Ghana Votes

Thursday, October 17, 2013

PNC shelves early congress

The People's National Convention is shelving early congress to conclude unity talks agreement with the Convention People's Party. In line with this goal, the PNC is hoping to consummate the unity ties by November this year and proceed to develop a common road map to Election 2016.

Sharing some party insights with the Daily Graphic in an interview, the Chairman of the PNC, Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, expressed confidence that "this time round, we are so determined to achieve the unity deal within a limited time frame".

He disclosed that the PNC was also exploring the need to bring along the Progressive People's Party to become an integral part of the unity talks.

I sincerely hope they will come along, he told the Daily Graphic, and called on all like-minded supporters to rally behind the unity talks to achieve the set goals.

In the view of Alhaji Ramadan, the three parties need to garner aggregate votes.

"There may be certain sacrifices, but we need to do that if we mean well.

"At this stage, we are calling on members of the party to rally behind it," he stated.

PNC division

Concerning divisions within the PNC, Alhaji Ramadan argued that in every party, there were pockets of misunderstanding, but insisted that the PNC was not divided.

"Our general ranks are closed. We hold meetings and we are in touch with our executive members in the regions," he stated.

We are doing everything possible to unite the few individuals who were at loggerheads during our last national delegates congress, he told the Daily Graphic.

"It started during the congress," Alhaji Ramadan recalled and said "I thought it would die out easily but it festered on. I made it a project and I am happy to say that today, there is peace within the party."

In the view of Alhaji Ramadan, internal contest among party members should not bring divisions, and disclosed that all were ready to lay down their tools for unity.

From now on, we will engage ourselves primarily to engage the CPP and PPP to work together towards Election 2016.

"We are also visiting the constituencies to strengthen them. We are staying in touch with our people so that things can work better," Alhaji Ramadan stated.

PNC's stunted growth

"I am happy that the party still exists," Alhaji Ramadan declared when he was asked why the party was not growing as expected. The PNC, which takes it roots from the People's National Party under the presidency of Dr Hilla Limann (1979-1981), has been around since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1992. It currently has a lone member in Parliament.

The PNC chairman, however, indicated that he was not happy that the party was not growing the way it should. He called on the Ghanaian electorate to be proud of PNC as a modest party.

"The party still has a future, he stated, and pointed out that those who left the party because they were not happy were now returning to its fold.

"I hope we will maintain peace and unity in the party," he stressed.

Limann legacy

According to Alhaji Ramadan, the nation had not been fair to the late former President Hilla Limann.

"I want the nation to look at what Limann stood for. The founder of the PNC was virtually a pauper, simple and modest. He led a simple life and was ever ready to contribute his widow's mite to improve the lives of others," he told the Daily Graphic.

Extolling his virtues, Alhaji Ramadan said Dr Limann was determined to see the upgrading of poor people in society and sought to bridge the gap between the north and the south.

"In Dr Limann's mindset, nobody should play a subordinate role, and each should be his or her neighbour's keeper," Alhaji Ramadan recalled.

As the President of the country, Alhaji Ramadan also pointed out; Dr Limann showed integrity and modesty in all his endeavours and lived a clean life, an example worthy of emulation by all other political leaders.

He insisted that "We, members of the PNC fraternity, are keeping faith with him and the party he suffered to establish. When you hear PNC, the name Limann resonates with it and we are very happy for that".

He said though a hall of residence had been named after him at the University of Ghana, Legon, and a senior high school complex built in his honour in his home town, these were not enough to honour him.

"More needs to be done and we want the image of Limann to be enhanced and uplifted," Alhaji Ramadan appealed.

Governance Issue

Concerning what the party was doing in between elections, Alhaji Ramadan stated that "We want to play a neutral role in governance and work to ensure unity for the nation".

He gave the assurance that the PNC would criticise government actions and policies when it was necessary.

Our foremost consideration to criticise is to build the nation and not to destroy it.

The PNC has one member in Parliament, and according to Alhaji Ramadan, he will continue to work hard on the side of the majority to deepen good governance in the country.

"We will continue to advise him on party policies to ensure that he stays focused in Parliament and works in the interest of his constituents," he stated.

Looking forward

According to Alhaji Ramadan, the PNC was looking for the opportunity to come into governance to implement its prudent policies for the wellbeing of the nation.

He said the party had evolved and generated many policy programmes that had been implemented by other governments, including the National Health Insurance idea, improving school feeding content and the idea of a ministry for women."

"Ghanaians should give us the opportunity to serve the nation,' Alhaji Ramadan stated, and stressed that "We want people to bear in mind that whatever good thinking we have about the nation, we will share it with Ghana."

We believe in free education and stand by it.

On the Heritage Fund, Alhaji Ramadan said it would best serve Ghanaians when it was used to improve the human resource of the country, saying, "Keeping it for the future use is not the best."

Alhaji Ramadan expressed the hope that all the social interventions being implemented would not collapse but be sustained.


Source: Daily Graphic

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