Sure way to ‘break the 8’ - The Daily Statesman Newspaper

How wonderful to be wise, to understand things, to be able to analyse them and interpret them (Ecclesiastes 8:1).

Breaking the ‘8’ is a very strong statement. But how can the NPP break the ‘8’in 2024? The task will not be easy. This is because the opposition NDC will not sit down unconcerned for the NPP to have its way. Do you think it is comfortable to stay in opposition for 16 good years?

Isaac told his eldest son Esau that, “For a time you will serve your brother, but you will finally shake loose from him and be free” (Genesis 27:40).

Breaking the ‘8’ is not about sweet slogan; it is about putting things in order. The party should prepare well from now. Abraham called together all the fighting men in his camp, 318 in all, and pursued the four kings all the way to Dan (Genesis 14:14). Abraham was able to defeat the four kings with 318 men, all because he prepared well when there was peace in his house.

From the executive to the grassroots’, every party member is fully aware that the ground is currently not fertile to break the ‘8’. The above scripture says to be wise, you should be able to analyze and interpret; failing to do this can result in great failure.

Sure ways

One sure way to help the NPP break the ‘8’, as Isaac told his eldest son Esau, is to consider what Stephen Asamoah Boateng said in his campaign message during the NPP chairmanship race, that he will make sure all polling station executives and electoral area coordinators are put on allowance.

Ideas should never be thrown away just because they are impossible; they need to be tried. I believe in positive thinking, and have faith that the party can break the ‘8’. The economic hardship in the country is affecting all Ghanaians.

It is a known fact that the whole world is going through a similar situation, and therefore government cannot be entirely blamed for it. The truth is that with the increase in utility services, electricity and water, some polling station executives have been seriously affected.

Based on this, some flexible measures should be put in place to cushion them financially. One school of thought believes that giving them some financial token every month will give them full assurance to purchase ‘aburo olonka’from Daavi to prepare ‘koko’ for their children.

Another school of thought is of the view that giving them income generating ventures to create jobs for themselves is the best way to go. A Chinese proverb says that “give your child a fish, and he or she will live for a day, but teach him how to fish, he can live for his life time”.

Surely, this will enable them to pay dues to support the party. My pastor once said in his sermon that when hungry, never negotiate for any business. This is because there is a possibility that you may end up as it happened to Esau, because you are hungry.

Observation

My observation is that polling station executives, when it comes to selecting leaders for key positions, take decisions based on the amount they receive from the contestants. Majority of the executives vote in the direction of their stomach, but not on the contestant’s leadership abilities and skills to deliver. Consequently, this can impact negatively on the party’s forward march.

In principle, economic activity can make everyone richer, but in politics not everyone can rule. Confucius, nicknamed ‘Kongzi’meaning (famous teacher) in China by the Jesuit Missionaries and one of the most influential teachers of world history in the 25th century, said ‘Do not impose upon others what you do not wish to have imposed upon yourself.” Confucius’ thought is generally focused not on one’s actions, but rather the character of the person.

Lee Kuan Yew, former President of Singapore, also put it nicely: “It is vital, when selecting the right man for key constitutional positions like president of the republic”, since a wrong choice of choosing leaders could mean years of public embarrassment and endless problems. He said, “it is easy to decide who is ablest, than to predict who has the character to measure up to the job”.

Thomas Jefferson, founding father and 3rd president of the United State of America, was once described by Stephen E. Ambrose, an American historian and professor of history at the University of New Orleans, as ’a great mind with a limited character’.

Jefferson was the brain behind and architect who drafted the American Constitution that says, ‘All Men Are Created Equal’. But sadly, he was a slave master himself, forgetting that public interest depends largely on private character.

Elections are big events where a lot goes into it in choosing a leader. My observation is that some polling station executives and their style of voting, when it comes to selecting leaders for key positions such as president and parliamentary candidates, depend largely on the purchasing power of the contestants.

‘Breaking the 8’

Party faithful and supporters of NPP will not forgive the leadership if they fail to break the ‘8’. The opposition NDC still firmly holds the philosophy of ‘create, loot and share’, apology to Justice Dotse.

If a biological mother could not take care of her child, do you think a stepmother can do better? The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, assured all Ghanaians during the COVID-19 pandemic that no matter how deep the economy would sink, he has the men to revive it, but he had no power to bring back the lives of those who would be killed by COVID-19.

And true to his words, with all the challenges the NPP administration encountered during the Covid-19 pandemic, the leadership took bold and creative steps to protect the lives of Ghanaians.

Difficult times are ones that reveal what you are made of, and what kind of a leader you actually are. But, I am afraid! If the term ‘breaking the 8’ echoes into the minds of party members, as the Free education became the slogan of every NPP member in the 2020 general elections, then there is no doubt that the NPP can break the ‘8’.