Papa Kwesi Nduom, not precisely a kingmaker, but the third-placed Convention People’s Party presidential candidate in Election 2008, is seeking to raise the bar on Ghanaian politics. Having been vilified and called names, including ‘ideological prostitute’ for serving under the J.A. Kufuor administration, Dr. Nduom on Thursday served notice how fortuitous it is that the same ‘mouths’ that hurled the mud at him; from when he declared interest in running for president and through electioneering campaigns until he and his party fell out of the 2008 presidential race – must now come and do business with him. I’m sure a name like a ‘political dinosaur’ may be flung his way if he chooses to play ball by aligning with, and subsequently urging his followers and party to tow either of the two run-offers – the New Patriotic Party or the National Democratic Congress. And precisely his point as he put it on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show as guest of Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah. “I’m talking about a society where we don’t brand people unnecessarily, that if it’s a business person that is doing well, when NPP is in government they say ‘oh, he is an NPP man or NPP woman’, or if you got a contract when NDC is there you become an NDC contractor so when the NPP comes, you starve or you don’t get any business. Or anybody is doing anything anywhere, you look left you are branded this way, you look right you are branded that way, and it doesn’t help us bring our collective efforts together and our collective talents together for the betterment of our country. I personally went to do public service, as an assembly member, it was non-partisan, I served. But you see when the opportunity came after the CPP supported the NPP in the 2000 run-off, I am one of, perhaps the most visible one who served as a CPP person in NPP administration. “And some people when the appointment was announced, some CPP people, NDC people, said ‘he was unprincipled. How can you be a CPP person and serve in an NPP administration?’ But then there were NPP people also saying; ‘Hey where is this guy going? This is our government.’ Hen aban aba, na onoso oreyεdεn wכ eha?” “Then during the campaign, this same NPP people also saying this man… some were using the word ‘he’s an ideological prostitute, he’s being unprincipled.’ Now here we are, we are in a run-off and some of the same people then are saying, ‘oh we need your support so come and help us’. Now how does it work? “We should watch what we say. We should be careful how we brand people because the person you say is something today, tomorrow you will need that person.” Nduom explained that his call is not exclusive to those seeking political power, but even after power has been won and in building a prosperous nation - a communal spirit must define the energy, minds, resources and limbs of everybody. “When somebody has won, that person still needs everybody, e-v-e-r--y-b-o-d-y’s help in this country so that we pull together, so that Ghana wins eventually. That’s what election is about. So for me that inclusiveness in terms of our thought, the charity that we must have and that bit that we need to give to ourselves that public service is honourable, serving your country is honourable, it is principled. And that you don’t wait for your party to come to power before you offer your services. And I am not just talking about minister, it can be in any other position, it can be a member of a board, you can serve in some commission but also you can serve in a private sector capacity where you just help in any way possible when things are going wrong and lend your voice so that things work for Ghana.” Nduom drew parallels from the United States of America and reminded his host, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah about how Hillary Clinton said all manner of things against Barrack Obama in their campaigns for the Democratic candidature, and how they have put all that behind them so they can work together in one government, and also how Obama, upon all his misgivings about George Bush’s prosecution of the Iraqi War, is maintaining Bush’s Defence Secretary as his own. “…And Even at the last minute, when he knew that he could win, he still told his people, don’t look too confident, don’t be arrogant, don’t be seen or be perceived as saying that we’ve won already. Be humble, and let the people give us the vote. I am asking the two parties that are there to also act with great humility – Ghanaians have decided that perhaps one of them can be given the trust, the care, the confidence to run this country - they should start now and show me, show all of Ghana that they would be inclusive in nature, that they would help all of us, that they would give all of us the opportunity, they would make the Ghanaian be at the centre stage of everything, and indeed when they all talk about a better Ghana, we want them to begin demonstrating that indeed we are going to have a better Ghana.” That’s Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom’s conviction, and piece of political catechism for all Ghanaians. It pays to watch your mouth – big or small – next time you feel like saying ‘prostitute politically’. Play attached audio for excerpts of Dr. Nduom's comments on Joy FM Story by Isaac Yeboah