NPP primary not about individual ambitions:Alan
Mr Alan John Kwadjo Kyerematen, one of the three persons contesting the flag-bearer position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has said today’s presidential primary of the party is not about an individual ambition to become president at all costs, but about electing someone who can move the country forward from poverty to prosperity by creating wealth for the people.
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He said it was time for the party to elect a leader who could help move the majority of the people, particularly the youth, from joblessness to decent employment and give a voice to women and support them to benefit from their talents.
“We must elect a leader who understands that the wealth of a nation is not created by the government but the private sector, businessmen and women, mainly those who run small businesses and are prepared to risk their savings and capital to create wealth for others to share,” he stated.
At a press conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Kyerematen called on NPP delegates to elect a leader “who is selfless and can win votes not only at the general election from the NPP members and sympathisers but also from floating voters and members of other parties.”
Mr Kyerematen stated this when he articulated his four-priority agenda and vision to be prosecuted if the delegates offered him the opportunity to be the flag bearer during the party’s congress today.
He stated that for losing two consecutive elections in 2008 and 2012, the NPP should note that “obviously” NPP votes alone could not bring us to power and I believe that my attraction as a candidate is that I can pull votes from floating voters as well as non-NPP party members, particularly the youth.”
“It is, therefore, time for the delegates to focus on electing a flag bearer who is prepared to serve and will eventually become president,” he said.
According to him, as a long-time advocate of grass-roots executives, he had visited all the 275 constituency branches of the party and told them that he believed constituency, electoral and polling station executives were critical to the party’s agenda to win the 2016 general election.
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He, therefore, assured the party delegates that he would provide funds, motorbikes and bicycles as means of transport for them, particularly the polling station, electoral area coordinators and constituencies, to use for their party activities.
“These motorbikes and bicycles will be registered in their personal names so that even after serving their terms as party executives, they will have them as their personal property and as rewards for serving the party,” he said.
Besides, Mr Kyerematen pledged to ensure that all party executives received their campaign funds directly through mobile money transfers and that those who wanted to serve full time for the party “shall receive full salaries at the end of every month.”
“Every constituency shall have decent and well-furnished office and means of transport to carry out their party activities. These measures I propose are not meant to induce any favour, but our party executives deserve support to enable them to be efficient,” he stated.
Sacrificing ambition
He urged the delegates of the party to focus on electing a flag bearer who had demonstrated clearly that he had the capacity to bring people together and had “a record of landmark efforts that has brought unity into our party.
“I made a sacrifice to not contest [the results] in 2008 for the sake of unity of our party but to support Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo without any condition to become his running mate”.
He reminded the delegates to vote for a flag bearer who could win votes in the NPP stronghold, Ashanti Region, and at the same time increase the party’s votes “in the stronghold of our opponent, NDC, in the Volta Region. This is a political formula that always works regardless.”
He pointed out that so far, NPP votes had been declining in the Ashanti and Volta regions and that “I am convinced I can reverse this trend if I am elected a flag bearer who can actually do the job well.”
‘Choose the best’
He acknowledged that while all the three constants for the NPP’s flag-bearer position had excellent records, the delegates must scrutinise candidates that had acquired exposure in their chosen field or profession.