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28.05.2012 NDC

NDC Rules Out Rawlings

28.05.2012 LISTEN
By Daily Guide

High-profile members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have in separate statements indicated the party's readiness to go into the December elections with or without the party founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings, his wife and assigns.

They have therefore called on party members to be ready for the worst.

According to the ministers and senior members of the party, who conceded that the party was going through serious internal challenges, the party could only be free and succeed more if it rid itself of the control of 'one man' and prevail over what they described as their 'crossroads moment'.

The NDC bigwigs gave the hint in Ho at a programme organized by Tertiary Educational and Institutions Network (TEIN) towards victory in 2012.

The programme, according to the president of Ho Poly TEIN, Papa Awudi, was also to hand over to new officers and react to comments made by the NPP during the handing over ceremony of the TESCON two weeks ago.

Members of the opposition had taken turns to challenge the NDC on various issues such as the Eastern Corridor Road, Volta University, the $3billion Chinese loan and other policies and developmental issues.

Every member of the ruling party who mounted the podium at the TEIN programme admitted to internal crises in the party and hinted of a rebirth to rid the party of the founder, Mr Rawlings.

According to Koby Acheampong, Deputy Interior Minister, any organization that did not go through challenges was not worth dying for.

He added that the challenges were paving way for a 'Zeigeist' moment, and that anyone who came out of a Zeigeist moment came out best.

According Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, Zeigeist is “the spirit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirit of the times” or “the spirit of the age”.

He said, 'NDC is at a Zeigeist moment and about to have a re-birth and that is what is going to lead us to prosperity, and if this is done successfully, NDC will reign forever and ever.'

 He added that NDC could not be controlled by one man, saying, 'We need to come to understanding that one man doesn't hold his way over everybody else.' 

'…it is important that we sit down and we look back and say when we have a leader we follow that leader. Follow the leader is the message we have to take. We do not have two leaders and at every one particular time, there is one leader,' he stated.

The Volta Regional Minster, Henry Ford Kamel, noted that the challenge facing the party was an opportunity for all to re-organise themselves to take a stake in the party.

 He stressed that forming a party around people was not the best, adding, 'If we continue to build the party around people, people will continue to manipulate us.'

He therefore called on all to rally behind the leader of the time, President Mills, to succeed.

'All party members have a stake in the party, and therefore we need to rally behind the president and not one particular person and the party will succeed,' Mr. Kamel urged.

A Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who agreed with the other speakers, called on party members to make well-thought-out choices in the party's crisis moment.

He urged members to ensure they worked very hard, irrespective of the involvement of the founder, Mr Rawlings.

'Greatest gift for the founder is to make sure we win the 2012 elections to ensure we continue to stay in power… it is time to preserve the founder by making sure we work hard, whether he will support us or not or whether he will be with us or not' to ensure the NDC stayed in power, he stated.

He noted that the NPP's claim to have the interest of the former president and founder of the NDC at heart was a calculated attempt to take advantage of the crises to steal power and teach the NDC, Mr Rawlings and his wife, a lesson.

Present were Fritz Bafour, who represented the vice president, Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, Koku Anyidoho, Ludwig Hlordze, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, James Agyenim Boateng, Kwesi Aboagye, Volta NDC Chairman and Deputy Volta regional Minister, Henry Ametefe. Others are Dzifa Ativor and some Municipal and District Chief Executives.

  From Fred Duodu, Ho
 
 
 
 
 
 

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