NDC Primaries: Kwabena Duffuor speaks like Rawlings - Moshake

A former executive of the Tema East constituency branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Stephen Ashitey Adjei, has said that former Finance Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, is speaking words that resonate with the true spirit of the NDC.

In an interview with journalists in Tema, Mr. Ashietey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, explained that Dr. Duffuor’s declaration that the NDC is not a degree holder’s party, also resonates with the true character outlook of the party’s late founder, former President Rawlings.

“When Duffuor said that the NDC is not the party for the ‘booklong’ degree holders, it sent true thoroughbred Akatamansonians back to the early days of the revolution when our late founder responded to the bookish economic theorists with the simple message that, he did not know economics but that he feels it when his stomach is empty.

“That is the spirit of the NDC – it’s not about books and theories that have never worked since the days of Nkrumah, but practical, commonsense,” Moshake said.According to him, “Dr. Kwabena Duffuor spoke like Rawlings and this reinforces our hopes that indeed, the NDC now has the right person to return the party to its days of glory.”

While addressing supporters at his office in Osu last week, Dr. Duffuor made a statement that many think was a swipe against former President John Mahama.

Explaining how the dividends of power will be shared among party members, Dr. Duffuor implied his government will reward NDC members based on loyalty and service and not on the basis of college degree which former President Mahama used to deny many NDC members jobs when he was in office.According Dr. Duffuor, who spoke in Twi,

“Our party is a grassroots party, not for degree people. Our fathers are cocoa farmers whose cocoa produce fund development in Ghana.”He adds, “We will bring the jobs to the people in the constituencies, not in Accra here.”

Affirming that the words of the former Finance Minister resonate true, Moshake said, this should make every party member or executive who suffered under John Mahama because he did not have a degree to support Duffuor.

“Mahama was the one who was demanding that you hold a degree before you even get appointment at National Security and based on his book-long behaviour, sidelined the party’s people and went to bring the likes of Prof. Raymond Atuguba and Ben Dotse Malor to come and serve in his government.

“But at the end of it all, he misled all of us into opposition. And so if you are a party executive who sweated to get Mahama elected only to be sidelined later because you don’t hold a degree, I don’t think you will want to make John Mahama flagbearer again.You want someone who speaks and thinks like the foundr of our party, Rawlings himself. Dr. Kwabena Duffuor is doing just that.”