NPP and NDC unmasking

Opinions on Friday, September 25, 2020

Columnist: Terry Mante

2020-09-25

Politics in the Fourth Republic of Ghana has been dominated by two dominant parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The power of government has alternated between the two since the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution.

Many non-political actors have often said that the two parties are almost the same. A look at the historical background, ideological subscriptions, and government policies will give an indication regarding the equality or not of these two parties.

Historical background of the nuclear power plant

The NPP has its roots in the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), known to be the first political party to be formed in Ghana (then the Gold Coast). The UGCC was founded by JB Danquah in 1947 to lead Ghana’s quest for independence from the British. Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, was invited to become a prominent member of this party.

After a poor performance in the 1951 elections, the UGCC merged with other groups to form the Ghana Congress Party (GCP) under the leadership of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia.

When the 1957 Prevention of Discrimination Act was passed, all parties with ethnic, racial and religious identities were outlawed.

The Northern People’s Party, the Muslim Association Party, the National Liberation Movement, the Anlo Youth Association, the Togoland Congress and Ga Shfimokpee merged with the Busia GCP to form the United Party (UP). The UP was the only opposition party in Ghana from 1957 until the Nkrumah regime made Ghana a one-party state in 1964.

When the military junta that toppled the Nkrumah regime finally lifted the ban on political party activities, Busia mobilized his UP associates to form the Progress Party that won the 1969 elections, making Busia the prime minister. of Ghana until he was overthrown by General Kutu Acheampong. in 1972.

Following the resumption of the democratic system in 1979, the Popular Front Party (PFP) emerged, led by Victor Owusu, a man who previously served as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Attorney General of Busia.

A separatist party called the United National Convention (UNC) emerged under the leadership of William Ofori Atta, one of the founding members of the UGCC, a member of the ‘Big Six’, and a former Foreign Minister in Busia’s cabinet. Both parties, PFP and UNC, contested the 1979 elections. This division caused victory to elude both parties.

Eventually, the PFP and UNC joined other parties to become the All People’s Party to oppose the People National Party administration of President Hilla Limann, the winner of the 1979 elections.

Following the overthrow of the Limann administration by the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) led by Jerry Rawlings, all political parties were dissolved. However, operatives from the Danquah-Busia tradition kept their network active. When political activities resumed in 1992, they became the New Patriotic Party.

Throughout Ghana’s post-independence expedition, the tradition of the nuclear power plant has always been around in one form or another.

The formation of the NDC

Aside from the Danquah-Busia tradition that led to the rise of the nuclear power plant, the nkrumahist tradition was also present. These two traditions, except during periods of military intervention, dominated Ghana’s political landscape until the overthrow of the Limann administration in December 1981.

The PNDC, led by Flt. Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings ruled the country for eleven years after overthrowing the Limann government. On the precipice of a return to democracy, the PNDC was transformed into a political party and renamed itself the National Democratic Congress (NDC). Rawlings led the new party to win two elections until he could no longer run under the new constitution.

It should be noted that many of the core and founding members of the NDC previously had affiliations with the Danquah-Busia or Nkrumahist tradition. People from academia, industry and commerce, as well as from various professions, were part of the NDC. The NDC thus became a fusion of diverse individuals and groups from different origins. Somehow, the NDC must have taken over the constituency of the Nkrumah tradition in the Fourth Republic, hence the near annihilation of all parties that have claimed to be offshoots of the original Kwame Nkrumah Convention People’s Party.

Social democracy and center right

Article 5 of the NDC Constitution describes the party as a “social democratic party that believes in equality and equal treatment of all people, regardless of their social, cultural, educational, political, religious and economic relationships in a multi-party environment. “.

Social democracy is a moderate form of socialism that embraces a mixed economy. She believes in the progressive and gradual transformation of the economy towards a socialist one within a liberal democratic framework. Social Democracy is on the left wing of the left-right political continuum, but closer to the center than other left parties.

Social Democratic parties oppose the wide gap between rich and poor and advocate for minimum wage laws, labor laws that protect workers’ rights, and progressive tax policies.

On the other hand, the PNP sees itself as a center-right party that seeks to “release the energies of the people for the growth of a proprietary democracy… with the right to life, liberty and justice, as principles to which the government and the laws of the land should be specifically dedicated to enriching the life, property and liberty of each and every citizen. ”This was a definition given by his most influential ancestor JB Danquah and quoted in the preliminary page of the constitution match.

Globally, center-right parties favor minimal government intervention and participation in the economy. People should have the freedom to participate in the market without much government intervention to create wealth. Regardless, they also believe that individuals cannot be trusted to be responsible in all areas of life, which is why they support a strong state for the maintenance of law and order, as well as the protection of civil liberties.

How do these dominant parties express their stated ideology when they are in government? Do they even adhere to the principles of their ideology?

In government

Since the promulgation of the 1992 Constitution, the NPP and the NDC have dominated political contests, taking turns running the nation.

In the early days of the PNDC revolution, Jerry Rawlings vehemently rejected all political proposals from the right. Although left-oriented, it is puzzling that the government he overthrew was also left-wing. His leanings to the left inspired him to harass many wealthy private entrepreneurs under the guise of corruption. However, as the economy weakened and the nation grappled with drought, it succumbed to the Structural Adjustment Program (SAP) of the Bretton Woods institutions.

The SAP required the government to adopt certain policies in exchange for help from the World Bank and other multilateral and bilateral development agencies. Some of the policy measures instituted included the liberalization of trade and foreign direct investment, the privatization of state-owned enterprises, and the discipline of fiscal policy with a view to reducing or eliminating the budget deficit. The adoption of these ideas, most of which were fundamental principles of capitalism and right-wing politics, led to a relaxation of Rawlings’ anti-right stance.

This approach to governance fitted into the Fourth Republic when the PNDC became the NDC. Its softened socialist ideology came full circle when the party formally embraced social democracy after losing elections to the PNP in 2000.

Surprisingly, the PNP’s tenure in office under the leadership of Presidents John Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo has witnessed the state-funded deployment of far-reaching social intervention programs. These have included the National Health Insurance Plan, the School Feeding Program, the establishment of the Metropolitan Mass Transit System, the Livelihoods Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP), the free upper secondary school program, and others. .

While this may not be unusual for a center-right party, it appears that the social intervention programs of the center-left NDC have not been as far-reaching as those initiated by the PNP.

Pragmatism trumps ideology

Experience shows that, whether leftist or rightist, each wing recognizes something good in the other, hence the gradual drift towards the center. For government to function effectively for the good of the people, ideology must give way to pragmatism. Not surprisingly, former President Kufuor opined veteran broadcaster Kwaku Sakyi-Addo that “pragmatism is the best ideology.