Is Incitement NPP’s Strength?

I do not intend to sound like a prophet of doom. If the saying, ‘coming events cast their shadows’ is anything to go by, then I can seek some refuge in that though.

The Electoral Commission of Ghana, a few days ago has embarked on a limited voter registration exercise to enable those who have attained the age of eighteen since the last registration and those who couldn’t register during the previous registration exercise, to have their names entered into the electoral roll.

This exercise has recorded pockets of violence on the part of the two major political parties. The two parties, as usual, have been at each other’s throats trading accusations and counter accusations in respect of the registration exercise. Macho men have reportedly been brutalizing purported opponents over registrants they perceived to be below the age of eighteen and aligned to their opponent’s party. This conduct has taken the shine from an exercise that’s supposed to be peaceful at any rate. If a mere limited registration exercise is witnessing this kind of unwarranted violence, one can imagine what’s likely to happen during and after the Nov. 7 polls.

Whatever the scale of the violence associated with this limited registration exercise, it must be a great source of worry for all peace loving Ghanaians. We must be bold to condemn every act of violence. Glorifying it won’t help anyone of us! Like I mentioned in one of my posts quite recently, the stakes in this elections are very high. NDC and NPP won’t take chances!

But one thing that has become so appalling is the conduct of NPP and its supporters. NPP supporters led by Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah besieged a police station to demand the release of one of their own, the Ashante regional chairman of the NPP. This is not new to us. NPP is very good at doing that unlike the NDC. It’s one of their greatest strength as a party, I dare say! It’s however just an irony that NPP is a party that believes in rule of law yet they try to undermine it.

The conduct of the NPP creates cognitive dissonance in the minds of some of us. If you believe in the rule of law and one of you was found at the wrong end of the law, the best they can do is to ensure due process is followed. But often times, they resort to incitement. Well, I do not intend to dwell so much on this issue.

 When Dzifa Ativor made such ethnocentric comments, it received a very wide condemnation and was extensively reported in the media. The Flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Akuffo Addo was reported to have made comments deemed ethnocentric to the effect that people should vote for him because the acting Chairman of the NPP hails from that area. Dr Bawumia was also reported to have made comments with religious undertones which were in clear violation of the law regarding appointment of people into public office; I didn’t see the same level of condemnation and media coverage. Condemnation of convenience? Aren’t we hypocrites? Well, it has been my long held view that Ghanaians are hypocrites!

All these developments are foreboding signs of things to come. There’s the need to address them now! Can we guarantee Ghana would be in one piece after Nov.7?

 

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