‘There is disconnect between grass roots and leadership’
An aspiring Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Stephen Akwetey, has observed that there is a disconnect between the grass roots and the leadership of the party in the region.
He has, therefore, assured party supporters that when elected regional chairman, he will reconnect the leadership of the party to the grass roots.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic after his vetting on Tuesday, he said “there is a certain level of despondency within the party in the region, and as chairman, I will walk the talk by becoming accessible and use goodwill to soothe the pains of the grass roots.”
He complained that the current leadership seemed not to be accessible and that when the grass roots visited them they sent them away, saying “the party is not a charity home.”
In his view, this had caused a lot of pain among the grass roots, which the next leadership of the party must endeavour to use its goodwill to address and bring all into the mainstream politics of the party.
This, according to Mr Akwetey, required a level-headed person like him to steer the affairs of the party to give the grass roots the recognition they deserved.
He said it was sad that some leaders, when voted into power, became inaccessible, saying “we cannot go into the 2016 election and compete effectively with such attitude.”
He said for the NDC to win a swing region like the Greater Accra, it required a chairman who was selfless and dedicated.
“This is what I bring to the party and as a member of the cadre group, my loyalty to the NDC is unquestionable and I am very dedicated to the cause of the party,” he stated.
Strategies
He said if given the nod, he was going to roll out programmes with the understanding that the entire rank and file would work in unity and with purpose to win the presidential and parliamentary elections in 2016.
He said apart from retaining the party in power, various entrepreneurial ventures would be championed in the region to create job opportunities for the youth.
He, therefore,urged the delegates to not allow themselves to be bought by candidates who merely distributed items to spite them, saying that they should elect candidates based on realistic offers that would have lasting effect on their livelihood.
