Graphic Editorial: Wishing NPP well
The nation’s focus is on the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as it holds a crucial national exercise today to elect its parliamentary candidates for the 2016 general election.
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This is the final internal elections the NPP is holding prior to the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections. Already, the party has successfully organised its constituency, regional, national and presidential elections.
If the NPP completes its parliamentary primaries, it will be the first party to have conducted all its internal elections in readiness for the 2016 elections.
As all eyes are on the party today, much is expected of it to work consciously to sustain and improve on the party’s democratic credentials, and by extension, the democratic governance in the country.
Ghana has become a beacon of hope, particularly on the African continent, because of her democratic record, which is often seen in the peaceful transition of power from governing parties to opposition parties, hence the need for all parties to work to sustain that feat.
It is in line with this that all aspirants, delegates and members of the NPP are expected to see today’s exercise as a family affair, which is only aimed at entrenching democracy within the party and in the nation.
No doubt, a lot will be at stake in the primaries. But it is the expectation of the Daily Graphic that after the primaries, the rank and file of the NPP will quickly heal their wounds, go back to work with a united front and steer the affairs of the party in ways that will advance its forward match as well as that of the country.
We say so because over the last few weeks, the NPP has been struggling to heal divisions in its ranks arising mainly out of perceptions that there are factions in the party.
Unfortunately, the death of its Upper East Regional Chairman is linked to this factionalism that threatens to break the centre of the party.
We think this is the time for the NPP family to pool together and go through the process successfully. It will be unfortunate if the untoward happens in the party’s effort to increase the space for dialogue and participation, as well as the entrenchment of constitutional democracy in Ghana.
As the NPP goes through the primaries, there is the need for members to be tolerant of each other’s views.
Democracy has no room for insults and the stifling of initiatives because multi-party democracy thrives on an atmosphere of diverse opinions and campaign for individual liberty and freedoms.
In the view of the Daily Graphic, any effort at attaining victory for the NPP in the 2016 elections will be a mirage if they fail to maintain a united front and give genuine unity a chance to prevail within the party.
We wish the NPP a successful conduct of the parliamentary primaries and may the best candidates carry the day.
And to maintain party unity, we also urge the victors to celebrate in moderation while the losers should accept defeat in good faith.