Put country first - NDC charges youth

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has charged the youth of the party to put the country rather than their parochial interest first.

He said while it was good to be ambitious in optimising themselves, that must not be done at the expense of the well-being of Ghanaians.

He made these remarks when he addressed youth leaders of the party at the Youth Wing Retreat in Accra on the theme: "Building the Ghana we want, the role of the youth."

Values

Addressing the group, the General Secretary encouraged the participants to emulate and be inspired by the values and principles exhibited by some illustrious leaders of Ghana, whose contribution to the country's destiny has proved to be defining.

"Take inspiration from Kwame Nkrumah's love for nation and continent, Jerry Rawlings' courage of conviction and adaptability, Prof. Evans Atta Mills' servant leadership and John Mahama's posterity-defining leadership," he said.

Mr Kwetey also bemoaned the tendency of some youth to discount conviction and character and instead place more value on convenience and the acquisition of wealth without regard to principles.

"We in the NDC love the poor but we do not hate the rich," he said.

He explained that the party believed that every effort must be made to lift the people of Ghana, including NDC members, out of poverty.

 "Unlike people who believe that wealth is just about how much you can acquire for the sake of itself, we believe that the reason for wealth is how to use it to bring genuine social justice and fellow feeling in the society,” he added.

Ambitions

Mr Kwetey noted that “Ghana as a country has ambitions to become the beacon of hope for other countries.

There is nothing wrong with having ambition to be wealthy but pursuing it blindly at all cost to the detriment of the people is wrong."

"We want a nation of wealth but from citizens who place value on character.

That is what this party was for and what this party must continue to stand for," he said.

He urged the youth not to forget that the party represented the political hope of the country.

Mr Kwetey admonished them to exhibit good examples as that was the only way they could go out to convince others that the NDC was Ghana's hope.

"The pursuit of character will give you the stamina for longevity in political leadership," he concluded.