I almost never comment on political parties, outside the context of agreeing or disagreeing with their policy positions. Not because I harbour any disdain for party politics. Party politics is the soul and spirit of plural democracy. I ignore political parties because nowadays, in Ghana at least, they are not even the seats of “party politics” qua ‘party politics’ anymore. Politics involves decisions about hard choices of relevance to significant sections of the electorate, and partisan politics clearly denote a certain sense of conviction in why one decision ought to be favoured over another. The conviction may be parochial but it cannot be completely absent. Ghanaian political parties, however, are looking more and more like welfare clubs, where petty squabbles are waged by self-selected political ‘brokers’ over their own economic subsistence…..today however I am going to make a point, a dispassionate, purely discursive point, about the ruling party, the NDC. The observation is completely clinical and has absolutely nothing to do with my own sentiments about the party.
The NDC, in my view, faces a mortal threat that, by its actions, it clearly does not recognise.
NDC’s Fatal Weakness
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It is losing the *brand war*. That is not to say that the NPP is doing marvelous, just that the NDC is comparatively much weaker. I locate the origin of this Achilles Heel of the party that once prided itself as the “only truly national party” in something I have christened: “The Otabil Effect” – the rise of a new, cross-sectional, cross-structural, “aspirational class”, and the narratives of social life it nurtures.
The aspirational class cuts across age, ethnicity and gender and represents a new class formation altogether. Members of this class read inspirational books and attend motivational seminars. They are into such new-age practices as “positive thinking” and “self-development”. They take short courses in their free time, and read biographies of distant role models. The majority of them tend to be ‘creatively religious’, usually moderately charismatic-christian, and utilises the networks in the church to break into certain strata of society once closed to them. They affect certain manners of dress and speech to advertise certain beliefs in a certain kind of protestant ethic – ‘thrift but not squalour’. They mix entrepreneurial pursuits with the hunt for professional pedigree. They listen to Joy, Citi, and the BBC, but having a passing interest in political careerism, their dials more often than you might suspect also alights on Peace and Adom, and stay longer than they care to admit. They worry that politics can ‘stain’ them but they also keep a keen eye on whether careerist opportunities are opening up in the politics domain, or better still ‘around’ it.
****And the NDC risks completely losing the Aspirational Class.******
The NDC asserts its appeal through associations with the underclass. The problem is that, increasingly, a growing number of members of said ‘underclass’ are finding their way into the imagined community of the Aspirational Class – a purely social and not historical-economic phenomenon. The Aspirational Class therefore offers social mobility of a kind hard to find in traditional class structures. It is a malleable, flexible, social phenomenon. Its boundaries are looser and its structure constantly evolving, and IT IS BECOMING A PREDICTABLE FLOATING VOTERS CAMP.
The Aspirational Class in politics expresses itself through imagery. Imagery of present or future accomplishment. It is reflected in the hyper-successful business magnate who is active in a functional sort of way in church organisation. In the Trade Union official who consults part-time for a labour economics advisory firm. In the lawyer who advises PR companies on advocacy strategy, all the way down to the newly qualified journalist waiting out her “2 years working experience” so she can transition into the “corporate communications” department of that swankily hot company. But it can equally be seen in operation when the Kantamanto dealer, who barely scraped through JSS, walks into an investment advisory firm in Labone and inquires about mutual funds.
The Aspirational Class exerts its influence in the alliances that it fosters across these diverse types of person, institutions and communities. It is not a club of the ‘haves’ but of the ‘ready to have’. It cannot be dismissed as ‘elitist’ unless elitism is viewed as a ‘virus’ capable of penetrating thick and thin through social strata.
THIS IS THE NDC’S BIGGEST MISCONCEPTION. It believes that the chattering classes is an elitist fringe that can be ignored. It has not studied well enough the powerful demographic shifts that are taking place, for example that this country quietly became a majority-urban nation around 2009 (yes, according to the latest census more people live in towns than in villages in Ghana), and that the emerging value system renders impotent any resurrection of the Veranda Boys phenomenology. The collapse of the Azorka movement in the North, and the rise of social media have common roots – the ascendancy of the Aspirational Class.
The intricate web of relationships across society woven by this Otabil Effect is seen in the constant suspicion harboured by the NDC that nearly all civil society institutions, from key religious establishments, through professional associations and labour unions, all the way to artistic and entrepreneurial communities, are in a conspiracy to “undermine” its prospects. It is far from a conspiracy. The forces at play are inevitable consequences of the role of the Aspirational Class in the validation or illegitimisation of a political brand.
If this class transforms itself into a ‘predictable floating voters camp’ as I fear it shall, it is highly likely that they shall swing very often in the opposite direction from the NDC. The sad reality is that none of the current contests within the NDC addresses this more pernicious development, AND YET SLOWLY BUT STEADILY IT IS BECOMING BY FAR THE BIGGEST RISK TO ELECTORAL SUCCESS FOR THE PARTY OF THE UMBRELLA.
Bright Simons, I dove my hat for a brilliant delivery, and very thoughtful too. This factor is what is accounting for the much touted general disgruntlement among party rank and file in the NDC. This belief that the grassroots irrespective of what happens within the NDC will always vote one way is no longer tenable especially within the highly socially mobile group that has emerged over the years.
this analysis fits into what others have called as the illiterate party, The NDC is Branded as a party without intellectual rigor and of predominantly average bookish people. The tag of them been so crude in their ways and uncivilised well resonate with this article’s observation. I CAN SAY THAT THE NEW CLASS OF ASPIRATIONAL STRATA IN MODERN GHANA DO NOT LIKE THE NDC BRAND. BECAUSE IT IS SO MEDIOCRE.
the NDC thinks elections are still won by party loyalist who seem to support them and lambast Dr. Otabil however elections are now won by floating voters(aspirational group) who favours, loves and look upto the likes of Dr. Otabil. As a result, choosing not to preserve the reputation of Dr. Otabil but defaming his credibility and respect is gonna course them greatly in this elections particularly who favoured the brand that Presidents Mills’ personality created. Their currents actions with regards to Dr. Otabil post press conference response and attacks damages the peacefull, selfless and Godfearing personality that the late President Mills represented.
Well said B. Simons; You deserve to be congratulated for such an amazing and a profound analysis made on the current paradigm shift in terms of electorates in Ghana.The seemingly ever increasing literacy class,highly optimistic and ardent Ghanaian voter of today is currently much concern about the critical challenges faced by government and which political party has the capacity to meet them head-on. The modern day voter in Ghana today, is far more interested in politics being a contest of ideas rather than personality attacks,defamation or trivialities.
A clue the NDC either ignores or are too myopic to see, hence they tag any commentator with opposing thoughts anti-NDC.
Accessibility to information is quicker now, than any time in the history of this country,voters are well equipped and highly informed now, than ever before in the history of this country, and the NDC is still trying to fathom this shift or are under the illusion of a static,monolithic voter population of the early 90’s popularly the “grassroots”;and the “grassroots” will deepen the parties fortunes, But that assertion is a mere political fantasy and a mirage; the reality is that, the “grassroots” are dwindling and being taken over by literates who discern and weigh options, who are achievers as u rightfully put it and i agree perfectly….And come if may,if the NDC continue to tread this path, with same posture, It will be very difficult or even impossible for them wield political power. I actually envisage another party taking over the mantle of a major opposition marginalizing the NDC to the background due to the lack of coherence, accord and unionism within the party.
what i strong analysis put up there. I always tell my brother, if u r really objective and u think deep through our current political happenings, there is no way u will vote for the NDC.
Bright you have taken the wind out of my sail.I am glad to know that you have cleverly observed this problem.Maybe it just might be taken serious since it is coming from you (ie if they do not twist it like they do every time fair comments are made concerning their party).I am a typical example of what you just talked about and so are a lot of my friends.I am shocked as to their conscious naivety.I guess some people can only learn from pain……..and they the most culpable.
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I am gripped by your sculpting of this ‘new’ demographic, very perceptive. I think or hope that some researchers would work on what I presume for now is a hypothesis; this level of dsicourse and anlysis is precisely what a ‘thinking democracy’ needs. There is hope yet.
I hope some body in the NDC will listen. I can not say any thing in addition. This has been on my heart for so long and in fact I have given up; but Bright has reawaken it. My sincerest view is THAT POLITICIANS DO NOT KNOW THE NEEDS AND THE ASPIRATIONS OF THE PEOPLE ARE.
Kwame Gyan can continue to live on that unknown island….is he telling us that the so called aspirational class dnt reason??
NDC is a party for rogues and dubious and even their so-called educated members believe in self enrichment first. NDC party does not have the populace at heart. If what we are hearing is true, some NDC members are dishing money out, precisely GC3M to some NPP members and either cease their voting cards or threaten to kill them if they dont vote for NDC. This is soooo gross NDC. This the party which wants to rule Ghana and for the past 4yrs,have killed our economy – the good foundation laid by NPP.