Demagoguery and populism seem to be at the fore of defining the conduct of the upcoming presidential nomination of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Demagoguery is that trickery often employed by politicians to sway voters through the act of appealing to emotions rather than senses.
In this case, the protagonists master the art of getting into the sub-consciousness of the voters by speaking their (voters’) minds as if they share in their grief and frustrations and behave as if they are a part of the suffering lots. Such approach has induced some magical results, but soon the real intentions of the demagogues emerge after they had achieved the object manipulative techniques. It’s been the stock in trade of many revolutionaries. They adopt and study the art of oratory to force through with such emotional tirades to the extent that some shed tears to win sympathy of their vulnerable targets.
The unsuspecting minds jump into a frenzy without any further probing or analyses of what the demagogues are presenting on the platforms. In their ecstatic moods, you often hear the regular people lauding the body language and gestures with words like “good orator; charismatic; our saviour among others.” The classical case in Ghana had been the era of Jerry John Rawlings and his Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) revolutionary days that took many of Ghana’s political calendar days. Indeed, in some instances, some Ghanaians substituted Rawlings J.J. acronym to be Junior Jesus. That is the extent to which demagogues can affect the mindset of the people.
As usual some candidates seeking the NPP presidential nomination are adopting all manner of means to seek the attention of electorates or in this case delegates, who are qualified to vote in the party’s presidential primary in November this year. In the days leading to the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential primary, the stated approaches are beginning to emerge rather forcefully. There’s the obvious proxy support and patronage of a candidate by the establishment; the populists’ range of inciting regular people against the elites and of course, the desire to breach the mediocre norm that has plagued Ghanaian politics in favour of substance and truth.
Patronage & the proxy support of establishment
For a candidate like the sitting Vice President, who is yet to present a clear manifesto on what his plans for Ghana would be, he seems to be relying on the goodwill of the Jubilee House and its assigns. The logical question then becomes “what is Dr. Bawumia waiting for”? For his pay masters to guide him on when to make the move? Is it that the feet dragging protégé is being tele-guided on a matter as important as the process to become the next Ghanaian president? Are Ghanaians ready for a leader who will rule by proxy?
It’s intriguing the way the Bawumia candidacy is being projected by sitting MPs whose tenure of office, is at the mercy of same party delegates. My sorties have established that most of these MPs are at risk of losing their seats, either for non-performance or their lack of political will to see through their decision to kick out Ken Ofori Atta, the finance minister. Other “Bawumia supporting MPs”, I am reliably informed, are in tow with the Bawumia propagandist bandwagon because as ministers of state, they fear being blackmailed by the powers that be, hence the cosmetic support of the Bawumia candidature.
So, what happened to Bawumia’s niche as an Economic Messiah? Prior to his selection as the running mate of then candidate Akufo Addo in 2008, the NPP breached its membership code to register and issue Bawumia with an NPP card. The party took that unpopular decision to enable Bawumia, the “economic genius” to partner Nana Addo. The anticipated hope was that with Bawumia as Vice President, an Akufo Addo administration would not be lacking in proper economic management and growth.
After supervising perhaps, the worst economic period in the country’s political history, Bawumia and his surrogates now claim the Vice President is rather a Super High-Way IT expert. Not economic messiah any-more? So, I dare ask, where is Ursula Owusu Ekuful, the Communication and Digitization Minister or Joseph Anokye, the CEO of National Communication Authority (NCA)? Are they still at post. It’s pathetic the way Bawumia is trying to pitch his luck elsewhere from his “rightful” portfolio.
Facts will still be sacred; it’s all about substance, not by sheer-bravado
So far, it’s Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, who has shown to be the most-ready, determined and fearless to lead the NPP. He has presented what many consider to be a prognosis of Ghana’s ailment and the appropriation of required prescription. Alan’s notes on Ghana’s renaissance were captured in his inaugural presidential declaration broadcast. They include his dream of placing the private sector at the centre of Ghana’s development; a crack on bad attitude to work and the enforcement of discipline; elimination of arrogance in our power structure; to lead a passionate call for excellence; to get things done than talking and lastly, to eschew divisiveness in our politics.
Indeed, Alan’s comprehensive analyses of Ghana’s problems as stated places him in the bracket of a top-notch leader and manager; the kind that has been lacking in our leadership structure for a while. The former Trade Minister has also been forthright with the truth about the state of the Ghanaian economy and how that has the potential of affecting the chances of the ruling party in 2024. Alan’s honesty and truthfulness are good as endearing to many Ghanaians. It marks him out as a transformational leader whose administration will be a complete departure from the populist promises that have failed to yield the desired dividends in our thirty-year journey in the 4th Republic.
The demagogues and the populist concertos
There are, however, others still consumed in demagoguery and hope a re-enactment of the populist—charisma, will earn them the NPP nomination. One of the aspirants, Kennedy Agyapong in particular is re-scripting the usual populist knack, in the hope such demagoguery will resonate with the ordinary Ghanaian. But how successful have such pretentious politicians been both in Ghana and elsewhere? Some past Ghanaian leaders were masters in demagoguery.
One typical example, as stated was Jerry Rawlings. He was able to tee-up the minds of many ordinary Ghanaians to the extent that they supported a clarion as horrendous as “Let the Blood Flow.” With the benefit of hindsight however, most Ghanaians have come to appreciate how they’ve been shortchanged by the sheer stoical rhetoric of the high priest of the so-called revolutions. In a series of media interviews, Agyapong had been at his abrasive best; daring his own political party and his avowed aim to expose them, if they dared him.
Expose what and who? Strangely, some NPP supporters seem to be falling for Ken Agyapong’s manipulative politics. Tough talk? Is that all there’s about leadership? Anyone with a serious insight into speech analyses will admit that anytime Ken Agyapong went into such boisterous tangent, then his interest is being curtailed, albeit legitimately. His latest outburst had been triggered by GRA’s routine checks of his tax obligations.
Is Ken Agyapong above such scrutiny? As someone with the mind of becoming President, why should Ken Agyapong be scared of GRA’s probes into his tax obligations? So, for the many regular guys who believe Ken Agyapong is their mouthpiece, it’s about time they delved into why such political-induced intermittent noises have become the forte of the Assin Central MP. It’s purely to suit his personal agenda and nothing by way of speaking for the ordinary Ghanaian. The bigger question however, remains, what is Ken Agyepong’s vision for the NPP and Ghana? We are yet to read any of such anywhere.
Content created and supplied by: RKeelson (via Opera
News )
, . , . () , , , , , , , , . / , and/or . , , and/or , and/or