Part 1 of 3

Political parties must learn to play a meaningful role in the building of a new prosperous Ghana. They must present Presidential candidates who have a vision and the ability to dream. Such a leader, so chosen must know where he is taking the nation and how to get there. As goes the President, so goes the nation. The most important duty of a political party is to choose the right leaders for a nation. It is against the backdrop of this fact that this author finds himself according the highest respect to Dr. Arthur Kennedy, a leading NPP youth organizer, for initiating a party pledge for NPP which, we believe, must become a model for all African countries. The pledge is reproduced below:

"I hereby acknowledge that holding office in this party or its government is not a right but a privilege and freely take on the following obligations in return.

1. I pledge to serve diligently and honestly and show humility in my dealings with the public.

2. I pledge to search my party family constantly for qualified persons to honor and to trust with responsibility.

3. I pledge fairness to all and an insistence on competence and integrity from all.

4. I pledge never to bring dishonor to this party in whose name I serve and to care for its members as long as I serve.

5. I pledge that in all my conduct, I shall strive to exceed standards required by law.

6. I pledge to fight for my party?s principles, policies and programs guided by the directive principles of state policy as enshrined in the constitution.

7. I pledge that if my conduct or reputation should make me a liability to this party, I shall resign or failing that expects to be removed by my colleagues.

8. I pledge to put this party ahead of everything except for my God and my Country.

Signature: Witness ? ________________________________ _________ (Kennedy 2005)

A party pledge such as this when adopted and enforced can save Africa billions of dollars of taxpayer?s money annually. At the present time, there are hardly any credible mechanisms to check the African political elites against looting of the people?s money. The African President, after being elected has no limitations as to what he can do. Alienating and creating distance between the Presidency and the people seems to be the norm in Africa. This must stop!! Africans must begin to hold their political leaders accountable for those goals upon which they sought election. Anything less is a breach of the trust reposed in them and they MUST be asked to resign.

It is almost time for Ghana?s next presidential and parliamentary elections. Yet we still have not had any opportunity to see the agenda of the various parties and their candidates. Rather than spending the time to write out a business plan or an agenda for 2008 the political parties are now engaging in the typical bickering and in fighting for positions. They are going to wait and hope to get to the Castle before they start formulating a plan which may never materialize and then chaos sets in and everyone begins; one does his or her own thing in a most disjointed manner. What is even sadder and most pathetic is the fact that key positions are hijacked by some unimaginative sleeping minds who only are known for the amount they contribute. Suffice it to say that it is the same old faces that are being featured all the time to the detriment of national progress.

Ghana today has two main de facto political parties, NDC and NPP. Rather than hearing these parties working on a vision and an agenda for Ghana, what we hear of is the old folks fighting for positions. The NDC is now torn between Rawlings and Obed Asamoah. Rawlings is doing everything he can to choose his own candidate as the so called father of the NDC party. For NPP Kufour is doing all he can to pick a crony and a like-minded ?old boy? to continue from where he is about to leave off. Would you want a person who has been in several auto accidents in the last year to give you driving tips? Unfortunately that is precisely what is going on inside Ghana politics.

This author believes Ghana should look for new agenda and new faces and not settle for the status quo. It is disgusting for these parties to continually sing the praises of personalities like Rawlings, Kufour and others who had not done anything compelling for the nation just to get a nomination.

This author is challenging all our political parties to present us with independent thinking candidates who have a vision and a dream for Ghana. The new breed of politicians must be encouraged to phase out the old. At best, the old guard should remain in the background in an advisory position.

At this point in the political process we should be hearing the policies of the parties not stories like who has the most charisma or "mojo"; ?who is sleeping with whom? and so on and so forth. It is high time for Ghana to learn to plan and stop blaming everything on the devil when we are found wanting. We must plan properly, if we want to succeed. This article, (one of a series of three) seeks to empower political parties, especially the NPP and NDC and also challenge them to stand up to save the nation by encouraging and featuring the right, honest and ?virgin? candidates in 2008.

Charity begins at home and planning on an agenda and vision for 2008 MUST begin today. Stop telling us stories and pointing fingers; drop the politics of bickering and in-fighting and BLAMING THE DEVIL and focus on planning based on solid ideas.