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19.03.2018 Feature Article

Does The NDC Lack Intellectuals?

Does The NDC Lack Intellectuals?
19.03.2018 LISTEN

This was one critical issue that emerged after the NDC's 2016 defeat. It is one crucial issue that needs serious attention and effective treatment. The ideology being practiced by the party (Social Democracy), emerged from deep investigation of social sciences; it is therefore not a coincidence that many of the greatest philosophers and social scientists of the past century and half have been sympathic to it and its mother ideologies (Socialism and Communism). The most famous leftist thinker of all, Karl Marx, is undeniably one of the greatest philosophers,social scientists and economists who has ever lived and that is not contestable. On the African continent, most of the great leaders who emerged after colonialism and in our contemporary times are pro-left thinkers including Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Nelson Mandela, Museveni, Sadat etc. It takes special heart and and certain unique traits to be an apostle of social democracy,socialism,Marxism or Nkrumahism because it takes so much study and willingness to view the world statistically in terms of social pressure rather than individual agency - a deeply counter-intuitive notion. Many grassroots movements have emerged from it, but has always an intellectual movement first which then was put into practice. Before the Ghana was ushered into the fourth republic, people like Kwamena Ahwoi, Justice D.F. Annan among others saw the need to work one the temperament of Jerry Rawlings because of his background. He had ruled Ghana from 1982 till the period without opposition and controlled the system using decrees his administration had promulgated. Entering the democratic arena was a difficult task and he himself in many interviews attested to this fact. Prof. Ahwoi and his colleagues applying scientific reasoning to the issue, secretly contracted the services of Prof. Ansah and other critics of the PNDC administration to open more fire (criticisms) on Rawlings and his administration via the Ghanaian Chronicle and other anti-PNDC media platforms to prepare Rawlings for what he was going to encounter on the political arena. What they did was that, they also managed Rawlings in-house whenever these critics of the administration attacked him and made sure he didn't go to extremes in responding to some of the attacks. That was how smart the people around Rawlings were. Some of them joined the PNDC in their twenties. They left their beard to overgrow to look like Karl Marx. Chris Atim, Ahwoi and others moved around in their tyre made sandals and had nothing to do with the barber. Brilliant youngman who managed affairs of state with dexterity. By 1986, these young men and women had successfully transformed an economy which was virtually dead into the most vibrant economy on the continent. Ghana cleared about 99 percent of its external debt by 1986 and the country's economy became the model for the world bank and the IMF in their dealings with the rest of the continent. It takes application of unique intellectual prowess to achieve this height. The party was formed by some of the respected intellectuals in the country at the time including Obed, D.F Annan among others and before its formation, respected intellectuals like Ama Atta Aidoo, Joyce Aryee, Susana Alhassan, President Kufour, K.B. Asante etc all served under the administration. The difference between the NDC and the Npp is that unlike the NDC, the Npp emerged as a force that improved the well being of the people of politically powerful in-group through the increased exploitation of the out groups and using subtle ways to seize resources from weaker neighbours,while maintaining their akanisation policy and the system of hierarchy to keep them in power forever. Department to department, the left or the NDC has more intellectuals than the NDC the issue however is how to bring all these brilliant materials on board. Part of the problem is the tribal dynamics in the country and the over westernisation of the environment. Attitude of few social democrats rubs them the wrong way..they easily fall for dictates of the right and always give them superior advantage. The use of the media by the Npp and proliferation of more Pro-npp media outlets is another challege. The space to articulate their intellectual facts is not there and the few who break the walls onto the media arena suffer serious attacks and insults sometimes aided by the same media personnel.

Consistency issue is the other challenge. Few pro-left civil society organisations and think thanks collapse the moment the NDC wins political power and society begins to identify them with the party more than as neutral forces. Support for such organisations to undertake scientific research work, get to respected international platforms is another crucial issue. Understanding their role in our contemporary politics is the other point noteworthy. The era of rigid traditional politicking is over that is why parties travel to the west and some parts of eastern Europe to hire the services of political strategists during their campaign. We have intellectuals here who can offer same support to the party if the party genuinely factor these crucial issues into its planning. The party should create another space for the intellectuals who for good reasons may not want to operate within the mainstream arena.

Now let's come to the social media..it has become the new arena for intellectual discourse and we see some Pro-npp elements push their agenda via their platforms. We underestimate the effect of the social media on politics of today and that is one danger facing the NDC. We read brilliant submissions from some of intellectuals sympathetic to the tradition on the various whatsapp platforms. These brilliant submissions are at times transferred onto the Facebook walls of the young soldiers who may not have adequate weapons to defend what they put out when challenged. All these issues poses serious challege to the party's intellectual communication. Leaders across the world including the three most popular leaders Trump,Putin and Theresa May all use social media consistently to articulate their views and policies but here, our intellectuals see our social media platforms are place for rogues and ordinary footsoldiers. Most media houses pick their major new items from discussions on social media that is the danger. Most young persons patronise the social media platforms 24/7. The social democrat must always investigate the history of how different forms of political economy have fallen,risen and interacted with one another, they also must study the effects different systems of political economy have on the culture of the society, and the material and psychological effects on the individual within the country and how the existence and structure of class shapes people's intereactions. If the NDC is able to adhere to these basic tenets, supporters will stop thinking the line of the capitalists and question why its government concentrated on infrastructure development. Social mobility is one critical issue the NDC must watch all the time,its strength in the rural enclave must be maintained and its natural alliance with the poor should also be maintained. The divide and rule tactic adopted by this administration must be watched closely. The North-South politics being clandestinely perpetuated by the current administration is something the party's intellectual base must give critical attention to. The separation of the Akan-Volta from the main Volta enclave shouldn't be treated from political administration perspective. Yea, the NDC proposed same but was based purely on administrative perspective. But the current approach and intent are sharply different from what the NDC proposed. These matters demand serious intellectual analysis and input hence the call on the sea of pro-ndc intellectuals to step out.

Let's look at policies implemented since 1992 between the two parties. Implementation of social intervention without policies to support their survival is not a prudent step to take and that has been the modus operandi of the Npp. Most of their social intervention programmes survive on deductions from revenue accrued through the VAT policy, look at the Exim bank, the various levies all introduced by the NDC administration. Many of the good laws and regulations guiding operations of our state agencies and government, were promulgated by the various NDC administrations. The current local government concept was implemented by the PNDC/NDC administration and the main document guiding governance in the country (constitution) was written without support from the Danquah-Busia tradition.

I think the time to bury unnecessary ideological rigidities and over reliance on primitive orthodoxies is now. This mindset of posing as more NDC than others also put off many of our intellectuals whose participation in our day to day politics could attract more floating voters to the party. Politics and winning political power is about effective intereaction with the whole Ghanaian society not just supporters of the tradition. The young ones want to experiment with everything around them and becoming more attached to the western lifestyle something the party needs to work on seriously.

We can also look at the past NUGS and other students leaders in the two parties. The NDC has more of past NUGS leaders than the Npp..Haruna Iddrisu, Okudzeto, Edward Omane Boamah etc etc..

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