The Vice President of IMANI Africa has cautioned the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over what he described as a persistent disconnect from public sentiment, particularly in its reaction to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government’s newly introduced anti-corruption initiative, Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL).
Mr Bright Simons speaking on Joy News’ Newsfile on Saturday, stated that ORAL had garnered significant public support, contrary to the dismissive posture of some political figures.
He warned that the NPP risks further alienation if it continues to trivialise issues that resonate deeply with Ghanaians.
“I think with Operation Recover All Loot (ORAL), first and foremost, we have to be very clear that a lot of people in this country are excited about it. And I think those political actors who’ve made it a habit to try and caricature it and make fun of it are not attuned to public sentiment,” Simons stated.
According to him, the NPP’s reluctance to acknowledge the widespread appeal of ORAL was symptomatic of a broader problem of its tendency to dismiss the realities facing ordinary Ghanaians.
He pointed out that this detachment from data-driven insights and public grievances could have significant electoral repercussions.
“I think on the NPP side in particular, this tendency to be out of touch with public sentiment— you have to watch it going into the campaign. I had occasion to listen to some of their most senior people talk about the fact that, you know, Ghana is not Accra, and all this inflation talk is nonsense. And I’m like, do you know the actual regions that were suffering most from inflation? Savannah was number one,” he remarked.
Mr Simons criticised what he sees as an over-reliance on outdated political strategies that fail to align with the evolving concerns of the electorate.
