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Social activist and lawyer Oliver Barker-Vormawor has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for giving Malik Basintale a government appointment, arguing that the party has “wasted” one of its strongest mobilisation forces.
In a detailed Facebook post, Barker-Vormawor reflected on the issue, prompted by recent developments at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
He explained:
I have been thinking of writing this post for a while. I haven’t found the right time to do so. It has been a busy few weeks. But yesterday’s events at PAC and the comments by the Chair have precipitated it. Because it is precisely everything I recommend against.
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“One of the least strategic decisions”
Barker-Vormawor was firm in his assessment.
He wrote:
I think that Malik Basintale’s appointment as a bureaucrat was perhaps one of the least strategic decisions the NDC has ever made.
He acknowledged Basintale’s rise as a powerful youth voice and grassroots organiser during the last election cycle, highlighting his impact on the party’s base. “It doesn’t matter where anyone sits, we can all agree that Malik has been a revelation. Particularly in the run-up to the election. Great street credibility with mobilising enthusiasm.”
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Politics is emotions, not just bureaucracy
The #FixTheCountry convener argued that political parties often lose touch with their grassroots once they assume power, preferring bureaucratic work over maintaining direct emotional connections.
The challenge with most political parties is that as soon as they get into government, they begin to crumble into managerial and bureaucratic speak… No! It never has. Absolutely not. Politics is emotions. Emotional connection and constant high energy engagement.
According to him, Basintale should have been kept outside formal government structures to continue building enthusiasm across the country.
His full-time job should have been deploying him across the country to continue to rally young people behind the government and government policies. He should have been supported and resourced to continue to rally the base 24/7. That is how you build a mass political party.
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A wasted opportunity?
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Barker-Vormawor lamented that instead of building a national profile similar to the late Jerry John Rawlings, Basintale’s energy has been confined to office duties.
Malik sits in Accra sorting between Zoomlion contracts and per diem allowances. His true talent wasted; shelved to be deployed just a few months to elections. When it is too late.
He drew a comparison with mobilisation efforts in the Ashanti Region.
See what Dr Frank Amoakohene is doing in Ashanti? That’s the energy (x16) you need to maintain generational enthusiasm.
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Lessons from history
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Invoking Ghana’s first president, he wrote:
This is why Nkrumah was different. The CPP never stopped mobilising. They defined high-energy politics. This is why they won elections by a landslide always.
Instead, he argued, the NDC is losing its strength. “What do you have instead? Sammy Gyamfi, your best communicator, is now selling gold. Ablakwa is issuing passports. And Malik is balancing financial statements.”
Barker-Vormawor ended with a blunt call to action: “Get Malik out to the streets; give him a budget to mobilise the base 24/7.”
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His comments add to the ongoing debate about how political parties in Ghana balance governance with grassroots mobilisation. While controversial, they raise an important question every ruling party must face: can the passion that wins elections survive the transition into government?