The New Patriotic Party (NPP) national delegates’ congress and conference is currently underway at the Sekondi College in Sekondi-Takoradi.
The three-day congress is expected to endorse the nomination of President J.A. Kufuor, the party’s sole candidate, as the flagbearer of the NPP for the 2004 presidential election.
The congress will also be used to evaluate the party’s performance since it was voted into power two years ago.
Over 2,000 delegates are expected; 10 from each of the 200 constituencies, members of the council of elders, patrons and founding members.
In all, 4,500 people including delegates, observers from NPP branches in Cote d’Ivoire, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and other dignitaries, are expected to attend the congress.
Other highlights of the congress will be election of officers for the National Women and Youth wings of the party. 420 delegates, made up of constituency and regional youth and women organisers, will vote at the congress to elect executives for the two wings.
The climax of the congress is the holding of a mammoth national rally at the Takoradi Polytechnic on Sunday 5 January.
Speaking at the launch, the General Secretary, Dan Botwe, said the Western Regional branch of the party is the best organised branch in the country and deserves the honour to host the congress.
According to him, the congress will set the stage for the NPP’s political campaign towards retaining political campaign towards retaining political power in the 2004 polls. He said the party will win about 150 seats in the next parliamentary elections and a massive victory in the presidential poll.
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Papa Owusu Ankomah, debunked the assertion that the media sets the agenda for the government’s development policies and programmes.
The President will also go down in the history books of Ghana for being the only eminent political functionary who contested two presidential elections on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when it was both the largest opposition party and the ruling party.
JAK is certainly a long-distance political runner, borrowing a leaf from his political mentor, Jeffrey Archer, his active political career dating back to 1969 when he was appointed a Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The President who is the sole contestant for the presidential slot of the party at Sunday’s congress, contested in 1992 and lost to the then popular choice, Professor Albert Adu-Boahen, who is credited for breaking the culture of silence then prevailing in the country by openly criticising the policies of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
One quality that the broad masses of human beings lack but which God the Almighty has endowed Kufuor with, is his unlimited patience and tenacity of purpose, which invariably led him to stake another claim for the NPP presidential slot against Prof Adu Boahen, “Economics General “Dr Akwasi Jones Ofori-Atta; “ Economics Senior Prefect” Senior Minister J.H. Mensah, among others, in 1996.
This time round, his strategic plan of adopting a paternal partnership with activists of the party especially in the three northern regions immediately after the 1992 elections did the trick for him, since the delegates who attended the congress from those regions voted en bloc for him, facilitating his victory over the highly fancied Prof Adu-Boahen.
JAK, who was strongly convinced that he would one day manage the economy of the nation, engaged in a battle for the 2000 presidential ticket of the NPP with Nana Akufo-Addo and his brother-in-law J.H. Mensah, both of whom he thrashed soundly at the Sunyani congress.
What invariably accounted for JAK’s emphatic victory at the special delegates congress to elect the party’s presidential flagbearer for the 2000 elections was the fact that he was the most marketed person among those who contested him and for that matter the delegates felt that he was the only person who could defeat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Professor John Atta Mills.
In addition, it perhaps dawned on the rank and file members of the party that JAK was not temperamental, since it came out from his interactions with the media that he was tough minded and motivated by reasoning and analysed issues on their merit.
President Kufuor was also the only person who filed his nomination papers to contest the presidential slot of the party for the 2004 presidential election, even though the national secretariat of the party invited nominations for the position.
Several reasons could be assigned for the reluctance of other potential candidates to file their nomination to contest the President at the congress. The writer believes that those with political clout and financial standing in the NPP did their homework well to ensure that the acrimony that characterised the last congress in 1998 does not repeat itself.
They realised that the NPP needs a united front to contest the next presidential elections, and so felt that allowing a number of contestants for the slot will factionalise the party and weaken its front and its ability to retain political power in the next elections.
The NPP has also appreciated the fact that it will be contesting the polls as the ruling party and not as the largest opposition party and, therefore, it will be tactically wise to settle on the President so as not to dissipate its energies on wranglings.
Two major problems also confront JAK; his desire to maintain strong party structures, since he is managing the country on its ticket, and fulfilling the aspirations of the vast majority of the people. Truly, these are dialectical and dicey issues since they constitute the two sides of the same political coin.
The fact is that the NPP needs virile structures to retain political power in the next polls and any attempt by President Kufuor and the executive to gloss over or play down on the matter will have grave consequences for the party.
Having virile structures implies functional offices with well-resourced and trained activists who are well versed in party organisation and propaganda work. Such activists should also command respect among the electorate in their respective constituencies and should have the persuasive skills that can add thousands of new members to the party’s membership.
Organisation, funds and well-dedicated activists are the most important ingredients that propel a political party to greater heights and help it to dominate other political parties. These are areas that President Kufuor, as the leader of the NPP, should very well appreciate as he prepares to be endorsed as the NPP’s presidential candidate for the 2004 polls.
The writer has always wondered why experienced party activists jockeyed for political positions immediately after the last elections, instead of staying at the national secretariat of the party to consolidate its structures before joining the executive branch of government if the party retains political power in 2004.
Today, apart from General Secretary Dan Botwe, who remains the only old horse at the national secretariat, all the other executives are new hands and this development, to me, is not healthy for the well-being of the NPP.
It is the wish and prayer of the writer that President Kufuor will have a day off his heavy and tight schedule every week of the year to attend to party matters, especially those relating to petty struggles among constituency executives, district chief executives (DCE) and Members of Parliament.
Political functionaries of the various political parties, especially the NPP, must realise that they hold their present positions owing to the fact that the party won elections and nothing else and for that matter efforts should be made to ensure that structures of the NPP throughout the country are always strong and battle-ready.
By Sunday evening, President Kufuor would have been confirmed to once again battle against Prof Mills of the NDC in the next presidential election, which promises to be exciting and thrilling.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) national delegates’ congress and conference is currently underway at the Sekondi College in Sekondi-Takoradi.
The three-day congress is expected to endorse the nomination of President J.A. Kufuor, the party’s sole candidate, as the flagbearer of the NPP for the 2004 presidential election.
The congress will also be used to evaluate the party’s performance since it was voted into power two years ago.
Over 2,000 delegates are expected; 10 from each of the 200 constituencies, members of the council of elders, patrons and founding members.
In all, 4,500 people including delegates, observers from NPP branches in Cote d’Ivoire, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and other dignitaries, are expected to attend the congress.
Other highlights of the congress will be election of officers for the National Women and Youth wings of the party. 420 delegates, made up of constituency and regional youth and women organisers, will vote at the congress to elect executives for the two wings.
The climax of the congress is the holding of a mammoth national rally at the Takoradi Polytechnic on Sunday 5 January.
Speaking at the launch, the General Secretary, Dan Botwe, said the Western Regional branch of the party is the best organised branch in the country and deserves the honour to host the congress.
According to him, the congress will set the stage for the NPP’s political campaign towards retaining political campaign towards retaining political power in the 2004 polls. He said the party will win about 150 seats in the next parliamentary elections and a massive victory in the presidential poll.
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Papa Owusu Ankomah, debunked the assertion that the media sets the agenda for the government’s development policies and programmes.
The President will also go down in the history books of Ghana for being the only eminent political functionary who contested two presidential elections on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) when it was both the largest opposition party and the ruling party.
JAK is certainly a long-distance political runner, borrowing a leaf from his political mentor, Jeffrey Archer, his active political career dating back to 1969 when he was appointed a Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The President who is the sole contestant for the presidential slot of the party at Sunday’s congress, contested in 1992 and lost to the then popular choice, Professor Albert Adu-Boahen, who is credited for breaking the culture of silence then prevailing in the country by openly criticising the policies of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
One quality that the broad masses of human beings lack but which God the Almighty has endowed Kufuor with, is his unlimited patience and tenacity of purpose, which invariably led him to stake another claim for the NPP presidential slot against Prof Adu Boahen, “Economics General “Dr Akwasi Jones Ofori-Atta; “ Economics Senior Prefect” Senior Minister J.H. Mensah, among others, in 1996.
This time round, his strategic plan of adopting a paternal partnership with activists of the party especially in the three northern regions immediately after the 1992 elections did the trick for him, since the delegates who attended the congress from those regions voted en bloc for him, facilitating his victory over the highly fancied Prof Adu-Boahen.
JAK, who was strongly convinced that he would one day manage the economy of the nation, engaged in a battle for the 2000 presidential ticket of the NPP with Nana Akufo-Addo and his brother-in-law J.H. Mensah, both of whom he thrashed soundly at the Sunyani congress.
What invariably accounted for JAK’s emphatic victory at the special delegates congress to elect the party’s presidential flagbearer for the 2000 elections was the fact that he was the most marketed person among those who contested him and for that matter the delegates felt that he was the only person who could defeat the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, Professor John Atta Mills.
In addition, it perhaps dawned on the rank and file members of the party that JAK was not temperamental, since it came out from his interactions with the media that he was tough minded and motivated by reasoning and analysed issues on their merit.
President Kufuor was also the only person who filed his nomination papers to contest the presidential slot of the party for the 2004 presidential election, even though the national secretariat of the party invited nominations for the position.
Several reasons could be assigned for the reluctance of other potential candidates to file their nomination to contest the President at the congress. The writer believes that those with political clout and financial standing in the NPP did their homework well to ensure that the acrimony that characterised the last congress in 1998 does not repeat itself.
They realised that the NPP needs a united front to contest the next presidential elections, and so felt that allowing a number of contestants for the slot will factionalise the party and weaken its front and its ability to retain political power in the next elections.
The NPP has also appreciated the fact that it will be contesting the polls as the ruling party and not as the largest opposition party and, therefore, it will be tactically wise to settle on the President so as not to dissipate its energies on wranglings.
Two major problems also confront JAK; his desire to maintain strong party structures, since he is managing the country on its ticket, and fulfilling the aspirations of the vast majority of the people. Truly, these are dialectical and dicey issues since they constitute the two sides of the same political coin.
The fact is that the NPP needs virile structures to retain political power in the next polls and any attempt by President Kufuor and the executive to gloss over or play down on the matter will have grave consequences for the party.
Having virile structures implies functional offices with well-resourced and trained activists who are well versed in party organisation and propaganda work. Such activists should also command respect among the electorate in their respective constituencies and should have the persuasive skills that can add thousands of new members to the party’s membership.
Organisation, funds and well-dedicated activists are the most important ingredients that propel a political party to greater heights and help it to dominate other political parties. These are areas that President Kufuor, as the leader of the NPP, should very well appreciate as he prepares to be endorsed as the NPP’s presidential candidate for the 2004 polls.
The writer has always wondered why experienced party activists jockeyed for political positions immediately after the last elections, instead of staying at the national secretariat of the party to consolidate its structures before joining the executive branch of government if the party retains political power in 2004.
Today, apart from General Secretary Dan Botwe, who remains the only old horse at the national secretariat, all the other executives are new hands and this development, to me, is not healthy for the well-being of the NPP.
It is the wish and prayer of the writer that President Kufuor will have a day off his heavy and tight schedule every week of the year to attend to party matters, especially those relating to petty struggles among constituency executives, district chief executives (DCE) and Members of Parliament.
Political functionaries of the various political parties, especially the NPP, must realise that they hold their present positions owing to the fact that the party won elections and nothing else and for that matter efforts should be made to ensure that structures of the NPP throughout the country are always strong and battle-ready.
By Sunday evening, President Kufuor would have been confirmed to once again battle against Prof Mills of the NDC in the next presidential election, which promises to be exciting and thrilling.
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