WHAT IS AKUFO-ADDO LISTENING TO?

Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo Addo, the flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, is on a nationwide “Listening” tour to familiarize himself with the living conditions of the people. He is interacting with petty traders, market women, residents of farming and fishing communities, shoppers and commuters, shaking hands and tapping every shoulder that comes his way. Currently, he is in the Ashanti Region after touring a number of constituencies in the Central and Eastern regions.

One may ask, what at all is Nana Akufo Addo listening to? According to sources close to the tour, the listening agenda is to afford the NPP flag bearer the opportunity to meet the people at the grassroots to listen to their issues and concerns to enable him to work out strategies and programmes to give hope to them if he becomes president. In other words, the tour is designed to give the ordinary voter the chance to look into the eyes of the NPP flag bearer, and form his or her own lasting opinion whilst also getting to know the real issues bothering voters for which he can focus on to campaign. He is also interacting with the ordinary people, apart from party faithful, to sell the ideas and vision that he would pursue if given the nod in the 2012 election.

The tours are no doubt laudable initiatives which cannot be discounted by any serious politician who seeks to win the hearts and minds of the Ghanaian electorate. I recall, as one of his key strategies, during election 2008, how successful President J. E. A. Mills, then candidate Mills, began what was called “Door-to-Door” campaign. Even though many political analysts were pessimistic about its effectiveness, and dismissed it right from the onset, they were soon to laugh at the wrong side of their mouths when Prof Mills made huge inroads and ultimately won the mandate of the people in that election. I further recall how enthusiastic some Ghanaian were, especially those in the villages, to have been visited by Professor Mills between late 2007 and early 2008. Even students were won over when the then candidate Mills was seen on television interacting with them in their dormitories.

It is therefore a welcome move that today our politicians are working hard to win the hearts of the ordinary citizens by going to them on a face-to-face basis to know their issues, concerns and problems. My point of interest is that politicians must not only be accessible to the people when they are seeking the mandate of the electorate but must also strive at all times to make room and effort to get in touch with the feelings, aspirations and needs of the same people when they are in government. It will simply be untenable when excuses in ridiculous forms and shapes are given to deny ordinary people access to political authority.

Already Nana Akufo Addo has completed more than an 18-day tour of the Eastern and Central regions which party stalwarts have described as “amazing”. During these tours promises and pledges have been made. Politicians as usual feel very much at home when they are on political platforms dishing out promises upon promises. It is in this vein that I wish to caution Nana Akufo Addo to be mindful of what promises he gives to the people. It is very easy to make unrealistic promises all in a bid to woo the electorate to his side, but once he succeeds, he will soon come to terms with the reality of governance. If care is not taken and one is unable to redeem one’s promises, the issue of deceit comes in and the question of credibility comes up.

I am encouraged that the Ghanaian electorate is discerning and it will be an exercise in futility if any politician takes them for granted by indulging in vain promises.
As a focused effort to identify concerns priorities in a specific neighbourhood, workplace, organization or community, one can say that the listening campaign, also referred to as “relational” meetings is a useful political tool during political campaigns.

These meetings, lasting normally from 45 minutes to one hour, are accomplished through “one-on-one” or small group meetings facilitated by political leaders. The general aim is to get people to talk about how they experience life in their community, to identify the issues that they care about, and to put across concerns that they will like the political authority to address as part of its agenda.
The outcome is a new relationship through which a group of people feel linked to each other and have identified common experiences and concerns. A listening Campaign can also help a group more clearly shape its vision and find out where it is and where it is going in the future.

No doubt, the Door-to-Door campaign as one of the NDC’s success strategies of election 2008 cannot be disputed. I do hope that results of the NPP listening campaign will also be collated and key conclusions drawn in the interest of the ordinary people. Judging by the success story of the then candidate Mills’s Door-to-Door campaign, it will be interesting to note how far the listening campaign will go by way of garnering vote for the NPP and its flag bearer.

But more importantly, in my view, whether it is a “Door-to-Door” or Listening Campaign” one thing remains significant and at the end of the day the ordinary Ghanaian must benefit from all of these interactions with focus on rural developments, construction of feeder roads, rural electrification, infrastructure, school blocks, food security and poverty reduction as major priority concerns.

The listening campaign may be a good exercise and strategy but as to whether Nana Akufo Addo will succeed through the campaign that he’s a leader who cares about the welfare of the masses will be determined in December 2012 when the nation goes to the polls. To recapture power in 2012 when the National Democratic Congress will not be easy, as he himself has already described the 2012 elections as a “very big battle.” He must therefore work to position the NPP to incorporate the concerns of Ghanaians from all the regions into their manifesto for 2012 campaign as well as showcase his readiness and determination to work hard to better the living conditions of Ghanaians. After all, we vote for governments to provide the needs of the people and this must be the motivation of every politician who wants to lead the nation.


Credit: Article by: Kobby Asmah Ghana Politics