Not whom you know, but who knows you –The case of the 212 MMDCEs

Full many a gem of purest ray serene

The dark unfathom’d caves of ocean bear;

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen

And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

Thomas Gray: An Elegy Written In A Country Churchyard.

MAN IS INSATIABLE and that is natural. It is society that guides us to internalize the mores or norms, otherwise life would be as Thomas Hobbes puts it in Leviathan (1651), “…solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”.  Without the rule of law, man could become anomic, or neurotic, or psychotic. Ecclesiastes 1: 8 says: “All things are full of labour; man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing”.

The much – touted selection of the MMDCE’s came and two hundred and twelve capable men and women of NPP were chosen. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo was exercising his constitutional authority to appoint these people. Under ‘Decentralisation and Local Government’, Article 243 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, 1992, states: “There shall be a District Chief Executive for every district who shall be appointed by the President with the prior approval of not less than 2/3 majority of members of the Assembly present and voting at the meeting”. No caveat, no extenuation, no demur, no ‘buts’ and ‘ifs’. He diplomatically staggered the ‘vetting’ – from the Constituencies, to Regional Office and then to National Headquarters.

What happened thereafter? ‘Daily Graphic’ synthesises the thoughts of the ordinary citizen when they write: “We do not dispute the fact that people from a particular community may express their disagreements about an appointee, but that should not degenerate into vandalising public or private property, including party offices as happened in Mpohor, Tolon, Zebilla, Savelugu, Nanton and Sagnarigu. These acts of lawlessness should be considered for what they are, criminal”.

In Savelugu Constituency, for example, Hajia Kande, the Women’s Organiser of the NPP in the Constituency protested against the selection of Hajia Ayishetu Seidu, and threatened to resign, alleging: “We don’t know her in the District. She doesn’t even vote in this constituency and so we don’t want her … she never showed her face during the campaign … we want people from this Constituency who really toiled for the party to come back to power. But the spokesperson for the Executives of the Region countered Hajia Kande’s assertion: “The list … came from the Constituency. Most of the names that have been chosen were parliamentary candidates for the NPP in the just – ended parliamentary elections … after election primaries one or two people will have their personal issues to settle…”Such acts are reminiscent of occurrences in ‘failed states’ and ‘banana republics’.

It is all too obvious that the road to the Presidency for Nana Addo has been long and tortuous. His support had run from 2008, through to 2012 and 2016. At every twist and turn, he had a coterie of friends, sympathisers and supporters backing him – some provided monetary resources, some joined the campaign trail, some attracted academia by their pens, and some by other ‘means’. Some lost friends and relations for backing the wrong horse, they surmised. Some, like the parabolic seed, fell by the wayside and became bird – feed; those which fell on the good soil, sprouted and yielded abundant fruit.

Mr. Mac Manu, the Vetting Committee Chairman has been at pains explaining to those who want to hear, the process they had gone through: The Constituency executives submitted the lists of candidates from their respective constituencies to the regions for shortlisting; from the regions, the lists were submitted to the National Headquarters. That the Vetting Committee was even prepared to receive petitions from people who felt peeved by being sidelined. That in some cases, there were as many as 25 candidates who were vetted – and each of these had their supporters – but only ONE was to be selected, what should the others do? Remain steadfast, lace their boots for a better fight, but go the Allan Kyeremateng way: lend their support to the winner, and pray for better days. Jimmy Cliff used to sing: “Better Days are coming… Don’t you get down– hearted …” The race is not to the swift, but to those who endure to the last”.

Ecclessiastes 9:11 says: “I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all”. It is not always the best, strongest, nor the fastest who reap rewards in a race in life. Whatever happens, one has to take it as ‘kismet’.

It is always good to learn from history. The founders of the party which has evolved into the NPP had it tough and rough. J.B Danquah did not win the Presidential election of 1960. He never gave up the fight … till he lost the battle at Nsawam Prison, courtesy of Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s Preventive Detention Act (PDA). Professor Albert Adu Boahen, Kontopiaat, kept the ‘aspidistra flying’ as George Orwell would pen it, and tried his luck in 1992 and lost out. He died peacefully in his home, but with his dignity intact. What about Victor Owusu and William Ofori Atta? Luck smiled on J. A. Kufuor, and his government was remarkable for, at least, many of his social intervention policies. It is the turn of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo. Does one have to cajole all party loyalists to give him the necessary backing to succeed?

Meanwhile, the MMDCEs who have been nominated have another hurdle to clear. They must be endorsed by 2/3 majority of the Assemblies. Despite the nearly 100 percent endorsement received by the K.M.A. Chief Executive, Honourable Osei Assibey, his counterpart at Asokore Mampong, Alhaji Alidu Seidu was rejected. He had 8 ‘no’ votes and 7 ‘yes’ votes. The NPP youth at the Constituency could have turned their indignation at the government appointees but there was no reason for alluding to the NDC MP, Muntaka Mohammed, for the MCE’s loss. Were the assembly members (who had sympathies for the NPP) ready to be influenced? Ye men of little faith! Don’t the members of the Assembly have conscience? Why blame Muntaka?

If there was anything the animals in George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’ dreaded most, it was the return of Jones to the farm. When there was a murmur about the pigs alone drinking milk and eating apples, Squealer was sent to quell the apparent insurrection. He addressed the animals: “Comrades, you do not imagine that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege. Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself…It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Surely, comrades, there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?” Do NPP members want NDC back?

When in Matthew, the woman prayed to Jesus to heal her daughter, Jesus replied: “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs”. “Yes, Lord,” the woman said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table”. Your time will come.

Di wo fie asem.  A Ghanaian singer sang: “Not whom you know, but who knows you; it’s not the things you do, but the way you do them…” You may know many people, but when all is said and done, it is those who know you that matter.