NRP/CPP for Congress Next August

Should all discussions and plans go through smoothly and successfully, an alliance of the National Reform Party (NRP) and Convention People's Party (CPP) will go for congress in August 2003, Mr Kyeretwie Opoku, General Secretary of the NRP announced at a seminar at Tema.

At the congress, a proposed platform document and constitution of the merged party would be laid before members for discussions and approval.

The document contains events covering all sectors of the economy affecting the status of the ordinary Ghanaian.

He was speaking on the topic "Unity talks, status of merger and building a local (Reform-CPP) understanding and initiative for action" at a day's seminar held for members of the two parties at Tema. It was under the theme, "building a progressive activist political platform".

Mr Kyeretwie Opoku indicated that a merger of the two parties is feasible and it would definitely succeed to undertake positive action, to prove to critics that, discussions on the merger started behind the scenes in January last year " but now we want to go public".

He said the two parties have common ideologies of Nkrumahism and, therefore, saw the need to come together to change the socio-economic hardships that still persists even under the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the interest of the masses.

"We are not going in for the merger to amass wealth, we want radical and fundamental change of society, economic justice, security and safety for Ghanaians, there is no sound economic reason why people continue be hungry, while others do not basic education".

He said the merger is not meant to "play half way games. Though there are some members who might not be in favour of the merger, we have to ensure that it succeeds for a common purpose." The merger, he pointed out, is a move to build a modern, discipline and a voluntary political organisation that requires commitment on the part of members who must be prepared to support it financially and exhibit leadership skills to ensure success.