Regional organisers of the NPP met me to discuss the way forward for the party recently. At that meeting I explained why I want to lead the party.
My experience in business and politics provides the background to my decision to be the flag bearer for the NPP, the party I love so much.
I really want to change the culture of the party and reinvigorate its winning spirit to get the party into government, come 2016. In 22 years, between 1992 and 2014, there have been six general elections, granting six clear opportunities for NPP to win elections and form the government but we were successful only on two occasions.
What is even worse — the misfortune of being in perpetual opposition has been treated as nothing more than a staging opportunity in self-aggrandisement for the few who profit in self-promotion and popularity at the expense of the election misfortunes of the Party (NPP). They then, turn round to blame others.
NPP in government from 2000 – 2008 had a strategy to raise Ghana’s national performance by promoting the private sector, improving the workings of markets through deregulation and fair competition policy; and effectively controlling inflation.
Not many people were more committed to this programme than I was. And I believe destiny beckons that I play an important role with a more comprehensive and dynamic strategy to attract floating voters to vote for the NPP in 2016. There appears to be too little understanding of just how far down NPP has slipped in votes between 2008 and 2012.
From the levels of dominating and winning almost seven regions out of the 10 regions in 2004, we now have only the Ashanti and Eastern regions, and the statistics keep declining. We must put a stop to this and reverse the trend.
The reality in this matter should not become emotive. The challenge is for the party to change direction and explain frankly what happened over the years – 2008 and 2012. We must understand that if we continue to do the same things in the same way; no matter how many times it is done we achieve the same result. Failure and disappointment!
Indeed, we have to change attitudes and replace the traditional conservative view that ‘we are doing fine let us just hold on for a while longer,’ with a realistic appraisal of our operating performance against our arch political opponent. In plain truth, a greater commitment is needed and the solution is to find the right person to lead the party to victory in 2016.
This right person, I can assure you, is Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen.
In a letter such as this, it is not possible to cover every salient point that I intend to introduce to rebuild our party (NPP) and ultimately win the Presidency of Ghana one touch. In fact, space can only allow me to list just one major policy decision each for the party (NPP) and the country.
For the party, I shall introduce an immediate reward system for all party workers to receive salary and appropriate campaign training to ensure clear victory in 2016. Whereas, for the country, my main pre-occupation will be my flagship ambition of promoting industrialisation in Ghana where the government will initiate and build industries and then hand them over to private entrepreneurs who are better managers than the government, to take over and run.
Indeed, if delegates will put their trust in me and elect me as the 2016 flag-bearer, I promise in return to win the presidency one touch. Of this, I am so convinced. After all, day in day out, in all these years the party has been anxiously waiting to win the presidency and not just to inflate personal egos of individuals.
