Leadership and Responsibility

First of all I would want to see the NPP family not discouraging divergent or dissenting voices within the home. We must all remain steadfast in tolerance- that hallowed doctrine which weeds the path of a free, principled and liberal society. The truth is that ever since the NPP lost power (or gave away power on a silver platter), any attempt to make inputs into the parties internal affairs has been hushed down by some party faithful, fearing that such inputs will bring "divisions and factionalism".

I know I have always been spot-on on issues. After all, why must I belong to NPP, a party that upholds internal democracy and also listens to critical voices and pens within? The Akans have an adage which says that when you see a bad thing in-between the thighs of your mother, it is not wrong for you to take it away with your "Moses Rod".

On my topic for today, I wish to say the best thing that ever happened to me is joining a group that share ideas on many issues. One of the issues discussed was leadership and responsibility vis-à-vis Ex-President Kufour’s statement that he was not responsible for NPP's loss of the last election. The arguments were varied.

It seems fairly obvious that no one can reasonably blame the outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso personally or alone for the Liberal Democratic Parties (LDP's) historic defeat in the just-ended elections in Japan. There are no doubt multiple and diverse reasons and explanations why the Japanese decided to send the LDP into opposition; many of these reasons have a longer history than the tenure of the outgoing Prime Minister. Yet, as the man on whose watch the LDP suffered its defeat, outgoing Prime Minister Aso did the responsible, statesmanlike and politically-correct thing by accepting responsibility for the party's loss and apologising to the party faithful and the nation for the disappointment.

In our case, there is no doubt that the last elections were fought both on the 8-year record of Kufuor's Presidency and on the candidacy of Nana-Addo. In a sense, then, the 2008 elections were simultaneously a referendum on Kufuor's 8-year stewardship and a vote on the suitability or likability of Nana Akufo-Addo. Some would even argue that it was more the former than the latter, after all Nana-Addo campaign explicitly on a promise of "continuity"--on continuing and building upon the Kufuor record.

Why, then, would President J.A. Kufuor publicly disclaim any responsibility for the NPP's defeat at the polls? Ex-President J. A. Kufuor, speaking to Kwaku Sekyi-Addo on TV3’s Kweku-One-On-One last Sunday, said to the best of his knowledge, intent and ability, he did his best to ensure that Nana Akufo-Addo won the said elections but the results of the polls proved otherwise.

He explained that, “democracy is not always rational”, and in many instances, voters support a candidate or a party for reasons based on sentiments rather than logic. “I would tell you that as a person, I do not feel responsible for it at all; I did my best for my party and my candidate but if the people decide to vote otherwise, I cannot be responsible for that”, Kufuor added.

This is like Bush saying that he had no responsibility whatsoever for the defeat of the Republicans in the 2008 United States elections. Sure, McCain was the candidate, and the quality of McCain's candidacy and his campaign cannot be absolved of some of the responsibility for his defeat. But, Sarah Palin and all of McCain's weaknesses notwithstanding, it would be rather odd to say the least, if Bush were to disclaim any responsibility for why the Republicans (not just McCain's Presidential bid) suffered a trouncing in November 2008 United States Elections.

Bush has been silent since the Republicans were defeated. Why? He is aware that he is despised by Americans of all political affiliation and there is no doubt that Bush will be remembered as one of the worst Presidents in the history of the United States. In fact he was a mediocre person with powerful supporters who used him as their front man to run the country, more aptly, to run the country into the ground.

If Kufuor cannot emulate the example of the outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Aso and accept his share of responsibility for the NPP's loss in 2008, and if he cannot maintain a statesman-like silence on this issue like Bush has done, then, for the sake of the NPP's internal unity and future prospects, he should not insist on his own piety thereby annoying the parties numerous supporters.

It seems obvious that President Kufuor cannot see himself as ever responsible for anything that happened to the NPP, other than the victory of the party in 2000 and 2004!

My Agenda for National Youth Organiser

Article 14 (b) of the Constitution of the New Patriotic Party states:

"The National Youth Wing is a special organ within the Party which promotes the policies and Programmes of the Party amongst the Youth. Its responsibilities are to:

i ) Recruit the Youth into membership of the Party;

ii) Cultivate the support of the Youth for the Party before and during elections.

iii) Raise public awareness about the problems facing the Youth, including falling educational standards and widespread unemployment;

iv) Promote policies that will realise the full potential of the Youth, including policies to improve the quality of education and to widen access of the Youth to quality education;

v) Oppose vigorously policies and practices that militate against the full development of the Youth;

vi) Establish branches of the Party in Second cycle and Tertiary Institutions of learning in all parts of the country;

vii) Create a nation-wide organisation within the Party to cater for the activities and interest of Young members.

The National Youth Wing shall have rules and regulations to govern its activities, including the election of its officers, which shall not be inconsistent with this Constitution.

The National Youth Organiser shall be a member of the National Executive Committee".

It is in the light of this, I have resolved to take up the responsibilities of the National Youth Organiser of our beloved party.

My Vision for NPP Youth:
My Vision is to build a corps of dedicated NPP Youth made up of Professionals, Workers, Students, Unemployed and Underprivileged who standing together united in a common understanding of and faith in the principles of our Liberal Democratic Philosophy will work to catapult out Great Party to the lofty heights of national dominance.

The Youth of NPP are faced with a situation of disillusionment and apathy. After a long struggle in the political wilderness, hopes high that our momentous victories in 2000 and 2004 would dramatically change things for all of us. This was not the case. The future of the NPP depends largely on its youth who were robust and willing to support the party's growth but were not allowed.

I however have a strong faith in the theory of Future Preference which holds that the future can and must be better than the present and that we all have a responsibility in making it so. I also hold the view that the effective role of the youth of our party in national development in the future depends on our development today. There is therefore the need to build a party that will consider and involve its youth when it comes to decision making and implementation.

The abilities and potential of the youth to mobilize support and to offer intellectual and physical contributions to the party has always been underrated and not recognized. I am of the conviction that the youth wing of NPP requires special attention. The youth's understanding and commitment to democracy and the ideals of our party has the capacity to provide a dependable stream of supporters and also provide a solid line of defence against other political parties. There must be a wakeup call for the youth wing to redefine and also carve a new image for itself. It must be made stronger and vibrant. The National Youth Organizer Position requires dynamism and I believe I have the disposition and the appropriate aptitude for the Job.

John Boadu, the current National youth organizer is a pillar of the youth wing and has endeared himself to many of us because of his infusion of dynamism and organisational acumen. It therefore calls for somebody who can keep the flame burning. Our present state as youth of the party calls for fresh ideas and leadership action, I promise the youth of NPP leadership that will exude the confidence and conviction that success is possible and attainable.

I intend to work towards ensuring that the Youth of NPP cultivate a strong character and integrity to enable us to always defend the truth even if everyone is against us. I will urge NPP Youth to continue to render selfless service to the party and also dream big and work out their dreams with determination, persistence and courage.

Although we the Youth of NPP are said to be inexperienced, I have a strong conviction we are full of enthusiasm, energy, freshness, excitement, adventure and new ideas. Since the old will not be there for the near future to take the mantle of leadership, there is every justification for we the Youth to develop our capabilities through leadership.

Objectives 2010-2012:

Organize the youth wing into an efficient and effective grassroots campaign machine for the party by January 2012. Transform the NPP wing into a creditable and formidable movement for national development through personal development. The main vehicle for the fulfilment of the above objectives will be the following.

Youth Canters:

Youth canters will initially be created at all regional capitals and eventually constituency centres. These will be the focal points for NPP youth activity.

We will call upon members to donate old computers, old office equipment, old personal development books, political books games, old furniture and premises. In consonance with our liberal democratic principles of self-help, we will depend on ourselves for the resource we need for our programmes.

Training:

We will depend on volunteers within the party to help train ourselves. We believe that in our ranks (ages, 18-40 years old) exist Professionals, Students and Workers possessing a wide array of skills and abilities. We will appeal to the volunteer spirit of our own members to provide the expertise to train competencies in order to know whom to call for what voluntary service when areas i.e. Political Development and personal development.

Membership Drive:

We will immediately embark on a membership drive to boost our numbers. This will be initially focused on the tertiary institutions and later expanded to work places, market, farms and business. We will prepare communication materials and lead our members to demarcate areas into campaign territories and train them to plan and execute membership recruitment calls, overcoming predictable objectives from and house-to-house, room-to-room and person-to-person.

I will take steps to motivate and encourage people to join the Party. I will look for sponsors to pay for membership cards of newly recruited Youth the next four months on my assumption of office. This will surely attract more Youth to join.

Youth and Ministry of Youth when Party is in government:
I will work to link up the Youth of our party and the Ministry through the Minister of Youth who should be recommended by the National Youth Wing. This will help to effectively tackle the yawning gap between the Party and the government when our party was in government.

Political Communication:

The youth will be required to play a pivotal role in informing and educating the electorate about our policies and plans. To this end, the youth of our party will be trained and nurtured in the liberal democratic policies of the NPP. This crop of NPP youth schooled in our philosophy and traditions will be those that will comb every village and town explaining and sharing with the electorate at the grassroots level of the NPP Government plans, policies and programmes. At the Regional and Constituency level we will seek to provide trained volunteers from among our ranks to prosecute the campaigns for both Parliamentary and Presidential candidate.

Electoral Training:

Elections are won or lost on poling day. We will ensure that our polling executives are trained and empowered to effectively monitor polling to ensure victory.

Supervision:

Regional, constituency and Polling Station Youth Organisers will be supervised and appraised. This is crucial in monitoring and evaluating their performance.

Personal leadership Training:

We will train our members in basic principles of personal leadership, time management, personal planning, and self- motivation. Our aim is to create individual exemplary skills and attitude most suited to the task of nation development.

Once more we will draw on the experience, expertise and commitment of our own members and seniors to help inculcate in us the principles of self-help, social service, social responsibility and discipline that are indeed the intangible pre-requisites of rapid national development.

Recruitment and Placements Services:

We will offer Recruitment and placement services. In order to do this we will maintain a database of member’s skills and capabilities. This will allow us to match them with available job opportunities, a service that would be beneficial to the public sector, private sector and our own youth. We will train and equip our youth with the proper attitudes and work ethics to provide superior service to employers and shape the attitudes of our work force.

Affiliations (Local and International)

We will work to develop partnership with youth wings of local youth organizations that are both partisan and non-partisan. At the moment the partnership with groups and organizations such as the National Union of Ghana student’s (NUGS), The Federation of Youth Organizations in Ghana (FEDYAG), The Youth Network for Human Right and Democracy (YOU-NET), Tomorrow Leaders Ghana (TLG), and others not strong enough.

We exist in a global village and would therefore strengthen ties with our existing international affiliates such as the Organization of Africa Liberal Youth (OALY), the Swedish International Liberal Centre (SILC), and The International Academy for Leadership (IAL) of Germany and in addition explore networking opportunities with order international organizations who share in our liberal democratic philosophy.

The Power of Choice

I would like to thank all those who have expressed concerns about my feature "Why was Alan against Electoral Expansion"-- pro and con alike. And also, those who responded with phone calls and personal e-mails. I have found it expedient to make my position clear on the crusade on which I have embarked. It is my fervent hope, that, after this piece, those who hope to slow down or accelerate my moves, will understand that I am focused on what I have set out to accomplish, and that burning drive cannot be impacted one way or the other.

All the talk about abstract UNITY is completely misplaced. You unite behind an entity. I don't think there is a single soul in our party who does not believe at some point we have to bury our differences and shred the Umbrella into bits. But realistically, could this be the time? Anytime there are multiple entities with one and only one possible outcome, choice with its concomitant conflict is inevitable. Unless in a Utopian society, which there is none on this earth, anytime human beings are confronted with choice, unity becomes the sacrificial lamb. On the flip side, when there is choice and unity in the same system, REASON is usually victimized. Remember, “There is no remission of sin without the shedding of blood (Hebrews. 9: 22). "If you stand against something, something will stand against you."

The above logic has very deep theological ramifications. God, in his infinite wisdom, created man and gave him free will. Therefore, choice is man's inalienable right, and no one can force anyone to give it up. God, through his pre-determinate counsel and foreknowledge, gave man the choice to worship him or not. Almighty God could have created humans as robots, so that they would be at his beck and call, but he did not. God chose to give man the freedom to choose, though the choice comes with consequences.

I have always been amazed when I see human beings trying very hard to deny themselves and others their God-given right, choice. It is just impossible. My friend, if you are afraid to choose, then you are in the wrong world. You were born to choose. Or should I say, born to win, as Jimmy Cliff sang during our hay days. But you must choose to win. Yes, you might choose and loose, but if you do not choose at all, then you would not have any chance of winning. I have never heard of anyone who won the lottery without staking.

However, everyone has the right under the sun to be a robot, and that is very fine with me but for heaven’s sake, let us not use coercion and intimidation to get others to do likewise. Whether we like it or not, the NPP at this moment is confronted with choosing a flag bearer for 2012, and this has expectedly developed inter camp skirmishes. From time immemorial, conflict has existed in this world when choice is presented. There was a conflict between Lucifer and God, which culminated in Satan being defeated on Calvary some two thousand years ago.

The point I am trying to make is, we can multitask by working together on the broader agenda of the party and at the same time pursue our parochial agenda of having our preferred candidates nominated. And this is something with which no astute politician will argue. All this talk about vacuous unity smacks of insincerity and crass hypocrisy. For those who do not have any preference, it is a perfect time, but for those who have deep-seated preference for a particular candidate, all these talks about unity are mere smokescreen.

In all developed democracies, this period is very critical because the essence of election is to have the best person lead. Therefore, this is the time to place the contestants under the electron microscope to elucidate attributes that may help or discredit the country. One can never accomplish this task without incurring the displeasure of the opposing side. But that is fair. I do not expect that if I am supporting candidate X, supporters of candidate Y, will come to me and put him down. Come on! This is real world. And disagreeing on issues should not make us enemies. Maturity, after all, is that stage of life when we may not see eye-to-eye but we can walk arm-in-arm?

Friends, I will be back very soon, but before I sign off let me share with you a short poem by Pastor Martin Niemoller, a German anti-Nazi activist, who highlighted the evil of apathy, following the Nazi rise to power and the purging of their targets, group after group. "First, they came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak up, because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up, because I was a protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me".

Finally, my interest in the NPP (Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition) is because primarily the party and tradition allows one to express one’s self in a fashion that supports his basic Principles. I have a feeling we should depart from these principles.

The cause endures!!!