Cape Coast, Nov. 10, GNA - A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has cautioned members and supporters of the party, to approach the impending internal democratic process to elect new leaders with circumspection and a sense of mission.

Mr Kojo Alata said whilst the main opposition party was pursuing a constitutional mandate needed to keep the NPP on track, there was the need to forge a united front for the 2012 general election. He said the upcoming election of new executives and flagbearer for the party should not lead to the divisive tendency of tagging the contenders as belonging to "camp A or camp B".

Mr Alata who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency an interview, in Cape Coast on Tuesday said: "From polling station executives to the flagbearer elections, the NPP is about to either break into a new order where control of the party's destiny will fall into the hands of a younger generation of dynamic leaders or remain in the arms of septuagenarian politicians embarking on self-perpetuation."

"What does the party need now? The party needs to regroup and re-assert itself under a new management. Whilst the older generation of party leaders is looking for ways to remain in control of affairs, it is also prudent to realize that the future of the party will depend on what happens now and that means a new generation must take control of affairs," he said. Mr. Alata said although most of the 'old guards' seem to be campaigning for a particular presidential aspirant for the 2012 elections, the NPP is also confronted with the new and compelling reality to elect a leader who represents the aspirations of the large army of enthusiastic and youthful supporters of the party.

He said the objective was necessary for a popular party that was eager to win power in 2012 and usher in a new era of the party's vision for Ghana's development.

"Ghana today needs inspiring, humble, competent and pacifist leaders with strong moral values."

Mr. Alata said the NPP must find a candidate who best fit this mould and present him or her to Ghanaians.

"The choice facing the NPP now is between the new guard and the old guard and posterity will not forgive the party for ignoring the obvious choice. "The time and season is favouring people with fresh blood and new ideas and no one can ignore the wheels of history. It happened in Britain where the Labour Party seized the right historic opportunity to capture power from the Conservative Tory Party.

"In the US, President Barack Obama sailed upon the same wind of change. The UGCC failed to appreciate the fact that the future was NOW, leading to the breakaway of Dr Kwame Nkrumah to form the Convention Peoples Party and the subsequent long struggle of the Danquah-Busia tradition to regain political dominance in post- colonial Ghana."

Mr. Alata said the NPP should be mindful that selecting a winning candidate is the ultimate objective of the day. It's not about anything else!

"If we (NPP) fail to select the suitable person as our flagbearer now, we run a serious risk of losing election 2012 and beyond." He noted that although the contest for the party's leadership positions is keen, it is not too late to market youthful and vibrant crop of leaders, who would appeal to the NPP in particular and floating voters in general. 10 Nov. 09