Political alignment is a crucial aspect of Ghana’s political landscape, with both major parties, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC), having a significant following.
While political alignment has its benefits, such as stability, development, and representation, it also has its drawbacks, including polarization, corruption, and clientelism.
Furthermore, political alignment has brought stability to Ghana’s government, allowing parties to work together to achieve common goals.
This has led to significant development projects and policies, benefiting the country as a whole.
Additionally, political alignment provides a platform for representation in government, ensuring that diverse perspectives are heard.
However, political alignment has perpetuated polarization, creating divisions and hindering cross-party collaboration.
This has led to a lack of independent thinking, as party loyalty is often prioritized over individual creativity and independence.
As such, political de-alignment, the process of disengaging from traditional political affiliations, is a complex and challenging phenomenon in Ghana.
According to Professor Ransford Gyampo, a political scientist, loyal supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will remain committed to voting for the party in the upcoming general elections, regardless of who is selected as the running mate for their presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
As such, he noted that while Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is the preferred choice for running mate among NPP members, their preference ultimately holds little significance in the grand scheme of things.
“Partisan de-alignment in developing democracies is often minimal. As in, if somebody is an NPP supporter, it is oftentimes difficult for them to de-ally, in a way they can say that, well, I’m not going to vote. But they would not move easily from NPP to NDC, and vice versa.”
“And so NPP supporters are going to be supporters of the party in any way, regardless of whoever is fielded as their ally mate. And so whether it is going to be Napo (Dr. Opoku Prempeh) or whoever, for me, it depends on who the flag-bearer of the party wants, and who the flag-bearer will be comfortable working with. To my mind, what is important is not really what the party wants”.
Professor Ransford Gyampo
Political Loyalty And Objective Decision-Making
Furthermore, political loyalty can lead to biased decision-making, prioritizing party interests over objective evaluation.
Accordingly, political alignment can foster a groupthink mentality, suppressing diverse perspectives and critical thinking.
This leads to inefficient decision-making as political considerations can slow decision-making, prioritizing political calculations over efficient problem-solving.
Thus, the prolonged wait for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to announce his running mate could be due to undue political calculations.
According to Professor Gyampo, the suitable running mate for Dr. Bawumia must not only complement his strengths but also bring additional attributes to the table rather than being selected merely to align with party sentiment.
“What is important is he [Bawumia’s running mate] who would be able to go beyond the party support base to reach out to election candidates. NPP support base would always be there, even though their support base has been scattered, especially in the Ashanti region, a little by the Alan factor. But if you take that away, the support base of the NPP will be there but they are not enough.”
“Last but not the least, is he [Bawumia’s running mate] that Ghanaians are comfortable that, look, should Dr Bawumia not be there, he would be enough. He would have the adequate persona, the temperament, the sobriety, the statesmanship to be able to serve as the acting president in the absence”.
Professor Ransford Gyampo
According to Professor Gyampo, Dr. Bawumia needs to choose a running mate who can connect with the Christian majority, as relying solely on the NPP’s core support base will not be enough to secure a win at the polls
“And so you are looking for a candidate who will be able to help Dr. Bawumia to go into the other political divide and also to appeal to floating voters, win them to the side of Dr. Bawumia”. – Professor Ransford Gyampo
READ ALSO: No Part Of Isreal To Be Spared If War With Hezbollah Erupts
