Strategic thinking in NDC is very very poor – Kwesi Pratt on Parliamentary primaries

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr has lashed out at the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) over its decision to hold Parliamentary primaries this year.

He said the decision was not strategic and will have dire consequences on the performance of the party’s MPs in the legislative house.

Kwesi Pratt said the MPs will not only be pushed to adopt unacceptable means to retain their seats but will also be forced to abandon their parliamentary duties while campaigning.

He was speaking on Alhaji & Alhaji on Pan African TV on Saturday, April 8, monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

The CPP stalwart described the NDC’s decision to hold Parliamentary primaries this year as a rushed one and one that lucks strategic thinking and planning.

“………….The NDC is rushing into primaries and what is the effect going to be. Some of the NDC parliamentarians are going to lose to challengers. Already they are down by one, let assume that three goes to the primaries and loose, what is the incentive for them to go to parliament and vote against government decisions and so on. What is the incentive?.

“So you are already handicapped by one, in the final analyses you are going to be handicapped by more than one. Does it make sense? What kind of thinking went into this decision?,”

“In any case, if you insist your parliamentarian should now go to constituencies to go and compete to be elected, how you can keep them in Parliament house. So the sensible thing to do at this stage is to provide some protection for your sitting MPs so they can stay in the house and do your work for you. Is this rocket science?, common sense, it is rocket science? What is the rush for the NDC to go now to primaries?, what is the rush?,”.

The best thing is to conduct primaries at orphan constituencies this year, MPs next year – Kwesi Pratt

Kwesi Pratt Jnr noted appropriately, the party should have hold primaries at its orphan constituencies and allow it’s sitting MPs to carry out their parliamentary duties until next year.

“Bottom line ……You have more than 100 orphan constituencies, constituencies that you are not there at all, you don’t have Mps at all, if you are doing strategic planning, you can then decide that for now let the orphan constituencies compete to elect parliamentary candidates, as for those who are in parliament, we are protecting them until next year so that we can continue to have the numbers in parliament to vote.

“You are doing orphan constituencies and constituencies where we have sitting MPs together at the same time, to what advantage?, What value will is in that?, what advantage will you get? ………Why is the need to rush”,” Kwesi Pratt quizzed.

“….Any wonder the NPP have the free hand to do as it please to messes us up and so on because the strategic thinking in the NDC is poor, very very poor. If I had my chance, if I had my chance unless there are very compelling reasons you retain your sitting MPs . They will come to you and say it is democracy, everybody has the chance to contest and so on. Yes it is democracy but one other element of democracy is that you need to manage expectations,” he said.