Some of our members, supporters and sympathizers of late have been saying "yen ento" (they will not vote NPP in 2008; and neither will they vote for the NDC) and that is dangerous since incumbents rarely win the swing votes. Politics is a zero sum game and there is the to educate them that failing to turn up at the polling station and not vote NPP is the same as getting the NDC into power through the back door!!

The President Mr. J.A. Kufuor, unfortunately, is in his second and final term and is therefore not a candidate, but fortunately we have three years before the next election in Dec. 2008 which calls for a new, i) leadership, ii) image and iii) message that will make the party electable.

The 2008 election will not be easy as many people before Asawase and Odododiodoo had thought, and demands that the NPP chooses a winnable candidate - a leader with a vision, proven party organizational experience, exceptional dynamism, towering political pedigree, unmatched international exposure, can unite the party and who will be accepted by the rank and file of the party and swing voters, and not a manager or just anybody.

Time is not on anybody's side, the negative impacts of the recent events demand that the new leadership of the party, immediately after their election on Saturday, December 17, 2005, must as a matter of urgency sit down with the "outgoing" government to discuss and decide the following:-

"its exit strategy and how it would impact either positively or negatively on the new image and message of the party, the 2008 elections and find answers to any problems that may arise

"the rules of engagement and standard operational procedures (SOP) for the presidential aspirants, especially those who are members of the government, and also create a level playing field for all contestants.

The success of any political operation (like the military) depends on surprise - secrecy (in planning), stealth (concealment, camouflage) and speed - and firepower! Fortunately and unfortunately some officials very close to the centre of power too often open their mouths rather too wide.

It is alleged they have been telling friends that "they" have a candidate (name withheld) and that "they" control the "war chest" and therefore are sure to win ...These are professional and not politicians who in 2000 and before the elections allegedly were telling other friends that they were very close to Prof. Atta Mills (the NDC presidential candidate) and therefore did not really care who won the election... today they are "kingmakers". Those that the gods destroy, they first make prideful, said Karl Rove.

Our constitutional arrangement is a hybrid of the Executive Presidency (US) and parliamentary democracy (UK). In the US, the central office of government is The Office of the President, popularly called the White House; while in the UK it is made up of three offices, i) The Prime Minister's Office, also commonly called (No.10) Downing Street, ii) The Cabinet Office, and iii) H M Treasury.

Both the White House and No. 10 are staffed by civil servants and Special Advisors who support the President and Prime Minister and ensure that they can carry out their wide range of functions from international diplomacy to (domestic and economic) policy making.

To take care of politics, the representatives of the people (parliament) and the public at large, No.10 has: i) Political Office, ii) Parliamentary Section, iii) Press Office and iv) Direct Communications Office.

"Political Office - Manages relations between No.10 and the party of government. All members of the Political Office are employed by the current party of government. They handle areas where the Prime Minister's duties overlap with his duties as Leader of his party and as constituency MP. Their departmental contacts are through Minister's Special Advisers.

"Parliamentary Section -Handles all parliamentary affairs for the Prime Minister, and liaises with Departments on preparation for Prime Minister's Questions, answers to written PQs, and oral statements. It deals with departments through their parliamentary units.

"Press Office - Working closely with press offices in lead Whitehall Departments - responds to questions from newspapers, radio and TV journalists home and abroad, arranges media interviews for the Prime Minister, and organizes press attendance at events. The Head of the Press Office is also the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman

"Direct Communications Unit - Working closely with other Whitehall Departments - handles all correspondents to the Prime Minister via letter, fax or e-mail. It deals with Departments through their Ministerial correspondence units.

The administration of the US which is a federation of fifty autonomous states is much more decentralized. The White House has a Press Office and an Office for Intergovernmental Affairs - liaises with State Governors, statewide elected officials, state legislators (assembly men/women), mayors and other elected officials.

Under the current Bush White House, there is an Office of Strategic Initiatives - responsible for giving coherence to Bush's domestic agenda and turning it into reality. The office is headed by President Bush's most trusted political advisor, Karl Rove.

Until Rove's recent "promotion" as Deputy Chief of Staff - at the beginning of Bush's second term in office - his intentionally banal title "Senior Advisor" tells you everything and nothing about what Karl Rove does. Before the formalization of his anomalous position, Karl from behind the scenes managed the intersection of policy and politics at the White House.

There is no political relationship - with Congress, the Republican Party, Governors, Mayors, special interest groups - that is not overseen by Karl. He has gone round the country handpicking candidates for Governors and Congress and clearing the field of those he deemed less suitable. His chessboard moves sometimes across party lines. He pours over White House party invitation lists to make sure no swing state legislator who has been helpful (or could be) has been missed.

Margaret Thatcher, when Prime Minister, was said to have made an unintentional double entendre that has remained one of her more amiable quotations. Speaking of her deputy, William (Willie) Whitelaw, she said, affectionately, that "every prime minister needs a Willie".

Quite right - in the meaning of a lieutenant who can absorb the complaints, entreaties, and heartaches with which the leader can't be bothered. A Prime Minister also needs a tough guy, who can defend the boss from the multitude of enemies - political opponents, the ravening media and, the resentful, slighted or sacked colleagues who gather about a new prince.

The Prime Minister also now needs, as much a Willie, as a technocrat (techie). Politics has, today, become largely about the media and technology - much to the detriment of popular engagement with it. Techies, most of the time, are more important than political parties.

They work with the media and opinion polls, but also on such data as religious affiliation, ethnicity, etc. so that they can shape the message, encourage constituencies of support and discourage constituencies of animosity. The techie knows how to "spook" the opposition and how the opposition is likely to spook him; he knows the way politics goes right down to the micro level and has the experience to sense which way the nation is swaying - and which message will sway it.

Karl Rove is Willie, tough guy and techie all rolled into one man - driving the presidency of George W Bush. He conjures the image of the most powerful behind-the-scenes man in the world, - and the most controversial. Perhaps that is why Bush has two nicknames for Rove - one is Boy Genius, the other Turd Blossom (for those of us who do not speak Texan, turd blossom refers to a flower which makes its home in manure).

Like him or loathe him, people are extremely cautious of Karl. One person recalls Ted Turner, the CNN (dubbed Communist News Network by the Republicans) founder and big Democrat donor, made a trip to Washington for the screening of a movie he had helped produce about the Civil War. Someone in the administration suggested bringing Turner into the White House mess for lunch. It was "nixed" by Rove.

Unfortunately, the current structure and systems at the central office of government, The Castle as is commonly called, is a relic of the quasi-military PNDC regime. Some of the inherent weaknesses of the current structures were attested to by Ekow Spio Garbrah, ex NDC Minister of Communications, in a recent exclusive interview with Citi FM. Spio claimed, on the instructions of ex President Jerry Rawlings, he authored a document on the re-organization of the Castle sometime in 1995 which was never implemented because of internal NDC politics.

The Statesman of Friday 25 - Sunday 27, November 2005 reported that "there were rumours that Mr. Esseku, whilst on his national campaign tour, sometimes chose to counter criticisms against his leadership by pointing accusers to the Castle". True or false, the Central Office of Government has been identified as one of the weak links in the chain of government and calls for the re-organization/structuring of the current Office of the President (Castle) to enable the Executive President (be it NPP, NDC, CPP etc.) to:

"carry out his wide range of functions, from international diplomacy to domestic and economic policy-making or development "streamline and/or prune the 80 plus-odd ministerial appointments

"make government more effective by providing a strong centre.

The aim of the re-organization therefore should be; to:-

o support the President in leading the government

o achieve coordination of policy and operations across government

o improve delivery by building capacity in the MDAs

o promote standards that ensure good governance