I hope so. Thanks to technology and the good sense of devoted NDC followers who beamed live happenings at the celebration of the 36th milestone of the December 31 phenomenon, I saw and heard what could help me take a sneak peek into the future of the Akatamanso family.
Positive aspects:
- Impressive attendance at the event and decent behaviour by the supporters.
- Instructive utterances by the various speakers, revisiting the origin of the Akatamanso family, its accomplishments in governance, challenges that led to its doom at Election 2016, prospects for it’s rebounding, and tasks to be done as such.
iii. References to the miscalculated steps by Team Akufo-Addo are insightful and pertinent to the agenda for the occasion, implying that the NDC isn’t scared.
- President Mahama’s pinpointed claim on the factors that caused his defeat and his bold stance to accept blame even as he called for much commitment toward re-building the party to wrest power from the NPP is commendable. How to do so is the rub.
- Rawlings’ rhetorical moves jump to mind. By admonishing Mahama for tardiness, keeping him (Rawlings) waiting, he sent a deep-seated signal that Mahama must take note of.
- By inviting “other faces of the NDC” (Joshua Alabi and Co.) to the centre-stage on the podium, Rawlings was sending a serious message that spells much for the NDC to heed.
My interpretation is that he thinks that the frontline position that Mahama is occupying all this while doesn’t bode well for party re-building. After all, the back-benching of such faces in the party’s “Unity Walk” show-offs has emerged as worrisome. Privileging Mahama at this time is problematic for the party.
Amissah-Arthur has hit the nail hard on its head by stressing that re-building the party is more important than canvassing for flagbeatership. We have already made that case.
A simple but significant development resulting from the way Rawlings did things. Does it hint at Rawlings’ rejection of Mahama’s attempt at taking a second bite of the electoral cherry? Probably so, even if veiled for now.
What next? Does the participation of Rawlings in this event mean that he has sunk his differences with the NDC? Not so.
After all, the event meant more of a celebration of his own political quests than anything aimed at rejuvenating and resuscitating the NDC after he had been stripped of the accolade as “founder and father” of the party.
Or after his wife had gone wild to form her NDP with the stated objective of helping the NDC’s foes ditch it, which Election 2016 confirmed.
And she wasn’t at today’s event. Rawlings showed up and could he seen through as using the opportunity to gun for his followers’ support to spring back into action to be the potentate in the party.
Rawlings has become so ambivalent as to revoke awe (awful or awesome, depending on what emerges).
Why will he still identify strongly with the NDC and yet support his wife’s breaking away from it? Why won’t declare his political stance?
Then, with a common mind, he and his wife are working hand-in-hand (or hand-in-gloves) with Team Akufo-Addo to doom the NDC? What malarkey!
In essence, then, what does today’s event portend? More hob-nobbing in the NDC to keep it afloat. Nothing immediately suggests that the event is the cement to mend the NDC front. More remains to he done.
All the same, let’s commend the organizers and participants on playing their part to portray the NDC is still strong, contrary to the nauseating political propaganda by its opponents.
In any case, I heard Rawlings refer to “Torgbuiwo and Mamawo” (Chiefs and Queenmothers) of the area gathered at the venue. Was Togbe Afede (Asogli Agbogbomefia, the overlord of the Ho area, where the event occurred, who is also the President of the National House of Chiefs) among them? Was he at the event at all? If not, why not?
Politics in Ghana is full of ……. (Complete it yourselves, folks). I’m off for now!!
I shall return…
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