In a move to close its ranks and make it a much stronger political party, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has inaugurated a number of committees to help effectively run the party’s affairs.
Alas President John Mahama who is likely to be endorsed as the 2016 flagbearer of the party and his Vice President, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur and other top brass government officials learned their support for the process by making strong their presence at the Adabraka headquarters of the ruling party yesterday, May 13.
The committees set up in a reconciliatory manner have membership drawn from Parliament and from aspirants to the party’s high offices who were defeated in past internal electoral processes.
The General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia (also known as General Mosquito) who joined the Chairman, Kofi Portuphy to inaugurate the committees earlier this week, explained that strict measures have been put in place to ensure discipline and cooperation among members.
The move in the ruling party is coming at a time when its main rival, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is almost disintegrating due to serious power-plays and struggle for control of the party by the various power blocs in the party.
The biggest opposition party (the NPP) is caught up in a vicious struggle between two main conflicting power bases: the Ashanti bloc- reportedly spearheaded by ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Akyem bloc headed by the current flagbearer of the party, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Critics have cited this serious internal rift in the NPP as a main recipe for their potentially losing the forthcoming 2016 Presidential election again to their more organized rivals (the NDC).
According to the NDC General Secretary, the decision to set up various committees tasked with the running of the ruling party is to give virtually every member a feel of responsibility towards the strengthening of the party. Indeed, for the first time in the party’s history, the committee has afforded NDC Members of Parliament direct responsibilities of ensuring the effective running of the party.
“…as a member of the party, you are a resource that is available for use within the party so the party takes a decision to use you one way or the other so in the past, if you were being used as general secretary and now you are no longer a general secretary, it doesn’t make you less of a party member – you are given another assignment,” General Mosquito stated.
“Even when you take our constitution, you will see that there are certain roles that are assigned to people with that type of experience, ” he emphasized.
According to the General Secretary, “Some of the members of the committee are sympathizers of the party and they have agreed to support us. You will realize that some of these brains are on the economic committee so we invite them because of their expertise.”
Key among the committees is the Economic Committee which will be chaired by Vice President Amissah-Arthur with other members being, Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, the CEO of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Sylvester Mensah.
The other committees are the Communication Committee, Election Committee, and Social Services Committee.
Some of the members in the Communication Committee are former National Security Minister, Kofi Totobi Kwakye, Communications Minister, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Agric Minister, Fifi Kwetey and Trades Minister, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.
The National Organizer of the NDC, Kofi Adams, former National Organizer, Yaw Boateng Gyan, Member of Parliament for Gomoa Central, Rachel Appoh, among others will serve under the Election Committee.
The Social Services Committee has persons such as Transport Minister, Dzifa Ativor, Gender Minister, Nana Oye Lithur, former Education Minister, Lee Ocran and Minister-designate for Health, Alex Segbefia.
