07 April 2006
Legon don calls for early congress for CPP
Legon don calls for early congress for CPP
Posted: Apr 07 2006
A leading member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, has called on the leadership of the party to subject their stewardship to early congress.
According to him, the problem of the CPP had been lack of visionary leadership that would galvanise the people, especially the youth to form a formidable party to ran shoulder to shoulder with parties such as the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He told the Daily Graphic the current CPP was not on the ground, and that the party required leaders who would be able to inspire people to join the fold of the CPP to win elections in the country.
It will be recalled that the party’s parliamentary caucus, made up of Mr Freddie Blay, MP for Ellembele, who is also the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dr Paa Kwesi Ndoum, MP for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem, who is also the Minister for Public Sector Reforms, and Mr Kojo Armah, MP for Evalue-Gwira also made a similar call for an early election, which had degenerated into a lot of controversy in the party.
Dr Antwi-Danso said the party was in a dire need of dynamic, patriotic and selfless leadership that would create the vehicle to move Nkrumahism forward so as to make the party attractive to voters.
He expressed worry about the unity talks which he said had moved at a tortoise’s pace for the past 10 years, yielding no concrete results.
Dr Antwi-Danso, who is also a leading member of the “Patriots”, a pressure group formed by some CPP members reminded all Nkrumahists that while they were dragging their feet in their quest to form a united front, with others fighting over symbols, names and motto, other parties were making great strides in their membership drive.
He attributed the parochial interests, entrenched positions and the lack of love for a greater CPP by some leading members of the parties as the main bane of the talks.
He said what was required was personalities with ideologies which could form a vehicle that would appeal to people to perceive the party as one in serious business, ready to be voted for to form a government.
Dr Antwi-Danso, who also lectures at the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA) of the University of Ghana, described some of the current leadership of the PNC and the CPP, involved in the unity talks, as people with rigid mentality.
He suggested that since the National Executive Committee of the CPP was not conclusive on the unity talks, the best thing to do was for the leadership to subject the talks to congress.
He said when the congress had decided on the way forward, the party would then be more focused, and put behind it the talks which had stalled its forward march for well over 10 years.
Dr Antwi-Danso reminded those ‘fighting’ over symbols and motto that Dr Hilla Liman won an election when the symbol, motto and the name of the CPP were banned through the instrumentality of visionary and enterprising leadership of Mr Imoro Egala and others.
He said Dr Liman was never an Nkrumahist, he stood on the ticket of another party against Mr Egala but Mr Egala realising his potential to win an election, brought Dr Liman to lead the PNP which was an Nkrumahist offspring, into victory.
He said that move did not divide their front.
Source: Daily Graphic
