NPP: OMOV, Obiara-Se-Eye

A period of solemn reflection of our party's future, demands immediate consideration as the constitutional voting day draws closer to commit everyone for the next six years. NPP has come a long way. Many serious mistakes have been committed. Many pardons have been awarded. And most importantly, our senior citizens' deliberate behaviours have willfully (or unconsciously) weakened the growth of our party.

Many articles have been written. Many commentaries from both home and international fronts have been made. The initial campaign of appeal that appeared as a lone voice has attracted numerous advises from well meaning personalities. In spite of all the attention drawn into what should be our internal family issue by international leaders, some hard-headed and stubborn old guards still want to witness the destruction of our party.

The Youth of our party will continue to campaign for unity, expansion, all-inclusiveness, and collectivist ideological trendsetting. Everybody agrees with the constitutional amendments. The NPP-Youth League will DEMAND, without conditions, three things in the forthcoming congress. These are:

(1) One-Member-One-Vote (OMOV) - The two 2008 presidential elections showed that over 4.5-million voted for the NPP presidential candidate. This means that our party has this strong support base. It is therefore sensible to extend our invitations to them to express their opinions in our future decision making on flag bearer. It is the laziness of the party's General Secretary, who refused to do his work properly to make it possible for all to be recognized in this kind of exercise. We can also target the huge number of non-partisan voters to convert them into NPP. Every eligible member MUST VOTE and CONTEST freely and willingly. We will accept nothing neither more nor nothing less of that. OMOV is the only strategy that can calm us, period. Â

(2) DISCIPLINE - To strengthen our party and create everlasting discipline, decency, respect and unity, there must be a clause inserted in the constitution to serve as a deterrent to would-be despots, dictators, arrogant, and stubborn flag bearers, who eventually become presidents through the party's ticket. The party's Executive Committee, in conjunction with the National Council, should terminate the NPP President of Ghana immediately s/he is found guilty of behaviours contrary to the ethos of our party. 'Once beaten, always shy'. The Vice-President will carry on with the duties for the remaining time before the next general elections.

(3) SUPER-DELEGATES - We agree with the proposition to create 500-member National Council, which I will call 'The Super-Delegates'. Super-Delegates are the last resort. Should two candidates tie-up in our primary elections repeatedly, Super-Delegates then become the deciding factor. However, the composition of the Super-Delegates must be carefully considered, discussed, and widely accepted. We will refuse any form of kangaroo games in our party.

The Youth League will make a full representation for the flag bearer contest. Therefore any form of suppression emanating from any side of the party will be resisted with heavy force. Currently, reports reaching my desk show that a prominent member of our party has already sent people touring the regions in Northern Ghana and Volta region to bribe the “voting delegates” for the 22 August 2009 to adopt his preferred proposal. Now, let it be clear to anyone in our party decision-making team that, the Youth-League WILL NOT ACCEPT anything perceived as UNDEMOCRATIC advances in our party’s decision-making exercise. Â

We will mobilize the youth. We will ask every young man and woman to donate one new Ghana Cedi (GhC1.00) or one USA Dollar (US$1.00) periodically to fight enemies of democracy, expand democracy, uphold democracy, and maintain democracy, the right to vote, and destroy dictatorship. This author will pledge ten thousand USA Dollars (US$10,000) as seed money to initiate the fight for democratic process in Ghana. I promise, we will fight; and we are ready. We will humiliate dissenters from mainstream democracy.

There is recurrent accusations leveled against the youth that critics always use, anonymously, to slap me in my quest for youth leadership in Ghana. Let me make it abundantly clear to everyone that, it is true that some young people have shown maximum incapability in our national assignment. For instance, Musa Bamba and Charles Bintim failed the youth dream. Zita Okaikoi is also a failure, so also are Fiifi Kweetey, Koku Anyidoho, Mahama Ayariga, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and Boateng-Agyenim. There have also been disappointments with Kwabena Agyepong regarding hands-on experience, Daniel Botwe regarding smart handling of issues, and Asawase Mubarak is even a hopeless case; just to mention a few of the youth-reliable personalities.

However, the army of the youth I am talking about are highly skilled, human resource-oriented young men and women readily prepared to offer their services to Mother Ghana wholeheartedly. For instance, the Youth League supports His Excellency Obeng Busia as our next party General Secretary. The former Consular General Obeng Busia is known for his human resourceful skills, and special developmental prowess and penchant to expose Ghana to global recognition. OB will make an extreme difference in our party's search for decent direction. OB has the listening skills; he is not arrogant and he easily crosses the opposing aisles freely. The NPP-Youth League supports his bid.

Is it true that: If we can change conditions, we can change character? A Youth-controlled national government will be Youth-oriented. Ghana is an agrarian economy. Therefore one-million young people across the country can be focused on farming investments in maize/corn, groundnuts, sorghum, millet, cashew, etc. production. Securitization of $50,000 each to the one-million young people (i.e. $50-billion) into farming, secured through local private and foreign loans, can put at least 11-million young people to work when each farmer is asked to employ at least ten (10) workers. Ghana can use its crude oil, gold, cocoa, diamond, etc. as collateral resources against the loans. Â

Maize/corn, for instance, has quarterly production strength; hence repayment of the $50,000 loans with interest will not be hard to do. After one-year grace period into investment, repayment of $1,500 monthly (excluding taxes and other incidental statutory fees) to government for 50-months will not be hard to do. Ghana Government will be the sole customer of the corporate farm produce much in the same way as cocoa farmers’ produce. Youth-controlled government will buy virtually everything from producers for storage to motivate continuous production. The government should look for permanent customers to buy her stored produce.

For instance, change into ethanol-running machinery has increased the US use of maize/corn in trillions of tons. Ghana can target that. An ambitious Youth-controlled government can generate several billions of dollar profits on the securitized funds to end foreign loans, create multiple jobs for full employment, and design clear address system to collect taxes from investors.

President Nkrumah's Cooperative farming strategies can be renewed here. The unemployed young graduates from all our nine universities will be the prime targets in the mechanized agrarian farming. This time round, educated and brilliant farmers are the foundations of a civilized nation. A credit-controlled banking system will help our farmers in their business lives. Payment of their employee wages and salaries will be timely and prompt. Government economic advisors will be handy to these investors to explore other investment avenues such as silos, warehouses, hotels, apartments, orange factories, or group adoption of highways, flyovers, and motorways charging toll fees.

The detailed documentation of the 2020 middle-income-cum-poverty alleviation noise making cannot come from the skies; something must be done. If we are not careful, we will remain poor even in the plain sight of plenty. There is too much money floating in the Ghanaian market. However, with this kind of feeble-minded leadership, currently in our country, I honestly doubt it very much if we are seriously on the right path to advancement.

The NPP-Youth League has a detailed plan for the country and can easily handle the national quest. An extended unification with the entire Ghanaian Youth, a total Youth-controlled government is within reach with or without the old guards. This is not a threat; it is a plain fact. It is our party’s last chance to sit upright and reason seriously. A bad decision on the 22 August 2009 will lose its youth strength and should not blame anybody but the old guards themselves. Â

Afghanistan has 41 presidential candidates in its forthcoming general elections; and they see nothing wrong with that. Restricting contestants in party primaries to only three is not just funny but also very dictatorial. I have a question. Let us assume that the top three contestants of our 2007 flag bearer contest - Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo, Hon. Alan Kyerematen, and His Excellency Aliu Mahama - decide to contest again this time. That makes already three candidates. Hon. Isaac Osei is also tipped to run; and that will make four. And like it or not Konongo Fordjour will also contest, making it five, and many more.

Who among the five listed here will be told by a secret council to step aside for whom? Now, NPP, behave! Your slightest discrimination will explode an already worsened case. You are warned!

Konongo Fordjour, Boston-USA

E-Mail: koafordjour@yahoo.com