With much fanfare, accompanied by hot political rhetoric, the main opposition party, the NPP, launched its long awaited manifesto in Accra yesterday. A heavy downpour in the nation’s capital reportedly did not stop thousands of party’s faithful from thronging the Trade Fair Site to demonstrate their fealty.
There was nothing spectacularly new in the manifesto; the main theme of the day was rescuing the nation’s ailing economy. Much like political documents of its kind, the manifesto was filled to the brim with promises to alter the current economic and financial hardships facing Ghanaians, all told, to save them from the poor policies of Mr John Mahama.
The launch was in large measure, a blanket invitation, indeed a call to Ghanaian voters to give the party a chance at political stewardship of the country. It asked Ghanaians to take a long, hard look at its platform, contrast it with that of the ruling NDC, and determine which of the two parties can best serve their interests.
Besides its promises to salvage what the party describes as a fundamentally flawed economy by creating jobs for millions of unemployed Ghanaians, the party also used the occasion to predictably mount an avalanche of visceral attacks on Mr Mahama, and the gaggle of party stalwarts who spoke at the launch did not disappoint.
Mr Nana Akuffo Addo, the presidential candidate, for the thousandth time told Ghanaians he would be a better manager of the national economy than his opponent, and asked his country men and women to repose their trust and hope in him for a better tomorrow.
His running mate, Dr Bawumia, did not mince words in describing the sorry state of the economy which he blamed largely on the ruling NDC. He also took aim at the IMF and Moody Analytics reports on the performance of Ghana’s economy, describing them as least favorable and wondered out aloud why the government enthusiastically embraced the reports.
The party is counting on Ghanaians to sweep it back to power with its constant drumbeat that the NDC has failed Ghanaians with its economic policies and why it will be a better alternative. However, campaign promises are just that promises which ultimately can prove difficult to fulfill. Manifestos are hard-sells.Ghanaians are not easily swayed or bamboozled by party manifestos. They know that politicians are sweet-talkers.
The opposition has a long way to go in terms of completely convincing a vast majority of voters that it alone has the solutions to the country’s financial and economic problems. What the NPP has not taken into account is the unpalatable fact that the country is deeply polarized.
Surveys and polls show that voters are evenly divided between the NDC and the NPP. No party is clearly ahead a month and half before the election in December. It is going to be a tough slug all the way to the end. Parties in power don’t just relinquish it without a protracted fight. The NPP sure has its hands full.
And even with the constant vilification of Mahama and his policies by his political opponents, he still has a shot at retaining power. He has a loyal following in the country, supporters who think he is a competent leader and who won’t even entertain the idea of abandoning him at this stage.
