It is clear that Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom’s competitors and their supporters in the CPP are not able to keep up with the positive contributions the 2008 flag bearer has been making in the effort to re-build the Party into a competitive one capable of winning an election.
Perhaps the following excerpts from the meeting he recently held with Greater Accra executives of the party will shed some light on why some are uncomfortable with Dr. Nduom.
Dr. Nduom’s presentation centered on the following:
1. The CPP has gone through several challenges, most especially in the Fourth Republic. Therefore, members should engage in assiduous organizational efforts that would salvage the party from this situation. On this note, he cautioned members to take cognisance of the fact that, a better opportunity exist for the party in the upcoming 2012 general elections and that members should take hold of the party’s destiny and ensure that this becomes reality. He urged all members present to nurture the opportunity to grow into a situation where all Ghanaians would come to appreciate the CPP as the next alternative outside NPP-NDC syndrome.
2. Dr. Nduom raised concerns about the fact that some people have expressed interest in taking up National executive positions in the party in the upcoming congress but are going about soiling the name of the Party and the reputation of the existing leadership. He asked the executives to be wary of such people saying that anyone who wants a national position must rather work to unite the Party. Dr. Nduom’s worry was that members of the party with negative view of others who failed in their bid to be elected at Congress often resorted to activities that tended to derail the credibility of the party as one capable of winning elections. It is against this backdrop that he urged all to members to make it a part of them to eschew all forms of bickering or infighting that are likely to generate more cracks in the party. He called for unity amongst party leaders and members, so that the party can fight a common course for the betterment of the party and Ghana at large.
3. Dr. Nduom pledged he will give unconditional support to and work with whoever is elected by delegates at Congress as a National executive or flagbearer. He called on the executives to demand a similar commitment from all who seek to lead the CPP.
4. Dr. Nduom further alluded to the fact members must try and identify different ways to appeal to the conscience of the youth and also make the party more attractive for others to join. He emphasized that the youth make up the majority of Ghana’s population and that the party must create more avenues for more young men and women to join. The Party he said can recruit more young people through the use of modern-day technology. This he said can be achieved through the use social networks available on the internet like the FACEBOOK. He went on to say that the party must engage in activities that will focus on recruiting more members for the party before 2012, which must be predominantly made up of the youth. This he said was going to be his focus of attention.
5. Dr. Nduom encouraged CPP members to make their voices heard in public through community campaigns at lorry parks, markets, churches, etc. Also, he asked them to call in to radio and television programmes to explain CPP policy positions to the people. This he said will make the nation know that the CPP is not a “one man party” but is a mass party with many, many capable people.
Why would well-meaning CPPists have any problems with any of the above? It is true that Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the CPP, has toured ALL the ten regions of the country. This he has done to encourage the re-organisation efforts of the Party. Every time he has done so, he has worked with regional and constituency executives to schedule and organize the meetings. It must be put on record that the executives at the regional and constituency levels have welcomed and appreciated these visits. When he visits any region, he does is not selective about who he meets. He opens his meetings to all executives and encourages open and direct discussions.
It is on record, that Dr. Nduom is one of the very few leading members who have supported the organization work of the party at the center. He was the first to support the National Organisational Committee of the party with financial support for the center and additional support for each of the ten regions. Dr. Nduom has helped to open many constituency offices throughout the country – this he has done through the regional executives and not on his own. The records are there for all to see. Furthermore, he has supported the organization activities of the individual constituencies, always working through the regional executives. He is the one who has personally been to the social activities of our members including funerals and local festivals. Dr. Nduom has been the most visible and publicly active leading member of the Party. He speaks regularly in the media on national issues, is articulate and has played an active role in the CPP Shadow Cabinet.
Why would any well-meaning member of the CPP have problems with someone who has been this supportive of his party?
It is obvious that some “leading” members of the CPP have sponsored a so-called Akwesi Prempeh to float some incredible stories about the party, the leadership and Dr. Nduom. When people who cannot hold their own in internal competition take their shortcomings public, they bring the party into public disrepute.
There will be appropriate internal opportunities to respond to “Akwesi Prempeh” and his sponsors. For the avoidance of doubt, two matters need some clarity:
- Dr. Nduom does not have any hand in any internal party dispute going on in Jomorro. He was instrumental in bringing Hon. Samiah Nkrumah to Ghana and helped to launch her campaign and supported her vigorously to win. He will support her in 2012 to win the Jomorro seat again. He plans to help the CPP to be the party with the most parliamentary seats in the Western Region after the 2012 elections. Dr. Nduom is an owner of a savings and loans company that will soon open for business in Half Assini.
- Dr. Nduom has a fan page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pknduom. This has become one of the most popular fan pages in Ghana after only six weeks of its establishment. He has decided to use it to promote youth empowerment, knowledge-building, the practical application of technology and volunteerism among the youth. Through the fan page, he has successfully launched an Education Movement Volunteer effort that has so far seen young people volunteer to teach children how to read and write in 20 communities in the ten regions. He has launched an Economic Independence Movement to encourage young people to support Ghanaian products and services. Through the fan page, he has been invited to many tertiary institutions to speak to students including Cape Coast University, University of Ghana, KNUST, Islamic University, Pentecost University, Takoradi Polytechnic, etc.
- Dr. Nduom is well regarded by many in Ghana as an accomplished management consultant, entrepreneur and public servant. In the 4th Republic, very few can boast of the kind of transformational initiatives he is credited with. These include the Single Spine Salary Structure, the Millennium Challenge Account grant, the New Pension Law, the National Identification System and others. He is the only Presidential aspirant who started his political career as an elected District Assembly member before becoming a Member of Parliament and then serving as a Cabinet Minister.
It is rather obvious that Dr. Nduom understands what it takes to organize people for a purpose. He loves to compete and knows the process of picking himself up whenever he fails at anything in life. It is not for nothing that the ordinary members of the CPP and many, many people from all walks of life consider him the man best equipped to become President of the Republic of Ghana. Will other leading members also commit themselves now to support anyone elected to national executive positions and flagbearer without conditions?
OFFICE OF DR. PAPA KWESI NDUOM 027/03/2011