ROPAA clears way for Diasporans

International sources close to The Chronicle have revealed that large pools of well-resourced and politically experienced Ghanaians in the Diaspora are done with a deal to come out with a new political party.

This new party, they say, will have the potential of becoming the real third force party in the country, capable of jeopardizing the chances of the two leading parties in the 2008 elections.

To be known as the National Party (NP), the new party is expected to be launched on July 1, which is Ghana's Republic Day. The yet-to-be-launched party is said to have started as an organization in the United States of America, with the name; Save Ghana Now Association, and has the vision of mobilizing and psyching up compatriots outside Ghana towards the development of the country.

It is not clear whether the brains behind the Association, who are said to be real political gurus and connoisseurs domiciled abroad, had the motive of using the association to gain the support and commitment of the plethora of Ghanaians abroad, and eventually turn it into a full-flexed political party, upon the total mobilization of the diasporans.

What is certain, however, is that the group has established itself globally and has the capacity to make massive political incursions and turn the outside world into a major constituency.

The Chairman of the Save Ghana Association, Mr. Ofori Ampofo, dropped these hints yesterday in a telephone interview with The Chronicle. He also confirmed the name of the soon-to-come party and the proposed date for its launch in Ghana, but pointed out that NP would not be affiliated to any of the existing parties and would surely be featuring in the 2008 elections.

Ampofo would, however, not give further details of the party such as its ideology, colours or motto, preferring to do so during the launch, which is barely three weeks away.

The group's think-tank however did not deny our exclusive information from international political sources when he was asked about it, the paper's external political intelligence maintains that given the extent of mobilization carried out by the founders and tacticians of the new party in countries like the United States, Britain, Germany, Holland and other European countries with large Ghanaian populations, NP has adequately worked to become the major beneficiary of the controversial Representation of People's Amendment Act (ROPAA) that was spearheaded by the ruling government to enfranchise Ghanaians abroad.

Local representatives of the yet-to-be-launched party are currently in secret talks with key political activists in the smaller political parties and may eventually capture renowned politicians, particularly those who fell out from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and whose political future appears to be in limbo, into their fold.

It is becoming suspicious that members of Dr. Obed Asamoah's Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) may be the first chicks to fall prey to this new 'political hawk' as the DFP may be too infantile to have requisite political firepower to propel it to become the third force.