“Rancour and bitterness within political parties in a democratic dispensation are retrogressive, inimical to their development and socioeconomic well-being, Prince Bagnaba Mba, President of Forum for Equity, a human rights non-governmental organisation, has observed.
He explained that situations where the political turf was turned into a war zone of words, acts of sabotage, conspiracy and lack of nationalist patriotism were as a result of party disloyalty which leadership of parties should depart from.
According to him, the intense heated battering and physical exchange of fisticuffs over non-issues witnessed within parties should be avoided since parties were supreme and there was the need to fashion out a non-partisan Constitution.
Mr Mba noted that after all the Constituent Assembly that promulgated the 1992 Constitution was on partisan basis so that representatives of the people should be determined by individual’s commitment, determination, dedication and worthwhile contributions to the progress, growth and development of the Constituencies.
“Examples of fractional political upheavals abound throughout the continent, where issues of national interest were only viewed through the partisan lens, making it dangerous for the progress, growth and development of the continent because running a political party is expensive and counterproductive and a nonpartisan democracy will not only be all-embracing.
“It will ensure grassroots participation, true meaning of belonging, from almost all the African countries, the opposition plays the role of pull them out and the ruling party also ensures winner takes all which has become a vicious cycle with no direction, however, we can do better rather than practising alien political culture we do not care to understand,” Mr Mba entreated. -GNA
