Only NDC champions national development - National Chairman
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has called on Ghanaians to examine the achievements of the party in the Fourth Republic and support its commitment to the development of the party.
He said the NDC was the only party that had implemented policies and programmes to champion national development since it was founded in 1992.
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"Only the NDC brings development to this country so if you go round the country, you would realise that all the major infrastructure like roads, hospitals, schools, markets among others were all built under an NDC government," he said.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo was addressing members of the party at a ceremony at the party’s headquarters in Accra to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the party.
Physical attendance at the ceremony was restricted and downsized to help make room for the observation of the COVID-19 protocol.
It was attended by leading members of the party including national executives members and some members of the Council of Elders of the party.
Inclusiveness
Mr Ampofo said the NDC had remained a formidable party in its 29 years of existence because it did not discriminate but welcomed all persons from all walks of life with a common goal of championing development in the country.
“Your educational background, your language or tribe, whatever it is you are welcome under the umbrella and that is why our party the NDC is called a congress and chose three important words, that is unity, stability and development. This is what the party has strived to achieve over the years and any time the party is in power there is complete semblance of national unity
Rebuilding
The running mate of former President John Dramani Mahama in the 2020 presidential election, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, called on party members to rise up and rebuild the party on the shoulders of its firm foundation that was rooted in the principles of probity and accountability.
“We will be guided by the positive criticisms and we will put away the unnecessary propaganda that doesn’t bring anything helpful to anybody but whatever it is, we will not be intimidated,” she said.
On the national level, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang said the country must be united with a purpose to survive the difficulties being faced the world over.
“If you look at the history of this country, people refer to 1992, that is important but we have been here long before 1992 and we have been here long before independence so let us ask ourselves that what was it that kept our rivers clean, what was it that kept our environment clean and how come today we don’t know what to do,” she said.
She called on the government and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to adopt a subregional long-term development plan that would be tapped into by member countries to encourage rapid development,” she said.
For his part, the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said the legacy of the party, among other things, included the birth of the Fourth Republic and the 1992 constitution which had deepened the democratic credentials of the country over the decades.
“We have every reason to be proud of our party because when it comes to development NDC is arguably a political party that has the track record that could not be beaten by any other political party in the country,” he said.
He recalled the history of the party and touted its developmental initiatives which he said could be felt in every corner of the country.
Flag raising
A segment of the ceremony was dedicated to the raising of flags to mark the significance of the event and the anniversary of the party.
The first flag that was raised was the ‘revolutionary’ flag, which was hoisted to remember the 1979 revolution and the events surrounding that day which later gave birth to the NDC.
The NDC flag and the Ghana flag were also hoisted by Mr Ofosu Ampofo and Prof. Opoku-Agyeman respectively to mark the day.
The NDC, a social democratic political party, was founded by the late former President Jerry Rawlings.
The NDC was formed as the ruling party ahead of elections in 1992. It has since contested all general elections. The party has won four presidential elections and has produced three separate Presidents under the fourth republic.
This was the first commemoration of the party’s anniversary without the presence of its founder who died last year.