Whenever a political party loses crucial elections, it invariably goes into a period of prolonged “mourning” and denial, where self doubt and internal squabbles paradoxically become the most important elements.
The NDC which recently lost the presidency, while suffering heavy losses in parliamentarian elections, will no doubt, undergo bouts of depression, finger-pointing and hand-wringing.
There will be a lot of soul searching and millions of questions asked, primarily regarding the party’s painful defeat to its arch nemesis, the NPP.
But this is not the time for the party to descend into chaos and engage in blame game. Rather, the electoral disaster should be an opportunity for the party to take stock of everything it did wrong prior to the elections and strategize for the future.
Disappointment at the polls should not constitute the end of the world; there is absolutely no need crying over spilled milk. The harm has been done, and the party should reset for the next elections.
The NDC, by and large, will be the most viable opposition group in the country on January 7. This is a huge responsibility the party should embrace with all the seriousness it deserves, its diminished numbers in the legislature notwithstanding.
The party will be in a position henceforth to act as the watchdog over a government that spared no effort in virulently criticizing its policies when it was in control. Now the shoe is on the other foot. And the new NPP government must be held accountable for everything it does.
Its policies, both domestic and international, should be scrutinized thoroughly. By which I mean, the NDC has to act as a bulwark against policies of the NPP it will deem contrary to the hopes and dreams of the Ghanaian voter. This is the task the other half who did not vote for the NPP would want the NDC to carry out.
Constructive criticism should be the guideline. Criticizing the government in power for partisan political purposes is grossly counter productive and does not serve the people of a nation well. The NDC should not let bitterness over its loss cloud its good intentions as this will lead to further complications.
There is one important thing we should all be mindful of; and that is the fact that Ghanaians had a binary choice in the elections and they chose to go with the main opposition party. Let us respect that choice.