In 2016, ahead of Ghana’s polls in December, the then-opposition party drew motivation from the win of US Republican candidate Donald Trump who had beaten his opponent Hilary Clinton and shocked the narrative as the Democrats were the incumbent party in power.
Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akomea asserted that the party would win since the Republicans had won the elections.
He likened the happenings in the US to the circumstances in Ghana.
He told The Chronicle in an interview that the fact that Donald Trump defied all odds to win the elections shows that the people of American wanted change, and this is what would happen in Ghana as well.
“The win of the Republican Party and its candidate in the American elections hold important lessons for Ghana,” he noted, adding, “The first major lesson is that the American people have voted for change.
“This shows us that no incumbent government is entitled to an automatic retention in power. That retention in office is dependent on how best a government has fulfilled the expectations of the people.
“The second main lesson is that it is so easy for an incumbent government to lose touch with the real concerns of the electorate. The Republican candidate, Mr. Trump, made many comments that many found disagreeable and regrettable.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) says the massive win recorded by the Republican Party in the just-ended United States of America elections is a clear indication that change is also coming to Ghana.
The Director of Communications of the party, Nana Akomea, told The Chronicle yesterday that the fact that Donald Trump defied all odds to win the elections shows that the people of American wanted change, and this is what would happen in Ghana as well.
“The win of the Republican Party and its candidate in the American elections hold important lessons for Ghana,” he noted, adding, “The first major lesson is that the American people have voted for change.
“This shows us that no incumbent government is entitled to an automatic retention in power. That retention in office is dependent on how best a government has fulfilled the expectations of the people.
“The second main lesson is that it is so easy for an incumbent government to lose touch with the real concerns of the electorate. The Republican candidate, Mr. Trump, made many comments that many found disagreeable and regrettable.
“At some points, he did not enjoy the support of key members of his party, including ex-presidents, the Senate Majority Leader, etc., who all spoke out against him.
“But obviously, he also gave voice to issues that really mattered to the majority of the American people, including poverty, deprivation, jobs, security, etc.
“It is very clear that President Mahama and the NDC government have lost touch with the real needs and concerns of Ghanaians.
“President Mahama has lamented that his message and achievements are being blocked by some media people from getting to Ghanaians.
“The President is wrong. His message is not being blocked. The truth is that his message is simply not resonating with the real needs of Ghanaians, as was forcefully said to him by Awoamefia Togbe Sri.
“The NDC General Secretary has likened the NPP and our flagbearer to the Republican Party and its candidate.
“The lesson for Mr. Asiedu Nketia is that perhaps the NPP and our flagbearer are actually articulating the real needs and concerns of Ghanaians; the concerns about jobs, poverty, corruption, unbearably high cost of living, high inflation, collapsing health service, collapsing agriculture, collapsing industrial sector, etc.
“The NPP believes that as has happened in America, change is indeed coming to Ghana on 7th December.”
Meanwhile, Issah Alhassan reports from Kumasi that barely 24 hours after the incredible results in the US Presidential Elections, the two leading political parties in the country, the NDC and the NPP, have started claiming psychological victory, ahead of the December 7 polls.
Supporters of both political parties have begun playing electoral mathematics and permutations, claiming the results will favor their respective parties.
The Chronicle has had separate interviews with the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, and the Regional Secretary of the ruling NDC, Mr. Raymond Tandoh, for their interpretation of the shocking results of the US elections.
To the leading opposition party, the victory of the Republican Party, led by Donald Trump, signals victory for the NPP in Ghana, whilst the ruling NDC, on the other hand, thinks otherwise.
The opposition party is basing its assertion on several factors, including the fact that both Donald Trump and Nana Akufo-Addo are in opposition, both have nearly the same campaign messages, in terms of reviving the economy through the reduction of taxes and creation of jobs, the two candidates are in their 70s, in terms of age, and the fact that both lead political parties that have internal issues amongst their leadership.
Wontumi’s assertion
According to the NPP Regional Chairman, there are several similarities between the US presidential candidate-elect, Mr. Donald Trump, his Republican Party, and that of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the NPP.
He contended in an interview with The Chronicle that Nana Akufo-Addo’s policy of revamping the economy, through job creation and reduction of taxes for local businesses, are akin to the clarion call by Donald Trump during his campaign to provide tax incentives to American businesses that have moved outside to comeback.
“From day one, I knew Donald Trump will win, because he was speaking the voice of Americans; they need jobs; most American companies have moved out of the country because of the unfavourable economic conditions.
“These are similar to what Nana Akufo-Addo has been saying here, such as the ‘One District, One Factory’, the Constituency Fund, and the promise to reduce taxes amongst others,” Chairman Wontumi argued.
Apart from the economic policy aspect, the NPP Regional Chairman further argued that both Nana Addo and Trump are in their 70s, as well as leading political parties that initially encountered problems within their rank and file.
“We have elephant as our symbol, and the Republicans too have elephant as their symbol,” the NPP Regional Chairman stressed.
but the NDC disagrees
However, the assertion by the NPP Regional Chairman has been strongly challenged by the ruling party, which is also giving a different twist to the outcome of the US polls.
According to the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Raymond Tandoh, the ruling party is taking lots of positive lessons from Mr. Trump’s victory and believes that will be replicated, come December 7.
Basing his argument on pre-election media hype, Mr. Tandoh asserted that just like the various polls and media analysis putting Nana Addo ahead as the likely winner, the same scenario played out in the US elections, when all the polls said Hillary Clinton was winning.
According to him, the media landscape paints a picture that appears like there is a general call for change across the country.
“When you look at the way the media hyped Hillary Clinton and created the atmosphere that she was going to win massively, it is the same way the media here is projecting that Nana Addo will win,” Mr. Tandoh noted.
However, when the attention of the NDC regional scribe was drawn to the fact that President Mahama recently stated that all the polls conducted indicated that he was winning, Mr. Tandoh said President Mahama’s pronouncement was based on his good works and remarkable achievements.
Mr. Tandoh further asserted that though President Mahama is struggling to deal with issues of jobs and general hardships, despite the huge performance in the area of infrastructure, the general stability in the economy is what will do the magic for the NDC.
“We all know that Nana Addo is taking advantage of the cry of hardships to rise in popularity, this may not necessarily translate into votes, because many Ghanaians are aware of what steps government is taking to make things better at the end of the day,” the NDC Regional Secretary asserted.
NDC shocking U-turn
But the current position by the NDC appears to contradict what the party held a few months back.
For example, the Vice President, His Excellency Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur, likened the NPP to Donald Trump.
The General Secretary of the party, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, is also on record to have stated that a win for Hillary Clinton will be a win for President John Dramani Mahama.
The Ashanti Regional Communications Officer of the party, Mr. Samed Akalilu, also posted on his Facebook wall that the outcome of the US elections would be a true reflection of Ghana’s December 7 polls.
