Freddie Blay
ACTING NATIONAL Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has charged members of the ruling party to start thinking of a well structured plan that will strengthen the party to easily retain power in 2020.
According to him, members of the party should put the 2016 election victory aside and quickly restructure it from the base to the top in a peaceful and united atmosphere, to make it attractive to woo floating voters.
Mr. Blay, who sounded confident of the NPP retaining power in the next general election, stressed the need for the party faithful to work closely with the government to achieve its set objective.
“This is part of our strategy to expand our base, work hand-in-hand with the government, win more hearts and minds of Ghanaians and assure an even greater landslide victory in 2020,” he said to a rapturous applause.
Mr. Blay, whose extraordinary leadership style contributed immensely to the NPP’s 2016 electoral victory, gave the address during the 2017 annual Delegates’ Conference of the party, held in Cape Coast, capital of the Central Region, over the weekend.
The historic event marked the 25 years of the NPP and it was massively graced by party stalwarts, including President Akufo Addo and his wife, Rebecca; Vice President Bawumia and his wife, Samira; ex-President Kufuor, ministers of state, MMDCEs, among others.
Mr. Blay’s delivery mainly centered on party unity, cohesion and the need for the NPP to retain political power in 2020 to enable the citizenry continue to benefit from the government’s superlative programmes and policies.
According to him, the rank and file of the party have crucial roles to play in ensuring that it stays in political office for many years to come.
He said, “On the part of the national executive, it is our plan to immediately embark on rejuvenating our party structures and also investing in the physical infrastructure of well-equipped and well-staffed offices, with adequate transportation, befitting a party like ours at all levels.
“In this regard, we must shift from the idea that the party is just an election machine after which executives are rewarded with public posts or appointments. We must build the party into a reliable reservoir of energy, talents, ideas and human resources to continuously replenish, enrich and sustain our government.”
The NPP National Chairman, who spoke at length on pressing party issues, also called for a closer working relationship between the party and the government, warning government appointees not to distance themselves from party members, whose efforts ensured the 2016 victory.
“Some members are beginning to develop and express sentiments of alienation and sometimes, frustration, and even disappointment with the government and the party. This is a delicate issue and not easy to address.
“There are growing complaints from our members about access to government functionaries. The lack of employment, which we inherited from the previous NDC administration, largely remains a disturbing issue, which we know is related to the economic problems we face as a nation.
“I know there are some and they are many, in this conference hall who are unhappy that too many hangers-on, who openly identified with and campaigned for the NDC government in violation of service oaths, have been left in positions of authority in the structure of government instead of being held accountable and probably removed by now.”
He also warned the government against neglecting the needs and concerns of party members, insisting that it is prudent that the party members, whose toil and hard work brought the electoral victory, are also rewarded accordingly.
“It is advisable and imperative that our government recognizes the creative and entrepreneurial abilities of members of the party, tap into it and economically empower them so they can be demonstrable examples of the prosperity we seek to deliver to Ghanaians,” he charged.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr & Charles Takyi Boadu, Cape Coast