ALBAN BAGBIN’S DIVISIVE PRONOUNCEMENTS

I just listened to Alban Bagbin’s careless and divisive pronouncements made during his meeting with some party folks.

While the party folks awaited for reassuring words to promote the party’s growth and unity, they were shocked as they watched the second deputy speaker of parliament unfold to the world his decision to administer the party on the basis of the voting pattern in the last general election rather than on equity as stipulated by the constitution. The man virtually attacked everything ‘CENTRAL’ and openly exposed his biases against the Central Region.

Never in the history of the NDC has a Presidential aspirant made such a divisive and vindictive declaration. Never in the history of the NDC has an aspirant made such tendentious, biased and divisive statement, a blade on the chord of unity of his own party and comrades. He must be told that his declaration to run a discriminatory administration is a clear violation of party’s core principles. My fear is that Hon Bagbin’s stance will divide the party along sectional, tribal and regional lines and may trigger dangerous ethnic and regional tensions in the great party.

It is unfortunate and tragic that the man who wants to lead the NDC, is deliberately and inadvertently alienating a segment of the people he wants to lead in the name of 13th century tribal and regional permutations. A leader of the NDC cannot be friends only to those he or she likes. That is not leadership. A leader builds up groups.

It is the lowest form of churiishness that is unbecoming of a leader to send signals that you dislike anyone, group or region you lead. Real leaders build a bond with all their people. Worst is when a person seeking to lead a powerful party like the NDC, makes enemies of some regions because he abhors the action of one or a few. That is not leadership. That is ethnic prejudice. A real leader does not suffer from the destructive disease of ethnic prejudice. It endangers the party and the folks and real leaders cannot bear such.

Per his pronouncements, Bagnin sent a clear massage to all party folks that he will be a regional or tribal leader if elected to lead the party. I am still struggling to understand why the second deputy speaker, openly attacked the Central Region and showed that open biases against the Region. Can he fight the Region?

I think the time to call Mr Bagbin to order is now. His utterances, pronouncements, attacks etc of not checked, could create serious problems for the party before and after the primaries.

The NDC has certain core principles guiding its operations. The party is a center left political organisation. We’ve never known the NDC to be a regional/tribal based political organisation and the party has remained formidable and powerful because of its congress nature and outlook. Why is Bagbin, a man who pose as knowing everything about the NDC, start preaching regional/tribal politicking.