Statement: Re: CPP bans Movement For Social Justice

Background
In the Thursday's June 16, 2011 edition of the Daily Graphic, page 13, it was reported that the Council of Elders of the party has banned the Movement for Social Justice from activities of the CPP. The Movement for Social Justice would like to respond as follows:

What is MSJ?
The Movement for Social Justice is a political organization formed to promote the fulfilment of the promise made to Ghanaians at independence that we can manage our own affairs to the benefit of all our people.

The Movement accepts that the achievement of social justice leads to the ability to achieve individual and national goals and will help forge beneficial international relationships. Practically, access to health care, a roof over the head, education, security, good drinking water, safe roads and employment are key social justice indicators.

The Movement has come to fill an important vacuum in our political environment. The movement exists to articulate, pursue and promote the political philosophy or agenda that will result in the consistent improvement in the lives of the masses of our people throughout the country.

MSJ and the CPP
The membership of the MSJ indeed transcends any political party. There over 300,000 registered members nationwide and they come from various political backgrounds with a common objective of promoting social justice. There are members of the CPP who share in the philosophy of the MSJ and have joined the Movement for Social Justice. But the MSJ is not part of the CPP. The MSJ must not be confused with the “Movement” that was disbanded voluntarily on June 30, 2007.

The Powers of the Council of Elders
We want to make it clear that the Council of Elders has no such power to disband the movement. The 1992 and the CPP Constitutions do not support the position of the elders of the CPP to ban any organization in Ghana and for that matter the MSJ. The 1992 Constitution, under article 21, guarantees freedom of association which includes freedom of any person or group of persons to form and join any association of their choice.

Moreover, the CPP Constitution under article 15 stipulates that: “members of the Party may belong to ... bodies which seek to promote the economic, social, political, cultural and educational advancement of Ghanaians, Africans and mankind in general.”

The concept of social justice is about the promotion of equal opportunities for all Ghanaians and we do not believe that the CPP is against such a course. We would like to remind the Council of Elders that there are members of the CPP who belong to even smaller groups such as Patriots, Sankofa, Nkrumah Rising and others within the CPP who have made statements to the effect of supporting presidential candidates other than the one to be elected by the party. These are the groups that need the attention of the Council of Elders and not the MSJ whose membership goes beyond the CPP.

The MSJ shall remain focussed and will not entertain any idea of dissolution in the foreseeable future. We want to assure our members nationwide that we will not be distracted by such statements and calls for disbandment and they should resist any attempt by any group of people or body to break our ranks.

Signed:
Kofi Asamoah-Siaw
The National Coordinator
Movement for Social Justice
www.movementforsocialjustice.com / 020-827-4852