Member of Parliament-elect for Akwatia, Bernard Baidoo, says the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) reliance on sympathy votes was not enough to convince constituents in the just-ended by-election.
Speaking on the Pulse on JoyNews on Wednesday, September 3, Mr Baidoo explained that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) secured victory by focusing on development promises that resonated with the people.
“We went into the elections with different messages. The messages were simple. We went with the message of development, and we assured the people of development,” he said.
The MP-elect criticised the NPP for running a campaign he described as heavily reliant on sympathy following the passing of the late MP, Ernest Kumi.
“Theirs was about 85% or even 90% about sympathy. Why would you even do a poster and put our late brother Ernest Kumi’s picture behind the image as though he is your running mate? Why would you do that?” he quizzed.
According to him, the NPP’s approach did not connect with the people because “the people didn’t hear what they wanted them to hear.”
Mr Baidoo also admitted that the NDC faced delays in starting its campaign due to the helicopter crash tragedy.
“We were late before getting into the campaign mood because of the tragedy. We went to the conference, and there I got elected in the primaries. They were out there campaigning even before we went to the primaries. Beyond the primaries, we got hit by the tragedy, and that made it difficult for us to campaign at that early stage,” he said.
Despite the delays, he said the NDC eventually entered the race by presenting practical solutions that appealed to constituents.
“But when we got in, we were able to catch the eyes of the people because we were telling them things they wanted to hear. These were reasonable things that they were expecting to hear.
“And the NPP were talking about the fact that they should empathise with the party because they lost an MP. The constituents said no, that’s not enough,” Mr Baidoo said.
He said that voters often look for two key things when choosing a representative in parliament.
“Two things I think I would always consider, and I think voters consider in electing an MP, are the representation aspect. One would want to have a representation which is worth it. And if you are a representative of the people, you would have to carry their problems along and seek resolutions to them. If you have to carry their cross, their problems, and seek solutions, you should be a good advocate. A good advocate is a good lobbyist,” Mr Baidoo explained.
He added that the constituents had the chance to assess both him and his NPP opponent before making their choice.
“Between me and my brother, the verdict was out there. We all had the opportunity of meeting with the constituents and for them to choose between the two of us who is the better advocate and the potential good lobbyist. So they chose,” he said.
“So this is what worked for us, it is the message and God,” he added.