Humdrum Harangues

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), we can bet, did not expect the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to pat it on the back for a hitch-free and headline-making demonstration.

That the demonstration was outstanding is evidenced in the decision by BBC and other respectable international networks to consider it for mention in their bulletins.

If the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is laying claim to better news judgment than the international networks and decides as it has, that the crowd puller of a demonstration was a useless exercise, the party is only living up to its reputation as a hypocrisy-studded political grouping.

We are appalled that a government which claims to be a listening one, and caring for the people would choose to rubbish a constitutionally acceptable means of registering disapproval for policies or performance of those at the helm, as in a demonstration, in the way it is regarding the protest march under review.

The Power Minister, Dr Kwabena Donkor, led the government charge, as it were, when rather than offer some words of assurance to the NPP, a party which shares the voting population with the ruling political grouping, mocked them rather obscenely and devoid of finesse.

His remark in reaction to the demonstration was an insult to countless Ghanaians who are aggrieved over the inefficient manner the power outage is being managed and the medley of challenges they are countenancing.

An appropriate response would have been one geared towards repairing the damaged image of government and soothing the pain his compatriots are suffering. Koku Anyidohu did well with the subject when he said that his party would have reacted the way the NPP did through demonstrations.

Perhaps, he would have made a better power minister than the man who thinks that an announcement about a possible exit when the power challenges persist by the end of the year, can assuage the pain the outages have inflicted upon Ghanaians. He at least understands the political psychology of people, especially Ghanaians, than Dr Donkor who is at best a political irritant whose remarks at a time of crisis can only aggravate an already bad situation and make the NDC more unpopular.

We can only plead with the people of Ghana to keep hope alive and not lose it, as Nana Akufo-Addo once told them. We should not lose hope; no, never because that is not in our interest. There is hope in the future so let us hold on through hope.

For the aggrieved who are on the fringes of hopelessness, let them look up to the leadership of the opposition as symbolised by Nana Akufo-Addo who will surely not relent in his efforts in calling the attention of government to the effects of the all-pervading political ineptitude being exacted by those at the helm.

Demonstrations were lavishly used by the NDC when it was in opposition. It lacks sincerity when the party which has found itself in power today, therefore seeks to subtly downgrade the importance of protest marches.

Source: editorial/daily guide