Press release

PRESS RELEASE

Recent activities of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Youth have generated huge debate in public and media about the causes of the unrest amongst the ruling party Youth.

Since the beginning of this year, there has been an upsurge in the seizure of public facilities by these youth in protests against what they see as a failure on the part of government to see to their concerns and engage with them.

The aggravating agitations by the youth must be a source of worry to all well meaning party faithfuls and Ghanaians generally. As a stakeholder in the welfare of the youth, I need to address a few issues.

Fundamentally, the NDC youth as a group has been shortchanged with leadership. When concerns were raised during the youth congress about the machinations some government ministers and their deputies to undermine the process of electing a youth leader of the party, many commentators and some government officials rubbished and ridiculed these assertions.

The current happenings within the youth wing of the NDC are a vindication of all persons in the party who protested against the machinations of government officials and undermined the process.

The response of the NDC youth organizer to the actions of the NDC youth is not disarming. One would have expected Ludwig Holodze to say show leadership by engaging the youth. One would have expected the protests by the youth to abate or seize after the recent youth conference in Ho. Instead, the problems have exacerbated, an indication that Ludwig Hlodze is certainly not in charge.

His description of the youth as "people without employable skills" clearly shows his lack of appreciation of their concerns. He has failed to appreciate the seriousness of situation.

Others have also made mischievous attempts to find scapegoats in this crisis. Rather than attempting to solve the problems they have created, some young ministers and deputy ministers in government have led a media campaign to create the wrong impression that the youth are responding to inciting statements from the NDC party founder and former president Jerry Rawlings.

These attempts have been followed by wide spread outright condemnation of party foot soldiers by government functionaries including recent statements made by even the vice president.

The NDC youth are in want of leadership in tandem with their aspirations, one which is woefully lacking at the moment.

The NDC youth need to cultivate even more courage in this period of time to speak out; to expose and resist attempts to keep them silent and subservient to the people they worked day and night to bring into power. The youth must continue to speak and stand by the truth no matter the cost since this is a fundamental principle that forms the bedrock of the NDC party. I urge the NDC youth to do this using every legal means possible.

Sidii Musah Abubakar

(The author contested for the position of NDC Youth Organiser, and has been instrumental in the activities of the NDC for many years). 0244542199