The Return of the NDC’s Wasteful Son?

Many people, especially all Christians, know about the story of the Prodigal Son. For some, the meaning of prodigal is someone remorseful and repentant. Wrong! Prodigal means wasteful. It was a parable of a son of a rich man, who collected his share of family wealth and departed to go about his own business, only to squander all he had.

He became a destitute who had to feed on animal food to fill his belly. He came back to his senses and decided to go back home, this time as a servant. The rest is Scriptures.

During the Kufuor era, one of the members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), who descended on the New Patriotic Party (NPP), at the least provocation, was Ernest Owusu Bempah. He really took the NPP and the Kufuor administration to the cleaners to show how good he was at propaganda.

All was going rosy for Ernest who was in the comfort of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings as one of her special aides.

Then on July 9, 2011, at the NDC’s presidential primary, the sky cracked and caved in and Nana Konadu,became a victim, securingonly 90 votes or 3.1%, showing an absolute rejection by her NDC. President JEA Mills secured 2,771 votes (96.9%).

In shock and embarrassment, she left the party and with some of her trusted aides, including Ernest Owusu Bempah, she formed the National Democratic Party (NDP). Ernest was made the deputy communication director. Jerry Rawlings who also felt very uncomfortable had to stubbornly remain in the NDC, even though he was called a barking dog.

Ernest Owusu Bempah, now hit the skies and crashed anything NDC in sight. He came out publicly to bring out every dirty linen of his former party and wash them in the public square, exposing the underwear which were torn and patched. He proved how loyal he was to the Rawlings’ and attacked the NDC so destructively, painting it in disgusting colours.

Nana Konadu had wanted to contest the 2012 presidential election but was disqualified. In 2016, she was on the ballot, but Ghanaians c rejected her, giving her only 17,207 votes (0.16%) nationwide. Her daughter, Zanetor Rawlings who contested the Korle Klottey constituency in Accra, secured 33,609 votes to win the seat, while Nana Konadu secured 68 votes, there. In 2020, Nana Konadu could achieve only 6,549 votes nation wide. She secured 21 votes in her daughter’s constituency while the young lady had 39,343 votes.

The NDP did not look a serious party and was not considered a third force. The well-known Nana Konadu was rejected by Ghanaian as if she did not matter. And her NDP having no teeth to bite, characters like Ernest Owusu Bempah, took cover under the NPP where hewas appointed the director of communication at Ghana Gas in 2017 by President Nana Akufo Addo, where I believe he rose to the position of general manager. In 2022, he became the deputy communication director of the NPP.

Today, with the NPP out, and the pecks of power and wealth are lost on Ernest Owusu Bempah’s path. Just as the prodigal son, looking around himself and finding that he had nothing and reduced to a destitute, he took the decision go back home, Ernest Owusu Bempah considering his current state and looked towards the direction of home, the NDC.

And he started on a fine note, by supporting the removal of IGP Dampare from office. He actually congratulated President John Dramani Mahama for appointing Christian Tetteh Yohuno as the new IGP. He went on to say that he advised Nana Addo on Dampare asking that he should replace him, but the ex-president refused to listen to his good advice.

I have nothing against the new IGP, but I thought Dampare did his best to uplift the image of the police. On this note, I will wish IGP Yohunu will improve upon what Dampare did, so that the Ghana Police will be among the best in Africa.

Coming back to Ernest Owusu Bempah, did the NPP General Secretary hear him? Mr. John Kodua Frimpong has started gagging party members who are voicing out or want to voice out the hidden wrongs in NPP party and government. But is he seriously listening to what his deputy communication director is saying about ex-president Nana Addo? Owusu Bempah is out in public saying Nana Akufo-Addo was a dictator who would not listen to good advice. This was exactly what CPP government appointees described Kwame Nkrumah after the 1966 coup.

Someone who was not a dye-in-the-wool UP person, someone who had attacked the NPP, party and government, during the Rawlings and Kufuor administrations, could just walked into the party when things were not going on well in his, and was made a government appointee and later made a deputy communication director of that party. This person is now out there describing the ex-president, the one who elevated him in society, as someone whose ears do not listen.

It may not be far from the truth that Ernest Owusu Bempah is seriously planning to go back to the NDC and hopefully be given an appointment, just as the prodigal son was restored back to glory when he returned home.

Hon. Daniel Dugan

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.

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