Nduom's Ten Point Agenda for Change

Dr. Nduom's Ten Point Agenda for Change you can feel in your pockets

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As we approach the polls in December, we are beginning to see the promises of Akufo Addo and Atta Mills (and their respective parties) grow in both frequency and enormity. Hundreds of thousands of jobs, Billions of Cedis, and promises of change are being offered by both the NPP and the NDC. We suspect that there are not too many people that are surprised. On the other hand, at the head of the CPP we have a leader who, unlike the candidate whose campaign team coined the expression in the United States, that plans to not only put "Country First," but also plans to put 'Ghanaians First.' With his message of Change You Can Feel in Your Pockets, the CPP is providing a true alternative to the status quo in Ghanaian politics.

It is not hard to promise money, jobs, and opportunity to the people. Anyone who plans to vote for someone simply because he or she has promised him something is quite frankly falling for the oldest trick in politics which is to promise anything and everything that you need to do to get into power. The citizens of Ghana will do well to look at all promises with a sprinkle of cynicism.

This is not to say that none of the candidates will endeavor to follow through on the promises that they have made on the campaign trail. It is, in fact, likely that all of the Presidential candidates will, at the very least, make an effort to deliver on those promises that are actually attainable. At the end of the day, however, anyone can make a promise. By the time one can determine whether a candidate can actual deliver on these promises, it may be already too late to act.

This is why, instead of voting on a candidate based on how many jobs he or she promises to create, one can look at how many jobs he or she has created in the past. It is why, instead of looking at the change a candidate promises to make in Government, one should look at what changes he or she has made in Government before. Ladies and gentlemen, instead of looking at the actions of the individual says he or she will take, it is important to look at the actions he or she has taken in the past. And finally, instead of looking at the size of a party's "pocket," one must look at what the contents of a party's pocket are being used for in order to understand what kind of Government to expect when that party comes into power.

There are some essential distinctions that can be made between the NPP and the CPP. There are equally important distinctions to draw between the NDC and the CPP, although those distinctions are based more on leadership, integrity, and track record than on ideology. The one distinction, however, that applies across the board has to do with what the CPP has been doing with the contents of its pockets. Please allow us to elaborate on a few of the things that the CPP is doing that is unique among the political parties in Ghana:

1. Creating a message based on principles rather than on promises. The campaign of the CPP has been one that not only gives Ghanaians an idea of what changes to expect from an Nduom administration but also explains the underlying principles behind those changes. It is only the CPP that will frequently and unequivocally explain that it believes in Self Determination, Social Justice, and Pan-Africanism. We would challenge anyone to explain what the NPP and NDC consider to be underlying principles upon which the parties develop their plans for the nation.

2. Recruiting members and parliamentarians based on the prospect of becoming part of the change. The NPP and NDC will exhort prospective members to Vote NPP or Vote NDC - full stop. It is an invitation to join the crowd and follow the anointed ones to victory. The CPP, on the other hand is searching for, recruiting, and honoring tens of thousands of members of the party who are taking real leadership roles ranging from MP candidate to polling station executives. When we ask you to join our party it is not to get in line and vote - It is to hit the ground running!

3. Appealing to the ordinary Ghanaian. In recent weeks we have seen the NPP hold fund raisers that require hundreds of cedis to attend and hold rallies alongside celebrities, spending those cedis in a grand style. In stark contrast, the CPP inaugurated thousands of polling station executives and released its manifesto in Braille in order to afford those who cannot see an opportunity to read and understand Dr. Nduom's vision for change.

4. Believing in the abilities of Ghanaians. The NPP has spoken and acted in ways that continue to drive home the idea that the Black man cannot manage its own affairs by insisting that assets such as the Agricultural Development Bank and Ghana Telecom be sold to and run by outsiders in order to achieve profitability. When faced with the issue of rising food prices the NPP decided to subsidize the import of foreign rice instead of promoting the purchase of locally grown products. Does that sound like a party that believes in Ghana?

5. Executive experience: We believe that this country needs a leader who has not only "talked the talk" but has also "walked the walk." With all due respect, there is an experience gap that exists between the leadership of the NDC and NPP and that of the CPP. Regarding the NDC Flag Bearer, the fact that the only political experience that the NDC flag bearer has consists of 4 years as a Vice President does not inspire confidence in us regarding his potential performance as President. The role of the Vice President is essentially to provide backup for the President. One could argue that by getting the nod to become Vice President one has already proven that he or she has the ability to lead the country - in the case of Atta Mills, however, one is hard pressed to identify what qualified him to be a Vice President in the first place, much less Commander in Chief. We believe that Atta Mills is an extremely intelligent person that is probably capable of a lot - we just do not believe that he is qualified to be President. Similarly, one would be hard pressed to enumerate the accomplishments of the NPP flag bearer that have created change that Ghanaians have felt in their pockets. Akufo Addo has been promoted as an activist and organizer with "pedigree" - it is considered to be his turn to win within the NPP. Akufo Addo has accomplished a lot by winning the flag bearership of the NPP - we do not, however, believe that he has had any substantial executive leadership experience.

The CPP flag bearer, in contrast, has proven that he can create change with a sense of urgency in Government. Having been deployed to the areas of most concern in Government, he showed time and time again that he was capable of getting the job done, paving the way to success (for example) in acquiring over $500 Million in funds from the Millennium Challenge Corporation after the project stalled in the hands of his NPP colleagues. He has similarly shown the ability to succeed in his private life, creating over 500 jobs for Ghanaians all over the country. These are concrete accomplishments that require no spin - the proof of the pudding is in the tasting and Dr. Nduom's accomplishments are sweet!

Ladies and Gentlemen, the CPP has a ten point agenda for change that we have reproduced below. The CPP is the only party that is doing more than making promises – by laying down fundamental principles, describing values that drive him and the party he represents, and talking to the people directly rather than through surrogates, Dr. Nduom is doing something different. His is a different type of politician and he will be a different type of President. Please take a moment to read the Agenda for Change reproduced below. We would like to draw your attention specifically to item number 4, which speaks to the point recently made by Professor Kwame Ninsin, a Senior Research Fellow of IDEG and a team of other researchers. Professor Ninsin et al made the conclusion that the Executive arm of Government exerts too much influence over the Legislative arm. While many lauded the team for their researchers, many have failed to recognize that is clearly one of the issues that Dr. Nduom is addressing in his agenda for change! The commingling of Minister/MPs and MPs in Parliament creates real issues and, as usual, Dr. Nduom is leading the way among the flag bearers in addressing this issue.

Dr. Nduom and the CPP stand for change you can feel in your pockets and we are looking for Ghanaians young and old to help us spread the message that the status quo in Ghanaian politics needs to change! The NDC has begun to use "eight is enough" - we say that 21 plus 8 is enough! Two decades under the NDC followed by 8 years under the NPP has left us looking for an alternative - the CPP is the answer! Edwumawura!!!

Dr. Nduom's Ten Point Agenda for Change

1. Create a just and disciplined society.

2. Reform state institutions, make government efficient to cut down expenditure and facilitate the work of the private sector and Ghanaian society in general.

3. Give Power to the People for Development (let them elect local officials).

4. Strengthen Parliament to perform its legislative duties effectively.

5. Provide Quality Education for Every Ghanaian Child.

6. Provide Energy for Industrialisation and Rapid Development.

7. Provide Better Health Care and Cleaner Environment.

8. Attack Crime, the Drug Trade and Corruption.

9. Create a Homecoming Secretariat.

10. Create Jobs.