THE EDITOR GHANAWEB.COM ACCRA-GHANA.
RE-PPP REOGANISES FOR 2016 POLLS,letter to papa ndoum and the leadership
it is heart warming to hear ppp trying to reorganise the party early, toward 2016 agenda and i might commend the leader, paa kwasi ndoum and the entire executives for such an initiative and edge all members to put hands on deck to ensure a successful reorganisation of the party.
Mr Kofi Asamoah, National Secretary of the PPP, in an interview, elaborated some of the strategies been adopted to make the party stronger which i totally agreed with. Much as i agreed with the plan,i also like to share my opinion on the subject matter.
Organisation and membership
In order for ppp to be successful in the political contest in 2016 and to have an effect on the electorate,the party needs a permanent organisation. With regard to the institutional setup of the party there are different basic patterns. On the basis of an individual, meaning the direct membership of individual persons,the party should decentralised, that is on the basis of local associations, according to residential areas or districts, or at least at a municipal level.
Recruitment of new members
Many people are interested in politics because they know that their own living conditions are determined by it; they would therefore like to contribute and take part in decisions in a more direct way. Many of those people wait for the parties to approach them.Personal contact is the best way to approach politically interested people and to persuade them to join the party.
Another form of attracting members in to the party is by the organisation of public events, presentations or public debates, celebrations on specific occasions, and cultural activities, where people can be invited that are expected to be close to the political position of a party.Public hearings on topics of local politics generally draw big attention and give a party the opportunity to introduce its political position and to gain new followers and members.
Integration of non-members in to the party
The party should provide regular and comprehensive information to interested non-members regarding the positions and activities of the party. The party must know about those persons who are interested in its activities
Membership surveys on specific topics and decisions on the party direction
The party should refrain from spending on expensive advertising campaigns to get new members or paying payments to “promoters”. Experience shows that the relation between costs and benefits of a party interms of expenditure and what output it brings always end up crippling the same party growth.
Education and training of the party members
In the modern mass democracy,a political party, its leaders and members must constantly face new issues and questions and take positions in view of current day-to-day developments and social change.It is therefore indispensable that the party take precautionary steps in order to prepare its representatives and members for new challenges and the assumption of responsibility within and outside of the party. This is the task of political education.Political education within the party is especially successful when it is directed towards the younger party members. The measures of training should comprise three areas:
Issues of political training
• Basic values and principles of the party • Understanding of the political issues (local, economic, and social politics etc.) • Preparation for political work within the party, and for taking on political functions in the parliament (political rhetoric, preparation of functions, handling of the media, membership promotion, conduct of election campaigns, and raising of funds)
Internal and external communication
“Good” communication is of central relevance to the party. This involves communication with the voters and the society as a whole, as well as internal communication with its own members within the party. Only a party with an efficient system of internal communication are capable of efficient external communication.The communication of political intentions and the search for public consent has always been a part of the main requirements for political leadership in democracy. Since the beginnings of modern party democracy, the conditions and manifestation of communication, however, have changed considerably. Today, there are quite a lot of new demands with regard to communication and public leadership. This refers not only to various aspects of so-called “media management”, but also to different activities such as the guarantee of the “media capability” of major decision-makers, the strategic launching of information to the media or the adapting of the Communication within the party.
Internal party communication is as important as the extra-party communication. Internal communication for the party is important not only to inform its own members, but also to represent party positions on national issues towards the society. This is a very relevant function of the “simple” party members. Therefore, each party leadership at the national, regional and local levels should try to build up an efficient communication system towards its members.
Within many parties, the internal party communication does not work very efficiently. There is a lack of regular information to the members with regard to actual political questions. But how can the party members represent or defend their party’s positions if they are not sufficiently informed about them?
Finally,my advice to the party leadership is that,in other to grow the party strenth and possible rule Ghana sooner than later we must desist from building the party arround individuals and raither position the party in the eyes of ghanaians that "you and i" owns it.
Leadership from polling station chaiman to the flagbearer of the party must be opened and subjected to internal party contest and not by any other means.
PPP,WE WILL RULE SOONER THAN LATER.
LONG LIVE THE PARTY,LONG LIVE PAA KWASI NDOUM.
zakaria safianu
coachsorf2@yahoo.com
London.
