Build cadre of intelligent followers – IMANI boss to NDC

Franklin Cudjoe, President of policy think tank IMANI Ghana, has advised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to build a core of intelligent followers in order to be able to engage in meaningful discussions on national issues, and engender a move from aggressive politicking.

His comment follows a concern he said was raised by an NDC Member of Parliament-elect to the effect that IMANI Ghana was satisfied with the change of the status quo as far as the managers of this country was concerned, hence would be relaxed in its criticism of the incoming government’s policies.

In answering the MP-elect on his Facebook page, Mr Cudjoe said: “What an NDC MP-elect sent to me: ‘FC (Franklin Cudjoe), now you would be relaxed since your preferred party won.’

“My response: I didn't and have never endorsed any candidate. It so happens that our serious work in the past eight years has been to focus on incumbent governments.

“There may be points of convergence with the opposition, but that is just it. Anyway, 2017 promises to be great by all standards. From my side, I come to the table of ideas with hard knuckled hands as has been before, all in the pursuit of happiness, happiness by reducing increasing inequality, desperate squalor, and supporting entrepreneurship.

“From IMANI's side, annual and quarterly performance reviews of the executive, manifesto tracking, serious parliamentary scrutiny, and an intelligent engagement with the youth of Ghana are just a few of the cocktail of plans.”

He added: “For you in the NDC you should be thinking about building a cadre of very intelligent following and discard the bugabuga (aggressive) politics.”