What other parties told the NPP at its national conference
One Unique feature of Ghana’s burgeoning democratic dispensation has been the occasional united front presented by political parties of opposing ideologies when they mount the same platform but present divergent views, at times vociferously.
One such occasion is when a political party, especially, the two leading ones, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) hold a national congress or conference for the election of party leaders or to discuss party matters and take decisions and offer the others the platform to offer what has become a known as a fraternal message.
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Some use the opportunity to castigate the host party and at times tell them in plain language that they would not be voted for by the electorate while others pat them on the shoulders.
At last Saturday's NPP’s national delegates conference at the Accra Sports Stadium, some political parties were offered the stage to share fraternal messages to the party members including President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his Vice, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, ministers of state and others.
Initially, it was announced that the NDC which was described by the master of ceremony, Mr Abayifa Karbo as “Majority in Minority” would speak for all the political parties. The other parties protested vehemently and it was agreed that each one would have three minutes to address the gathering.
NDC
First to mount the platform was a Deputy General Secretary of the opposition NDC, Mr Peter Otukunor, who described the gathering as “the biggest congregation of Ghana’s problem” and a great occasion to elect leaders to deepen the democratic gains.
He said the conference marked a new beginning because the elections of new officers would inject fresh into the leadership of the NPP “something the NPP government needed badly”.
He was of the view that the levels of ostentation and opulence exhibited by the NPP in the organisation of the congress in the face of difficulties that the economy was encountering was an indication of the insensitivity of the NPP towards the suffering Ghanaians.
Mr Otukunor brought out a ball of Fante kenkey which he said he bought on his way to the congress, to show how food prices had shot up. In the process of demonstrating with the kenkey, Mr Karbo informed the NDC deputy scribe that his time was up and the microphone connection cut off.
CPP
The General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantua noted that “as we go into an IMF programme, the CPP is urging the government to negotiate a deal that would be favourable to Ghanaians”.
She said the CPP was a socialist party and was expecting that programmes such as the Free SHS should not be touched and explained that the IMF move should be a stepping stone to economic freedom and not a permanent feature.
She indicated the CPP’s belief that President Akufo-Addo had the prowess to bring back the economy to a better state and called for prudent management in taking care of state resources while urging the party members to select leaders who would make the party come out stronger.
PNC
The General Secretary of the PNC, Janet Nabla, called on the government to build a united front by asking for help from other political opponents in solving the nation’s economic difficulties and referred to the 1979 Republican Constitution of Ghana which dictated that former Presidents must be members of the Council of State.
The move, she said, was geared towards strengthening democracy and offering guidance to sitting leaders to avoid the mistakes of their predecessors.
She urged the NPP to pardon the Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Adwoa Safo, because any attempt to remove her from office would reduce the already dwindling numbers of women in Parliament and also took a swipe at the NPP for including not a single woman’s picture on the front page of the congress brochure.
LPG
The National Chairman of LPG, Mr John Amekah, said Ghanaians were peace-loving people and that required that all activities of political parties must end in peace and harmony.
He urged Ghanaians and political parties, in particular, to abide by the Code of Conduct for political parties in the lead-up to the 2024 general election so that the country could enjoy its peace to pursue the agenda of alleviating poverty.
