NPP to offer safe haven to NDC defectors

THE GENERAL Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Ohene-Ntow, has observed that even though the NPP may benefit from the current misfortunes of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), it does not make the 2008 general elections a done deal for the party.

According to him, though the NPP is confident of winning the next elections due to the government's sound economic and other pragmatic policies, including education, capitation grant, school feeding programmes, the implementation of National Health Insurance Scheme ((NHIS), among others, the NPP would not rejoice over the predicament of the NDC, but would continue to strategize more plans to retain the presidency in the next elections.

"The NPP will not rejoice in the recent events that are unfolding within the NDC. We believe in the principles of democracy in competitiveness, because democracy strives on dissenting views of a credible and alternative party. What is happening within the NDC needs to be looked at critically," he cautioned.

Expressing concern about developments in the NDC in an interview with The Chronicle, Nana Ohene-Ntow said even though NPP as a political party would want to improve upon its membership drive or numbers, and would welcome anybody who thinks and realizes that the NPP is a party that tolerate dissenting views, it was not enough to say 2008 was a done deal for the party, without a concerted effort to consolidate its gains.

On the strife within the NDC causing a major setback to its avowed aim of bouncing back to power, Nana Ntow said the NPP was focused and resolute in reaching people, but would do so without coercion, and also embrace people who come on their own volition.

"The misfortunes of the NDC may offer interesting opportunities for the NPP in the sense that if people feel unsafe, their dissent not tolerated, or their lives are threatened, they may begin to look for a better place, which is the NPP, where tolerating people with different opinions are encouraged.

The NPP would welcome everybody who decides by his or her own will to join the party, because the basic instinct of every human being is to feel safe," he emphasized.

He promised to launch a crusade to expose the corrupt activities of the NDC and let the whole world know that the word 'corruption' did not belong with the NPP but rather it was endemic in the reign of the NDC.

The General Secretary said the truth about various companies, which were diversified under the reign of the NDC, must be told to Ghanaians, averring he would provide more evidence to open the public's eyes to where 'corruption' belongs.

Nana noted that the recent events in the NDC was not only unfortunate but also created a platform to suggest that dissenting views are being reduced to personality attacks and petty squabbles.

"It is also unfortunate that the trend of events in the NDC seems to suggest that political discourse is being removed from the premise of principles and high ideals to petty squabbles and personal attacks."

He admonished the current crop of the NDC executives to reassure Ghanaians that the party is capable of providing a credible political alternative to the current government, rather than centering on pettiness.

He said, the perception that the current executives have a tendency towards violence, takes a lot from Ghana's democratic dispensation.

He said, "It is very regrettable that the largest opposition party in Ghana appears to be characterized by what a lot of people consider to be lack of internal democracy and intolerance for dissenting views."

According to the NPP's chief scribe, the number of leading figures that resigned from the party, including the national chairman, which has never happened in the nation's history, calls for sober reflection and should be critically examined.

He said massive resignations within the party, based on its inability to manage divergent views, debased the democratic essence of the country, adding that the threats to party members should not be encouraged.