General News of Friday, 18 July 2008

Source: GNA

RPD elects flag bearer on August 2

Accra, July 18, GNA - The Reformed Patriotic Democrats has fixed August 2, for its maiden Special National Delegates' Congress to elect a flag bearer and national executives at Kumasi Polytechnic. The congress on the general theme: "Youth in Service for Development," would elect National Chairman and two deputies, General Secretary, Treasurer, Organiser, Women and Youth Organiser, Mr Francis Kyei, Acting General Secretary, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday.

He said the party, since obtaining its final certificate about three months ago, had organised all regional congresses to elect executives in fulfilment of the Political Parties Law.

Mr Kyei said about five people including two women had picked nomination forms to contest the party's flag bearer slot, while scores of others had shown interest in various positions on the national executive.

He said RPD associates with the global wind of change for young leadership to lead the nation to the "promised land".

"The most important thing we will deal with if given the mandate to govern the nation is first to modernise and expand agric and effectively work towards making the northern sector the food basket of the nation. "We shall improve education by first streamlining the curriculum to spell out the academic progression to give hope to the polytechnic graduate who after completing school does not even know whether to seek job which may not be available or continue education for lack of employment.," he said.

Mr. Kyei said RPD would improve the economy by investing in industry to complement or better still improve the commercial nature of the economy which made it fragile and always at the mercy of other stronger economies which strength lay in industrialisation.

"This, when done would create jobs for skills and also help add value to our produce to guarantee higher yield on the international market," he said.

He emphasised: "Of all the good plans we have in growing the economy the most important is to improve the lives of the people by ensuring good health and payment of better salaries especially to teachers.

"We assure Ghanaians that good governance shall be our hallmark and all efforts shall be made to redeem the trust in the legislature to prevent the vices in society like instant justice and corrupt practices.

"We believe the increased spate of robberies result from lack of jobs as 'the devil finds job for idle hands'.. RPD stands for the alternative we have all been waiting for; enough of the cacophony of the old parties that derail our attention from national development."