A refreshing kind of politics
For two days in serene Akosombo, another kind of politics was opened up to alternative parties in the country. Under the aegis of the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG), the Social Liberal Party of Denmark joined representatives of other small parties in Ghana to converse, share ideas and experiences, and learn a different kind of politics.
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The prospects of a politics of value, independence, governance by rich ideas and healthy interaction even among opposing forces were opened up for participants from seven political parties.
The training workshop on manifesto preparation and programming was an activity under the Small Parties Multiparty Democracy in Ghana (SPMDG).
The SPMDG, initiated by the IDEG and the Social Liberal Party (Radikale Venstre) of Denmark, with the support of the Danish Institute for Parties and Democracy (DIPD) is to build the capacity of small parties in the country, to neutralise the dominant force of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
At the heart of the effort is to “strengthen the ‘public service’ function of Ghanaian political parties by promoting the inclusion of smaller political parties in the democratic space…”
That, an IDEG concept note on the SPMDG says, will enhance the possibilities of a functioning multi-party system in Ghana and defuse the electoral tensions fanned by the dominance of the two political parties.
New forces
In achieving that, small political parties will be the new forces to be reckoned with, and provide the viable development alternatives sought for.
Thus, the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP), the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), and the Independent People’s Party (IPP) were feted on the preparation of manifestos and how to work as parties to endear themselves to Ghanaians.
Another kind
Endearing themselves to Ghanaians was going to be a hard task because, to put it biblically, the hearts of Ghanaians have been dimmed by the politics of rancour, accusations, exclusiveness and to put it mildly, the vileness of politicking, offered by the two dominant parties.
Thus, the experience of the Social Liberal Party of Denmark brought a refreshing twist of how parties work, do politics and govern.
The Social Liberal Team was led by Mr Jørgen Estrup, the DIPD project coordinator; with him were a member of the Social Liberal Party, Mr Jeepe Mikkelsen, and the Vice Chairperson of the Youth Wing of the party, Ms Clara Halvorsen.
Sharing with participants the Danish experience in manifesto preparation, Mr Mikkelsen and Ms Halvorsen revealed refreshing lessons.
Manifestos
For instance, manifestos in their experience were the plans that guided parties in their day-to-day mobilisation and administration efforts.
With an ideology as the basis, they were prepared as an internal tool for galvanising the efforts of the party to be relevant within its environment.
Thus, the Social Liberal Manifesto outlined in broad strokes what the party stood for, their beliefs, their goals and how they would work in attaining their aims.
With internal relevance among the rank and file, came external impact on the country and how it was managed.
Youth Wing
Another important lesson was the utility of youth wings of political parties in Denmark.
A mobilising force for the mother party, they volunteered, mobilised and spoke out.
Through these activities, the youth tested their mettle in politics before stepping out into mainstream practice.
By resolutions, they spoke out on issues that were too difficult to broach for astute politicians in the mother party.
The most insightful part of the discussion with the Danish team was the fact that the youth wing of parties was independent, but had a close collaboration with the mother party; tied together by the same ideology, but independent enough to disagree on issues, express their youthfulness and build themselves up.
The conversation was a refreshing lesson on infusing political parties with a dose of youthful dynamism for the future exploits for Ghanaian parties.
SPMDG
The SPMDG is a great step taken to build all political parties.
Small parties, whose representatives argued against being called small, provided the opportunities for neutralising the dominance and negative vibes of the NPP and the NDC, and IDEG showed the way by the SPMDG.
Representatives of the parties, for their part, have caught the vision and did not want to be called ‘small’, but ‘alternative’.
For them, small perpetuates perceptions that they are not a force. However, recognising their potential, they argued in Akosombo that they wanted to be known as alternative parties, meaning, parties that have not had the chance to rule since the inception of the Forth Republic.
With this spirit and yearning of alternative parties, and with the support by IDEG and its partners, Ghana’s political scene would be the space to watch for the emergence of viable parties in the future.
Writer's email: [email protected]