BY Prince Komla Bansah

I have followed with keen interest recent negative internal developments within the National Democratic Congress (NDC). The most recent of such developments is the comment made by the Ashanti Regional Chairman Mr.Owusu Obimbeh at the Peduase Lodge where the President met with some sections of the party leadership to discuss issues regarding his official tour to the Northern Region.

At that meeting, Mr. Owusu Obimpeh castigated former President Rawlings saying that ‘”he is no more a force within the NDC nor within the political history of Ghana and that President Mills is now the most popular personality in the party’’. This statement is serious and smacks of irresponsibility and hypocrisy. First of all, it is important to ask what was the motive behind such a statement, especially when former President Rawlings was not at that meeting. Again, it is important to ask whether Mr Owusu Obimpeh made such comments out of mischievousness or his statement was intended to win the favour of President Mills to satisfy his stomach.

It is sad that instead of our leaders setting an example so they can reprimand youth who will made such comments against leadership, some leaders rather set bad examples. If anyone is dividing this party of ours today along factions, then it should be people like Mr. Obimpeh who make such derogatory statements about members of the party to satisfy their parochial interests.

Former President Rawlings founded the NDC as stated in our constitution and we have all along recognized that as a fact. It is also true that every sitting president is a popular figure in any state and President Mills is not an exception. Again it also true that President Atta Mills is the leader of the party in government but this does not take away the fact that former President Rawlings remains the founder and a strong force and indeed the backbone of the success and progress of the party all these years.

As a political party, we should be promoting and fostering unity among members and not using the ‘’imperialist tactics of divide and conquer as Mr. Owusu is doing. I personally feel sad as a member of the party who takes inspiration from the charisma of the founder to hear such uncomplimentary and divisive comments coming from no other person than the Ashanti regional chairman of the party. A party founded by the same person he is castigating.

I wonder the kind of leadership examples Mr Owusu is inculcating into the youth of the party in the Ashanti Region with such preposterous and unsupportive comments. As a member of the NDC, I can confidently say that the electorate gave us the mandate to rule because of the relentless efforts of former President Rawlings in the 2008 campaign and the opposition New Patriotic Party is aware of this. The founding fathers of the NPP who died several years ago are even remembered and acknowledged how much more we that are lucky to have our founding father with us?

I am therefore calling on President Mills knowing the relationship that existed between him and his former boss, and having witnessed the declaration of him by former President Rawlings as the only one to wear his’’ shoes’, to condemn such comments from Mr. Obimpeh in no uncertain terms.

The party leadership at this moment must call the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party to order for making comments that have the tendency of dividing the party along factional lines. Mr Obimpeh should in his own interest render an unqualified apology to the founder of the party for making such derogatory comments.

Let me end by saying that it is a total joke for anyone to claim he loves the NDC party but hates the founder.

GOD BLESS OUR GREAT PARTY THE NDC.

PRINCE KOMLA BANSAH NDC COMMUNICATION TEAM (NORTHERN REGION) POLITICAL SCIENCE STUDENT UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON PHONE NUMBER: 0246376939 EMAIL: princebansah@ymail.com