Mr Alhassan Yakubu Talli, chairman of the New Patriotic Party[NPP] in the German state of NRW was at the weekend elected National Vice-Chairman of the party following the resignation of Mr Mensah, on health grounds.
Mr Yakubu Talli an Investment Banker and the son of the late NPP stalwart, Tolon Naa, Alhaji Yakubu Talli was unanimously voted to that position over the weekend
In his acceptance speech, Mr Yakubu Talli thanked members for the trust and confidence reposed in him and promised to work hard to ensure victory for the party in 2012.According to him, the NPP is his political home and recalled that his father the late Tollon Naa along side Chief S.D Dombo,Kabachewura, J A Braimah , Imoro Salifu and others were the founding members of the Northern People’s Congress which subsequently merged with the United Party[UP] to which the NPP proudly traces its roots.
He urged members to work hard to ensure victory in 2012 and said the stakes are too high for Ghana to get it wrong the second time.
Mr Yakubu Talli pointed out that developments in the country since President Mills took over the Presidency bear ample testimony to the fact that the law Professor neither has the vision nor the capacity to deliver the Better Ghana Agenda he promised Ghanaians and attributed the abysmal failure of the NDC government to the inability of the President to provide leadership for the country.
In contrast, Ghana under the leadership of President JA Kuffour was more focused, forward looking and with a sense of purpose and direction. This Mr Yakubu Talli stressed were reflected in the social intervention programmes put in place all of which are unfortunately being deliberately destroyed by a government that has nothing to offer Ghanaians.
H e was very critical of the NDC government accusing it of being insensitive to the plight of ordinary Ghanaians and bemoaned the recent tax increases, the ever rising cost of living and the high incidence of lawlessness among NDC supporters.
On corruption the 42 year old Investment Banker expressed concern about the massive levels of corruption in government circles, party officials and functionaries and warned that these act constitute a serious threat to our democracy and ability to deliver needed services to the ordinary people. He disclosed the government cannot meet its revenue targets because vast amounts of taxes end up in the private accounts of corrupt government and party officials.
He explained that for an economy looking for growth tax reduction and not increases is a fundamental policy that any prudent government should implement as being done in most developed and emerging economies. Tax increases he argued should target the super rich and not the ordinary people who are barely struggling to survive.
Touching on the party’s principle of property owning democracy, Mr Yakubu Talli said the party need to do more in explaining the concept to the people and added that ownership and democracy is about people and hence the need to engage ordinary people in the discourse.According to him property owning democracy is about creating an enabling environment, efficient health system,relevant educational system,fair opportunitiesn that would release the energies of the citizens to realise their God given potentials.Property in this context should not be limited to tangible properties but should encompass the acquisition of knowledge, skills and expertise.
Mr Yakubu Talli reminded the Diaspora Branches of the Party of their obligation to resource the party in the upcoming elections and pledged to laise with other chapters across Europe to coordinate their fund raising activities.
He thanked the German Chapter for the pledge to support him as he prepares to contest the Primaries in his home town of Tollon and appealed to the German Chapter to adopt that constituency.
According to him the constituency has always sent an NDC candidate to parliament since the beginning of the fourth Republic but remains one of the most deprived areas in the Northern Region.
He paid tribute to the leadership of the party particularly the National chairman Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and Nana Addo Dankwa Akkufo Addo whom he described as the to lead Ghana out of the economic mess and social crisis into which the NDC under President Atta-Mills has plunged the country.