NPP-USA wants electoral overhaul of party

THE USA branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has urged the party leadership to prevail upon members of the party to stop the on-going blame game over the defeat of the party.

According to them the consistent attacks of personalities would end up disintegrating the NPP. In addition, the USA branch is also calling for the suspension of elections of party executives so that the party would have adequate time to prepare for the congress.

In a statement signed by the party's chairman, Mr. Kofi A. Boateng, he said “NPP-USA respectfully asks our party to hold off any elections in 2009 to give us adequate time to do the job right,” adding that the party branch in USA was planning to enhance their organization to make the party stronger.

“As our small contribution towards this goal, we are planning an international conference on May 29-31, in Denver Colorado, to facilitate a healthy discussion. …everything has to be thought through,” he said.

According to Mr. Boateng, now that the NPP has lost the 2008 general elections, which he underscored has caused a lot of harm to the party, he said the situation calls for internal re-examination. “Let us do the internal discipline, re-examination and restructuring of the party and its constitution.”

To him, the defeat of the NPP was tantamount to a car that broke down and needed to be repaired by a mechanic to make it stronger for the next elections.

He said there should be no need to rush to congress to elect leaders, saying “there should be no preparations to elect any one in 2009 until we have adopted, designed and tested the one-person-one-vote system, and 2009 is the year to do that.”

Mr. Boateng noted that his advice for holding off elections this year was adopted by the members of NPP-USA ad hoc Constitution Committee which consist of Prof. Kwaku Azar of University of Florida, Dr. Agyenim Boateng, retired Deputy Attorney General of Kentucky, Dr. Michael Baffoe of the University of Winnipeg, Steven Oduro - Chairman of New Jersey Chapter and two-time Parliamentary candidate, Kwabena Manu.

According to him, the party should rather be looking at abolishing the Delegates system.

Mr. Kofi Boateng said, “it has outlived its usefulness and is arguably a source of the active earthquake which has been blowing up occasionally, to swallow NPP in its various incarnations”.

Explaining further, Mr. Boateng said “NPP-USA advocates a one-person-one-vote system.

It has been tried and tested in many lands and it makes it difficult to 'buy' delegates' votes.

Transparency is enhanced, corruption is minimized and accountability increases. The person who makes the best argument wins.