people whose hands are so, so tainted so that the gentlemanly character, the nice person that they have put out there concerning President Mills is really challenged now." Predictably, today, Nana Akufo-Addo has dodged the issue saying that he cannot sack Nana Akomea putting the decision-making responsibility on his party, the NPP. But we know that the NPP does not have the heart or the guts to make such decisions. As for President Mills, the least said the better. He is the beneficially of what some have called �taliban� tactics in politics. He rode on the back of insults to power in 2008. To crown it all, the people who engaged in calling their political opponents corrupt, drug dealers, murderes, profligate spenders, crooked etc have been rewarded by President Mills as Presidential Staffers and Ministers of State. We recall with pride that it is only Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom who in 2008 as Presidential Candidate consistently called on his people not to get involved in insulting their opponents. The quality of his campaign messages, the tone, the humility have been recorded for posterity. He threatened to give up CPP people himself should they engage in acts that would threaten the peace of the nation. No one else did that. When there were conflicts in Gushiegu, Tamale and Bawku, the only Presidential Candidate who went there boldly, personally to calm the fears of people, soothe their hearts and offer them relief was Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom. No wonder he had a clear mind to think of the good solutions and ideas that made him the clear winner in the 2008 presidential debates. So if now Ghanaians know that there is the need for an alternative, we say one exists already. The CPP as a political party has also shown the way by putting in place a historic first in the 4th Republic, a Shadow Cabinet that is preparing to take its place in government. Most importantly, the CPP has offered several alternative politics in its �How the CPP Will Do It� series where Shadow members have unveiled through the media to Ghanaians how the Party will run the economy, health, education, agriculture, create jobs, etc. So to Ghanaians, we recommend very highly and with all due compliments that everybody takes another good, hard look at the rejuvenated CPP that is ready to bring civility into our body politic. The CPP needs a chance to be heard. The CPP is the answer if Ghanaians are looking for a government that will solve problems and work with a sense of urgency to make our country great and strong and its people prosperous.