KEY POINTS
- The Adansehene, Nana Opoku Agyemang Bonsu II, has called for the emergence of a ‘third force’ in Ghana’s political landscape to break the dominance of the NDC and NPP.
- He believes the two main political parties have failed to address key issues affecting Ghanaians, necessitating a new political movement focused on national development.
- There is growing public disillusionment with the political status quo, fueling support for alternative voices to challenge the entrenched two-party system.
The Adansehene, Nana Opoku Agyemang Bonsu II has expressed worry over the two main political parties in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He has said that the country requires a ‘third force’ to offer a different political system to the two-party system that he says has not helped to solve the social and economic problems of the country.
At a recent public function, Nana Opoku Agyemang Bonsu II highlighted the need to build a new political party that would help to improve the country’s development. The Adansehene also condemned both the NDC and NPP for being more concerned with the retention of power than addressing some of the major challenges facing the country such as unemployment, education, health and infrastructure.
Rising dissatisfaction with the political system
The Adansehene’s call for a ‘third force’ comes at a time when many Ghanaians are complaining of the two major political parties. Since the 1992, the NDC and NPP have been trading power between them, but the fear now is that no party has been able to bring about the necessary changes that would enhance the welfare of the masses.
If the people get tired of what is offered to them and with a given form of governance, they are always interested in new political formations with which they can pursue the interests of their nation rather than those of their faction. The Adansehene was of the view that there is the need for a new political structure that will bring in new ideas on how to govern the country, fight corruption and be accountable to the people.
GhanaWeb reported that Nana Opoku Agyemang Bonsu II called on Ghanaians to embrace this new direction, saying that the only way to overcome the problems of the current political system is to create a new political party.
Challenges facing Ghana’s political system
The distribution of power in Ghanaian politics has been between NDC and NPP due to the years of cultivation of a strong party base. However, the competition between the two parties has however been accused of causing leadership rivalries which always leads to political party politics prioritizing party instead of national development.
Also, political economic factors such as increase in corruption, and inefficiency, and broken campaign promises have reduce confidence of the NDC and NPP among the people of Ghana.
The message of the Adansehene is a message Ghanaians, especially the ruling party, should embrace about change: fresh reforms to open the otherwise exclusionary political system to citizens from all parts of the country and different births; and new ways of solving the seemingly intractable problems troubling Ghana due to its leadership failure.
To many, a ‘third force’ is a chance to change the political situation that has stagnated many areas including education, health and other social facilities and physical structures.
Hope for political change
The use of the ‘third force’ concept in the Ghanaian politics indicates that the voter is getting tired of the two main parties. Although it will not be an easy task to create a viable third party with the NDC and NPP controlling the political realm, the growing discontent among the electorate implied that there would be measure of likely hood for new polity movements outside the realms of the NDC and NPP.
His call for an innovative political front may encourage others to contribute towards the regeneration of the political culture of Ghana in relation to themes such as, accountability, progress, and governance. Public debate over political change and prospects of creating fresh political parties is likely to come up as the Kenya heads to the 2024 election.
