By Dr Kofi AMPONSAH-BEDIAKO
THE point has been made on countless occasions that the initial ten candidates that expressed interest in the flagbearer race were all suitable except that only one of them could be described as the most suitable or most formidable when compared to the others.
As we speak today, only four of them are left and they are Engineer Addai Nimo, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Kennedy Agyapong and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia. The contest is now between these four candidates so the question is which of them will be selected through voting as the flagbearer of the great New Patriotic Party.
DMB, as some call him for short, is a humble, dynamic and visionary person who has been blessed with a special trait to lead this country forward to greater heights. He is not just a person fighting for the flagbearer title but one who is truly committed to serving the interest of the people in this great country.
Dr. Bawumia is yet to come out with his personal vision for assessment by Ghanaians. This vision is yet to come but we can sense some of the things he is likely to include in what he wants to do as a leader. Many people are waiting for him to emerge as the flagbearer and it is after this that his vision will be unveiled.
One thing he would want to do as a leader is to pursue a policy of all-inclusiveness. Under this policy, he would include all Ghanaians in the administration of this country with the exception of only those who will want to sit on the fence and only criticise.
Under the policy of all-inclusiveness, every person irrespective of religion or ethnic background will be encouraged to participate cheerfully in the management of affairs of the country.
In line with this, both men and women as well as people of various beliefs will be given an opportunity to serve their country. This is a great person whose refreshing ideas must be embraced and supported by all well-meaning Ghanaians.
It is not only NPP supporters who must embrace his vision but people of different political beliefs including supporters of the NDC.
Another aspect of his policy of all-inclusiveness is ensuring he empowers the down trodden or disadvantaged or the physically challenged who have shown signs of capability to assist him in running the country.
We are likely to have this policy because even though he is yet to come out with his vision, we know that as a kind-hearted person, he thinks about all disadvantaged people in the country including the cured lepers.
We can also read into his vision by guessing that he is most likely to pay attention to tourism, knowing that our tourism sites can bring in as much revenue as possible. In line with this, the artificial historical sites that have been created in various parts of the country such as the Elmina Castle and other sites around Nzema and the various tourist sites created by man will all be harnessed by this visionary leader who has been blessed by God to lead the nation.
Apart from these man-made tourist sites, Dr. Bawumia is also envisaged as a person who will focus on the naturally endowed tourist sites including waterfalls, crocodile ponds and other beautiful scenes in various parts of the country.
It is in the light of this that the man Bawumia is seen as the better alternative as far as development is concerned when compared with the rest of the aspiring candidates.
He has already proved his worth in the support of the president in areas such as digitisation, the gold for oil policy, the drones that are distributing medicines and many other useful programmes that have been introduced by this government. There is no doubt that he is the one that must be given the opportunity to lead the country.
Whether there is ‘showdown’, ‘show up’, or ‘show sideways’, the truth of the matter is that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia is most likely to emerge as the overwhelming winner of the flagbearer contest. As has been pointed out by DMB himself, the contest is an internal one but the real battle will take place after November 4, this year, and prepare the NPP for the 2024 general elections.
Ghana like many other countries in the world today is facing serious economic challenges. These challenges have come about as a result of external factors such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic which brought the entire world down to its knees.
It is also quite worrying that the Palestinians and Israelis are fighting each other. The government of Ghana has called for ceasefire and it is expected that the two countries will pay heed to this appeal because if the advice is not heeded, oil prices will go up again to the disadvantage of developing countries. In spite of this, Ghana and other well-meaning nations are prepared to face all these challenges.
From all indications, Ghana is moving forward in the right direction because prices of goods and services are coming down, though slowly, while the dollar has also been stabilised. The IMF team in Ghana has observed that Ghana is on the right path so we all need to be proud of our leaders.
After November 4, all children of the NPP will have to come together and fight the common political enemy in the 2024 general elections.
Ghana can transform herself from a developing country to a developed country under the leadership of Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and that is why we need to have confidence in him and move the country forward. The going will be tough but as DMB himself has pointed out, “IT IS POSSIBLE!”
The insults mounted against DMB has brought in more support to Dr. Bawumia. This means that it is most likely that DMB will win in all parts of the country on November 4.
Dr. Bawumia has just celebrated his 60th birthday and he did this with the Kumasi Children’s Home. May God continue to bless him abundantly and endow him with more wisdom to shame all his enemies. Amen and Amen!
