Mother of all confessions: NDC is broke!

Dr. Josiah Nii Aryeh, general secretary of the largest opposition party in the country, and for eight years the wealthiest and most formidable political party, says that the NDC is now broke, ?Whatever resources the party had is now depleted?, Josiah Aryeh revealed this hidden truth to Ghanaians in what can safely be described as ?the mother of all confessions?.

The general secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) stated this in a 30-minute interview with Joy FM?s Kofi Abotsi last Friday.

Worse still, Dr. Aryeh disclosed that the party is in near disarray, as its affairs are not being run on modern methods as any organised party would, which has given poetic licence for everyone to issue press statements ?by heart?.

He observed that different wings of the party are in the habit of issuing statements to the press and this, according to him, could lead the party into disarray. He would, therefore, issue a general memorandum to halt that practice, because ?it?s not everyone who should issue statements, otherwise the party will be in disarray?.

Without mentioning his name directly, Dr. Aryeh descended on the party chairman and blamed Dr. Obed Asamoah for the problems that are besetting the party. ?These things are happening live?, he intoned deeply.

Dr. Aryee stressed that the old order whereby Asamoah told people to meet him in his home, where funds were disbursed is not good enough, and advised that the old order must change, emphasising that the old order is not helping the party.

He conceded that he has been forced to make the confession on national radio because he wants that ?culture of doing things in the party to end from today,? i.e., last Friday.

Dr. Josiah Aryeh stated that he, as the general secretary couldn?t account for the party?s fleet of vehicles, which he said stand unaccounted for. He virtually heaped all the blame on the chairman, Dr. Asamoah, whom he said, has been in charge of the party?s finances in the past and would not let go.

He accused Dr. Asamoah of ruining the party by running the affairs of the party according to the old method of doing things, while he was in charge of the party?s finances.

?It seems as if nothing has changed, if we?re to run the party on modern methods, things have got to change?, he whined, ?that?s not the way to go?.

He revealed also that neither he nor other executive members of the party have been paid for their services to the party, chronicling a long list of officers, including the women?s organiser, the propaganda chief and other officers whom he said are all working on dry pockets.

Aryeh conceded that the salaries of the executives and other auxiliary staff at the headquarters have been in arrears for sometime now.

He said he was not aware that some party members have monies stashed elsewhere, but so far as he is aware, there is no money to run the party.

According to Dr. Aryeh, he is not in charge of monies from donors and other sources of funding, and does not know how much money comes into the party?s coffers and how those monies are spent.

Citing an instance, he declared that he received an imprest of ?500,000 (five hundred thousand cedis) to travel to Kumawu, in the Ashanti Region to organise the recently-held by-elections. But he is aware that other persons were given more, and he does not understand upon which authority those monies were given, or how they were spent.

Dr. Josiah Aryeh posited that this attitude was encouraging patronage within the party, as it is believed that monies are only disbursed to persons who are in the Obed camp.

Aryeh intimated that he intends to institute an internal enquiry into how the party?s affairs are being conducted, and will, therefore, soon file letters to the party chairman, Dr.

Asamoah, and another to the council of elders about streamlining affairs of the party.

Dr. Aryeh indicated that when he assumed duty as the general secretary, Dr. Asamoah, gave him a vehicle to use, but the vehicle broke down three days later and was declared not roadworthy.

The distressed general secretary cried out, ?I?m the chief executive, we don?t have a system, and the old way could lead to patronage which is dangerous to politics?.

The general secretary, who is a lecturer in law at the University of Ghana, Legon, stated that he had decided to come out with the revelation because the party is being run down and if nothing was done about the situation, it would affect it adversely before the next general elections which the NDC is determined to wrest power from the NPP.

He said it is true that recently one of the candidates vying for the flagbearership of the party, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, did give the head office ?20 million to defray some of the salary arrears. ?But I?ve not seen the money, it may be with the treasurer.?

He added that the donation to the party was not supposed to be for public consumption, but somehow it leaked out as was reported by the Ghanaian Chronicle.

He hinted that he would dispatch a letter to the chairman to complain about the manner in which he is handling affairs of the party and another memorandum to the Council of elders on the sorry state of the party?s finances.

Efforts to get Dr. Asamoah to respond to the allegations levelled against him could not succeed as we were told he had travelled. History

It would be recalled that the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) was transformed into the NDC at the dawn of the Fourth Republic in 1992, until then, the NDC?s presidential candidate, Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings, had served as a military ruler for 11 years under the PNDC regime. Former President Rawlings, who served as president for the two four-year terms (1992-1996; 1996-2000), has been declared the founder and leader of the party and he is the chairman of the party?s council of elders as well.

In a related development, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey has moaned the state of the party?s structures.

Speaking at Bolgatanga in the Upper East region last Wednesday, Dr. Kwesi Botchwey re-stated that his vision is to strengthen and re-energise the party?s structures at all levels.

He revealed that most of the areas he had visited so far, on his campaign trail to get elected as the flagbearer at the December 21 national delegates congress, shows that the NDC?s numerous infrastructure, have deteriorated due to the lack of funds. He, therefore, expressed his determination to reverse the trend.

The one-time Finance Minister, was speaking to newsmen in Bolgatanga, according to a GNA report.

Dr. Kwesi Botchwey claimed that he has a viable alternative for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. ?It is not a matter of going round from country to country borrowing, but the solution lies in strengthening the country?s export earnings capacity through manufacturing and developing labour-intensive products.