[ 2012-07-07 ]

Rawlings Party Finally Here
After many months of speculation and denials, it
is now certain that a new party, the National
Democratic Party (NDP), which, from all
indications, has the backing of the Rawlingses,
has been formed.

Some of the leading members of the new party
presented its application to the Electoral
Commission (EC) in Accra on Wednesday for
registration as a fully fledged political entity
to contest the December 2012 and future
elections.

The symbol of the new party is a white flying dove
carrying the ‘Gye Nyame’ emblem against background
of black, red, white and green.

A former General Secretary of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Josiah Ayeh, is the
Interim National Chairman, while Dr Mamboa Rockson
is the Interim General Secretary of the new
party.

A leading member of the NDP, Dr K. Ofei-Agyemang,
told the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday that
“the party also submitted its constitution and
other documents to seek its approval to operate as
a fully fledged political party and contest the
2012 general election”.

“Since the Rawlingses believe in social democratic
philosophy, they will not deny their support for
the new social democratic party called the NDP,”
he said.

Explaining the party’s choice of colours, he said
while the black represents the Black man and the
country’s heritage, the green is for Ghana’s
vegetation and the toil of farmers, with the red
representing the bloodshed in the various
struggles of Ghana’s existence, with the white
being the spirit of holiness and grace.

The closest hint on the formation of a party
associated with the Rawlingses came from the
Spokesperson for former President Rawlings, Mr
Kofi Adams, who told Adom FM, a Tema-based radio
station, last month, “Don’t be surprised if a new
party is formed with the intention of salvaging an
existing party.”

Commenting on the issue, the Communications
Director of the NDC, Mr James Asante, said it was
within the right of the members of the NDP, as
Ghanaians, to form a new party to contest the
December 2012 general election.

Ghana’s Fourth Republican history is replete with
cases of breakaway parties, but such parties,
after abysmal performances in elections, find
their way back to their roots.

Mention can be made of the National Reform Party
and the Democratic Freedom Party, both from the
NDC stock.

The United Ghana Movement, led by Dr Yves
Wireko-Brobbey and currently in hibernation, and
the Reformed Patriotic Party came from the New
Patriotic Party.

The Convention People’s Party’s share of breakaway
parties is the Progressive People’s Party, which
is angling to contest the 2012 elections.

But Dr Ofei-Agyemang, who contested the 2008
parliamentary election on the ticket of the NDC in
the Ayawaso Constituency, maintained that “the NDP
has come to stay”.

“The party was formed by like-member social
democrats who are selfless and yearning to use the
country’s natural and human resources for the
benefit all,” he said.

When contacted, a senior official of the EC
confirmed that the NDP had initiated the process
to secure a certificate as a registered political
party.

Commenting on the fortunes of the new party, the
Head of the Political Science Department of the
University of Ghana, Dr Emmanuel Debrah, observed
that the NDP could be a threat to the NDC in the
2012 elections if the new party had the backing of
the Rawlingses.

“The Rawlingses carry a lot of clout and
influence. The party may not win the elections,
but considering the fact that the difference in
numbers between President John Evans Atta Mills
and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the first and
second round elections of 2008 was not that
significant, any shift in the electoral figures
can affect the fortunes of the party from which
the breakaway party is emerging,” he contended.

He, however, admitted that on the other side of
the coin, it might be too late for any new party
to make gains politically, explaining that that
party would have to build structures from the
grass roots and strengthen its branches from the
regional down to the constituency levels.

“We have only six months to the general election
and it will be a daunting task to mobilise
resources and people for the task. It is also not
only about structures but also being able to
present programmes to compete with known parties
whose strength on the ground is already solid,” Dr
Debrah said.

Many analysts believe that if, indeed, the new
party is backed by the Rawlingses, it could affect
the fortunes of the NDC in the December general
election and push it into opposition.

That could be avoided if the NDC strategised to
put its house in order, the analysts said.

But Dr Debrah opined that that strategy could be
an expensive one, as it would be extremely
difficult to re-unite the party gurus and win an
election.

“These are all speculations and could be
successful in punishing Mills, but whether the NDC
can heal old wounds to mobilise supporters to win
an election is another thing,” he said.

Source - Daily Graphic

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