Minority parties must unite to break NPP, NDC duopoly - Discussants

The surest way to break the duopoly of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and build inclusive governance is for minority parties to come together and forge a common goal.

The continuous reliance on the two main political parties for support during elections is fuelling the long-standing duopoly and that could destroy Ghana's multi-party democracy.

PNC’s 29th anniversary

This was the resolution of some minority parties who participated in a symposium to mark the 29th anniversary celebration of the People's National Convention (PNC) in Accra last Tuesday.

The parties include the PNC, the Convention People's Party (CPP), the Progressive People's Party (PPP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).

The PNC, which follows in the Nkrumah-Egala-Limann tradition, was formed by former President Dr Hillla Limann in 1992 — the same year that Ghana returned to democratic rule, marking the beginning of the Fourth Republic.

The party's 29th anniversary is on the theme: “Consolidating multi-party democracy, sustaining minority parties.”

Call for unity

Opening the discussion, the General Secretary of the PNC, Ms Janet Asana Nabla, expressed worry about the continuous dominance of the NPP and the NDC, a situation, she said created the impression as though Ghana practiced a two-party system.

She argued that minority parties such as the PNC played instrumental roles in strengthening the country’s democracy and called for deeper collaboration among the minority parties to break the cycle of the two main political parties.

She also underscored the need for the minority parties to be self-reliant by exploring innovative ways to raise funds to support their activities.

“The position of the PNC as a formidable political party cannot be under estimated despite the many challenges the party faces like most minority parties. The country’s political space is gradually becoming polarised and seems to becoming a two-party state which is detrimental to our accepted multi-party democracy,” she said.

The General Secretary of the CPP, Nana Yaa Akyimpim Jantuah corroborated the position of Ms Nabla, stressing that minority parties, in spite of not having representation in Parliament, contributed immensely to safeguarding the country’s democracy.

She said “the time has come for all political parties who believe in the Nkrumahist ideology to unite and build a formidable force to wrest power from the ruling NPP.”

Threat

The National Chairperson of the CPP, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong-Kumankumah said the continuous dominance of the two major political parties threatened the survival of small political parties and the general stability of the multi-party system.

Nonetheless, the General Secretary of the GCPP, Mr Citizen Ato Dadzie blamed the inability of smaller parties to unite on the lack of commitment on the part of the leadership of the various parties to build a united front.