THE FORMER Minister of Education in the NDC regime, Mr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has stated that after his party had lost the elections and found themselves in the opposition, he has personally realized that it is not easy to stay in the opposition.

We are actually in hell now so we must find a way of gaining freedom to heaven, he said, while addressing the Central Regional delegates congress of the party in Cape Coast last Saturday.

The former minister, however, blamed his own people for allowing their great party to find itself in the opposition through the activities and behaviour of some of them, adding that they are all feeling the heat since as opposition party they have no ministers and DCEs to approach for help when the need arises.

According to Spio Garbrah, the party has now realized those who were actually committed members and those who were not when they were in power.

He said for instance, when the 2000 elections reached its peak, and bullets were being fired from all angles, some of them were left in the battle front to face the music whilst others also distanced themselves.

The former minister further said even now some of the people they know have been on their side when the party was in power have either distanced themselves or kept mute in the face of the difficulties they are going through.

He further told the well-attended congress that in order to avoid this mistake where people would be voted for when, as a matter of fact, they do not have the party at heart, they must try and vote for people who are battle-ready and also prepared to sacrifice to ensure the return of the party to power in the next general elections.

Spio-Garbrah, one-time Ghana's ambassador to the US, also expressed concern about the way the Central Region, the home of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, NDC presidential candidate in the last elections, betrayed their own man by voting against him.

"In so doing many thought they were voting against Mills without knowing that it was NDC that they were rather voting against," he added.

The former presidential staffer in charge of PVOs, Nii Boye Adjei Sekan, on his part, said NDC was formed with people who came from different political traditions, therefore, they would be fighting themselves but said in all these cases, the supreme interest of the party must always be considered first.

"We must also try and find out whether what we are saying or doing would bring disgrace or embarrassment to the party," he said, adding that NDC as a party is ready to offer alternative solution, to the problems confronting the country hence their decision to organise themselves and get ready for the 2004 elections.

"I want to assure you that a new political tradition, the Rawlings tradition, has come to stay in the politics of the country so let us all help to ensure that it stays for ever," he said.

Dr. Ato Quarshie, MP for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo, who won a landslide victory over Mr. V. S. Akyianu, the former Central Regional Minister, to become the new regional chairman of the party, promised to bring feuding parties together and also work hard to ensure victory for the party in the 2004 elections.