After NDC’s elections what next?

As expected, the presidential and parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) came off successfully last Saturday, May 13, 2013. This was against the background of the hitches of court actions and the last-minute withdrawal of Dr Kwabena Duffuor from the presidential primaries.

But determined as the party was, and in collaboration with the Electoral Commission (EC), the primaries were largely successful despite the late start of the polls in some constituencies due to either the late arrival of election materials or largely due to internal differences and disagreements.

The Daily Graphic commends the NDC and the EC for the effective collaboration that resulted in the success of the polls.

Many thought that the last-minute withdrawal of the case from court could affect the primaries. It should send a signal that the parties and the EC must also work together to dispatch election materials to regional security centres ahead of time so that in the event of such incidents, it will not affect the dispatch of materials to the regions and constituencies.

We believe that it is better to use dialogue rather than to resort to violence to resolve differences. More importantly, grievances regarding the electoral process within political parties must not be trivialised but must be treated with the urgency and importance that they deserve. After all, a stitch in time saves nine, and the more that grievances are allowed to fester unattended to, the more they snowball.

Last week’s election provides useful lessons for all the political parties. At least, if there is nothing at all to learn from the NDC primaries, the loss of seats by at least 16 incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) should send a signal that politicians can no longer take the voter for granted. Politicians cannot pretend to be caring and supportive only when they are canvassing for votes during elections and go to sleep after getting their mandate.

Parties are regarded as sine qua non for the organisation of modern democracies as well as for democratic consolidation. 

It is based on this premise that the Daily Graphic holds the firm view that every individual and institution involved in the governance and political space in the country must show a strong interest in how the political parties carry themselves and how they organise their internal politics.

Ghana has come far with its democracy, and has thus become a beacon of hope in Africa. We cannot afford to lower our guard but seek to go higher than anticipated. Thus, we expect that all the political parties must work hard to strengthen their internal structures and their support base for the 2024 general election  for the common good of the ordinary Ghanaian.

Once again, the Daily Graphic commends the NDC for the successful organisation of its primaries. May the other political parties learn from the shortfalls of the NDC primaries to improve on theirs.