Tarzan Warns NPP

Chief Executive of the defunct Ghana @ 50 Secretariats, Dr. Charles Kwabena Wereko-Brobbey, has stated categorically that, although Ghanaians are not happy with the unimpressive posture of the government of the National Democratic Congress, victory for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2012 will not be achieved if the process for deciding who should lead the party is not seen and accepted by the party and the country as one in which the NPP provides a level playing field for all. After a 10-month critical assessment of the Mills led NDC government, Dr. Wereko-Brobbey has arrived at a conclusion the law professor and his men have succeeded in exacerbating the plights of Ghanaians with their gauche style of governance. According to the assertive and zealous former Ghana @50 boss �as the Better Ghana promised by the NDC gets worse with each passing day, Ghanaians have already started to count down the days towards December 2012 when they will return the NPP to power�. In a lengthy chat with the Crusading Guide newspaper yesterday about his NPP chairmanship aspirations, Tarzan was very critical of the NDC, saying that what Ghanaians have witnessed in the past 10 months �is a country with increasing unemployment, fuel shortages, and the return of cash & carry health delivery and the rapid dismantling of many of the people centered policies of the Kufuor government�. Dr. Wereko-Brobbey who recently appeared before one of government�s numerous committees to answer questions about this stewardship of the Ghana@50 Secretariat did not mince words when sharing his thoughts about the human rights attributes of the current government. According to him �individual freedom and human rights are being trampled upon. It has become clear that the NDC is not up to the task of maintaining the achievements of the last eight years, let alone take Ghana to a land of Development in peace and Freedom�. The NPP in Tarzan�s estimation proved that it could develop good policies and execute them in eight years of government, adding that �the party lost power for the major reason that it could not overcome the formidable but self inflicted handicaps of factionalism that turned the party from a cohesive, united and focused entity, into pockets of myopic self interest groups, that promoted the ambition and agendas of individuals instead of the collective good of all�. Asked if he was indeed serious about his chairmanship dream and what his motivation was, he answered in a rather soft but convincing tone that �I offer myself for the position of national chairman for the NPP because first of all, I have consistently been at the forefront of the fight to ensure the rule of law, individual freedom, free speech and human rights. These are the principles that will restore Ghana to a path of forward development in peace and freedom. Optimistic about his party�s victory in the 2012 elections, Tarzan said he had a strong belief that the key to victory 2012 to restore Ghana�s Fortune and forward Development was a united and purposeful party. This he said could only �be achieved by a team captain who had been chosen through a fair, open, equitable and democratic process. I have demonstrated that I have the vision, capability and capacity as a DOER who has provided clear and impartial leadership and delivered quality outcomes in many areas of public good and service�. Recounting some activities that led to the party�s narrow defeat to the NDC, Tarzan a founding member of the NPP who has served on the national executive and made many significant contributions to the party�s establishment and organization, acknowledged that after a grueling contest to select a flag bearer, the party simply fell apart at the grassroots and no amount of glitz and pomp of the campaign could deliver victory �not even with all the inbuilt advantages of being the party in power�. Asked if he thinks his party has learnt any lesson from the 2008 experience, he stated, �being out of office for almost a year should have given all of us enough time to reflect on what went wrong and to confirm the core diagnosis of the affection that debilitated the 2008 campaign�. On the way forward for the NPP, Tarzan said members of the great NPP tradition ought to focus on the reality that only NPP in power could fulfill the expectations of the people. This he said could only happen if the party kept its eyes and focus on winning the ultimate prize of national election victory. �Therefore, as the party embarks upon the journey to recapture power in 2012 to restore our country�s fortune in an environment of the rule of law and respect for individual and human rights, we must recognize that the overwhelming imperative and starting point is to return the party to its founding principle of unity and internal democracy�, he stressed. Still passionate about the unity campaign, the NPP guru advised, �we must ensure unflinching and undivided commitment to the core principles of commitment to tolerance, fairness, equity for competing ideas and cause that put the Party first, even as, consistent as ever with our long held tradition, we promote and exercise our right to express our preference as to who is best to lead the Party to victory�.