The National Democratic Congress (NDC) must address the growing disconnect between the party leadership and the grass roots to ensure the party wins the 2016 elections, a former national vice-chairman of the party, Ambassador Lee Ocran, has advised.
Declaring his intention to contest the national vice-chairmanship position of the party, Mr Ocran told the Daily Graphic that If the grass roots did not feel that the centre or those at the helm of affairs were sacrificing for all, they became disillusioned and disorganised.
“What energises the NDC is the connection between the centre and the grass roots, and this is what I am bringing on board when elected as the vice-national chairman of the NDC,” he stated.
The immediate past Minister of Education, also said that he would ensure the centre constantly visited the grass roots and interacted with them, as he did when he occupied the national vice-chairmanship position of the NDC from 2001 to 2006.
“At that time, the party was in opposition and people were down-hearted and needed others to take over the party and revive people’s spirit.
“I know the in and out of the NDC party and I am bringing experience and dynamism to rejuvenate the grass-root membership of the party as well as help to reorganise the party,” he said.
NDC congress/aspirants
The NDC has so far concluded its polling station elections and is running constituency-level elections, which will lead to the regional elections and subsequently national delegates’ congress to elect national executive later this year.
Ahead of the national delegates’ congress, a number of party bigwigs have announced their intentions to contest various positions in the national executive structure of the party.
Aspirants for the vice-chairman posts have been operating on the quiet. So far, only the Constituency Chairman for Klottey Korle, Mr Harry Zakkour, has stuck his neck out to contest the post. The entry of Ambassador Ocran thus brings the number of persons who have declared their intentions to two.
‘Why I’m contesting’
According to the former High Commissioner to South Africa, he has massive experience in government, starting from 1979, and he has played various roles in NDC activities, which qualify him to seek the position of a vice-chairman.
Mr Ocran, who was also a former Member of Parliament for the Jomoro Constituency in the Western Region, noted that the spirit of selflessness, hard work, enthusiasm and dynamism was waning in the ruling party.
He indicated that he would help to revive the spirit of selflessness, hard work and winning mentality by rejuvenating the grass roots to play an effective role in the process leading to the 2016 Election.
Party work
According to Mr Ocran, ‘party work is a fieldwork and not a bureaucracy. “You run a party so that activities at the top are in sync with the bottom. If there is a vacuum, the grass roots scatter.” he said.
He said party members should be abreast of government policies and that required constant proper education and meeting with the people.
In his view, constant interaction with the grass roots was critical for the leadership to know the feeling of the members and how their anxieties were being addressed. “If you do not do that they believe in any rumour,” he stated.
He further stressed the need for the party leadership to bridge the gap between the grass roots and its hierarchy.
“Our people are complaining because they are ignorant of the achievements of the government and you know, these are the people who defend the party so there is the need to constantly engage them and let them know what the government is doing…that is the way to build a party, that is the way to inspire confidence in your supporters and let them feel part of the running of the party and government,” he advised.
He said the NDC must revisit the spirit of members of the party working tirelessly when they lost political power, to regain it.
