... after December 2008 poll and the rise of CPP Young Progressives.

Surveys conducted across the country have come to the same conclusion that the December 2008 elections will propel Convention Peoples Party (CPP) as real kingmakers in a hung Parliament. Both NPP and the opposition NDC could end up with almost identical number of seats in a hung parliament. Analysing findings of surveys conducted between January 2008 and September 2008 by all the major polling organisations in Ghana, this writer argues that neither the New Patriotic Party nor the New Democratic Congress would be in a position to form the next government, thus they will be forced to look for support from CPP. The resurgence of CPP is eating into the NPP and NDC heartlands. CPP has turned those heartlands into battle grounds. There are no “no go areas” for CPP, as the huge crowds at rallies in Ashanti and Volta regions attest to.

The analysis predicts that in the permutations and combinations that would pan out post December 2008 elections, the CPP would play a crucial role in every conceivable scenario. Kwaku Nkansah, one of CPP young rising stars and prospective candidate for Offinso North constituency, when contacted for his views “if there is a hung parliament”, stated that “CPP will work for the supremacy of the Constitution, independence of the judiciary and rule of law”. Another young progressive CPP prospective parliamentary candidate, Lawyer Ben Attah-Hayford said “the December 2008 elections would be Ghanaian’s opportunity to decide their future”.

Ben Attah Hayford stated that, “the re-written 7 Year Development Plan that sets out the criteria for the success of strategies for sustainable development is not negotiable”, stressing that the development plan is designed to “bring widespread improvements to hospitals, transportation, schools, enable and facilitate public and private sector job creation, including major infrastructure projects, reform of the banking and insurance sector and drastic land reforms”.

Kwaku Nkansah said the scale of investment in the 7 Year Development Plan is “without precedent” He said CPP Young Progressives will ensure every money earmark for any project is accounted for, without exception. He said over the last 2 decades Ghana has suffered high unemployment and chronic emigration of her skill professionals, which he finds very distressing. He said CPP will invest more in roads and rail links between the south and the north, low cost housing in every region and a university of Agriculture and school of medical sciences for Volta Region. Kwaku said the 7 Year Development Plan is designed to be responsive to external factors (the current financial meltdown) and regional imperatives. He further stated that very few of the previous development plans were implemented over their planned timeframes due to ineptitude and corruption at the heart of government. He stated emphatically that under the incoming CPP administration, “there will be no room for corruption or corrupt officials”.

The transformation that would be delivered under the 7 Year development Plan would turn Ghana into a dynamic and prosperous economy to surpass the 1990s “Miracle years” according to Ben Hayford.

Ben said the deep difference between the NPP and NDC have created a scenario wherein voting for CPP is the only option to save the country from degenerating into chaos. He said the threat of undermining Ghana’s infant democracy by the two parties has presented CPP with a golden opportunity to wrestle power and move the country into the path of growth. Ben said a large segment of the voters are angry with rise in basic food stuff and utilities and high unemployment and are waiting for CPP to come and create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth. He said growing up in the 1980s he saw the devastation the debt crisis cause to his country and stated, “The 1980s was significant to my country in many ways. The large migration of our skill professionals and expulsion of our nationals to the homeland illustrated our nakedness in development issues”. He said the widespread hunger we are seeing now shows how NPP and NDC have failed the nation overtime and both must be banished to the margins of politics”.

Ironically, unlike NPP and NDC which are dominated by old and tired politicians of yester year whose ideas are outdated, CPP is dominated by both experience - Papa Kwesi Nduom, Abu Sakara, Agyeman Badu Akosah, Vladimir Entwi Danso, Mike Eghan, Nii Moi Thompson among others, and youth – Kosi Dedey, Ben Attah Hayford, Kwaku Nkansah, James Bomfeh and others. The can do attitude of these young progressives and their drive in addressing the ongoing social disparities between groups and regions is phenomenal.

Kosi Dedey, speaking on social justice said, “Our goal is to transform our country through equitable distribution, decent low cost housing for folks, better schools , good health care, better sanitation, electricity for every home, access to water and involvement of the youth, women and workers in key leadership positions. We will involve the communities in key decision making; give them the opportunity to take responsibility and make meaningful contributions towards nation building. We will not call Ghanaian people lazy, because they are not. We will facilitate and promote job creation to ensure the citizens of Ghana are gainfully employed”.

Unlike their older folks, the CPP Young Progressives seek into involve all sections of the community in nation building. According to Kwaku Nkansah, as Young CPP Progressives, they believe in solving problems and breaking away from the false divisive tribal politics of NPP and NDC. Like their counterparts in other parts of the world, CPP Young Progressives are free of ideological structures that have been the bane of others. The CPP Young Progressives core believes is to promote fairness and opportunity for all. Ben said at the end of the 7 Year Development Plan, Ghana’s per capita income of $400 to day will be $6000, with all the human development indices lower than many countries on the continent. He said “our development will surpass that of Malaysia during their economic miracle years”.

Peter Jeffrey

Sekondi