CPP Leaders Must Watch Their Utterances

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Spokesperson: Ellis Amelenmah

The Secretary

Tel: 0209285062 / 0200529563

Email: ellisamenlemah@yahoo.com

FOTHAT is a youth group made up of former TESCHART heads from the various tertiary institutions. TESHART is the youth wing of the CPP in our tertiary institutions but its voice has been silent for some time now.

Being former heads of this organization with good standings in our party, we are forced to come up with this release at this crucial time, when there are brewing critical issues bedeviling our party that need to be addressed by the leadership of the party as the 2012 general election beckons.

We will go straight to the point without skirting around the issue at hand. We want to make our point clear by stating that we are not going to accept any irresponsible talk or comment by any of our so-called leading members of our party. No such act would be condoned.

For sometime now, we have been following the activities of some of the ‘prominent members’ closely and to put our observation in a mild form, assertions by some of them have not depicted any sense of friendliness or comradeship. Our concentration is on the irresponsible statement made by one of the so-called leading members, saying “if I am not elected as the flag bearer of the party and it turns out to be someone else, I will do everything in my capacity to campaign against that fellow. If per chance that person is elected by Ghanaians as the president, I will seek amnesty somewhere or go into political exile”, he said.

It is by this assertion that we, the former Teschart heads of the various Tertiary institutions are saying that this statement from such a ‘prominent’ member is characterized by a clear sense of imbecility, political sidesplitting and irresponsibility. Such statements do not seem to put the party in proper framework. It rather puts the CPP into shambles and exposes us to political harassment by our opponents. We are not going to sit down and watch this canker happen again. Already, our party does not look like a formidable one capable of winning power. Then, why do we go a further step to destroy it the more?

We wish to state here and now that the supporters of our party are crying for unity. Most of the people we meet on daily basis are yearning for unity within the party. There are a lot of people who believe that the Convention People’s Party (CPP) is the obvious solution to Ghana’s developmental challenge and we have no doubt in our minds that the C.P.P is the alternative party to take over power in Ghana. Infact, this is the time for all hands to be on deck. This is not the time for anyone to play any political exaltation and make any loose statements with the hope of winning a leadership position within the party.

We are not going to sit down to allow anyone to make such useless comments if they think they are more important than anyone else when it comes to issues pertaining to the party. Why, is the party for them? We want to make it clear that the party is not for anyone, not even Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the founder. The party is by and for the masses of those who believe in egalitarianism and the total liberation of the African people. These so called people are steeped in attitudes and concepts which reflects betrayal and gross coercion to do things their way.

We want to ensure that the clock is not put back to the harsh conditions that set the party back to dormancy. We will not sit down and watch such discredited persons to be playing with our hearts and minds by their irresponsible utterances.

It is this observation that has led us to the discovery of the fact that the danger hovering over our dear party today is of a magnitude unknown in history, and unless something is done about it now, a serious disaster cannot be avoided.

Those so-called leaders of the party must be prepared to make sacrifices by coming together. If they try to prove dogmatic or uneasy going, we would fish them out of the party and make way for more credible people to take over the affairs of the party. They should embark on campaign devoid of insinuations that would bring about unity rather than creating more wounds and divisions.

We will all agree to the fact that team playing is an attribute of a good leader. So why are they refusing to compromise on their egocentric, arrogance and parochial interests for the benefit of the entire party? Sorrowfully embarrassing are the people who claim they have the party at heart but are the same people back-stabbing it. What they claim to live and stand for is what they are using their own hands to destroy to the amazement of many who see them as team players with their cronies of disparaging features.

These people, who know themselves, must learn to refine their characters and join the rebuilding machinery with one mind to rebuild the party or if they cannot comply, they should quit the CPP and leave the party alone.

Signed:

Ellis Amelenmah - University of Cape Coast

Fataw Fuseini - KNUST

Bernard Acheampong - Takoradi Polytechnic

Fredrick Opoku - Accra Polytechnic

Tettevi Eyram - University of Mines and Technology

Jeremiah Salifu - Wisconsin University

George Mensah - Ghana Institute of Journalism

Leslie Plahar - University of Ghana