2020 will be easy for NDC if we embrace our core values – Rawlings

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has reiterated the need for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), to embrace the core values and ideals through which the party was formed.

The former leader and founder of the umbrella family, advised party members to be guided by these principles so they are not swayed by the monetization of Ghanaian politics.

This he noted was alien to the NDC as a political party. Mr. Rawlings was addressing a dialogue attended by former Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) under former President John Dramani Mahama.

When the party is able to abide by the core values and ideals, winning election 2020 will not be a difficult task, he added. He said: ‘’we hold this dialogue to plot an agenda for a positive performance in 2020, we have to take due note that the re-organisation is a process that involves embracing our party’s core ideals and ensuring that we are not swayed by the crass monetization of Ghanaian politics which used to be alien to our party and which unfortunately has contributed rather notoriously to the surfeit of negativity and divisiveness plaguing our party.’’ According to him, ‘’our motto of Unity, Stability and Development was not created in a vacuum.

The motto was born our of the appreciation and belief that for our party and country to progress we needed to be unified in thought and deed, unified in truth and integrity, unified in transparency, probity and accountability and unified with a powerful and firm conviction to provide an equal opportunity for Ghanaians of all walks of life.’’

The success of the NDC in government he indicated was due to the participatory form of governance the party practiced. ‘’The NDC’s contribution to the socio-political stability of Ghana was due to our desire to embrace participatory governance, allowing the grassroots to have a significant say in the branches, wards, constituency, regional and national affairs.

Today many of those who hold high office in the party are personalities who first identified their leadership qualities from wards and branches. The ideals that guided and projected them to leading party figures were their unparalleled conscience, sense of conviction and unbridled desire to sacrifice for God and country,’’ Mr. Rawlings said. He urged the party to unite since the defeat suffered in 2016 was due to the division in the party.

‘’The NDC was not a unified party in 2016. The NDC was not in touch with the grassroots in 2016. The NDC was not a bastion of stability in 2016 and the NDC sadly did not inspire confidence in the majority of Ghanaians in 2016. The common denominator in these aforementioned flaws, were the lack of conscience and conviction in our dealings with the electorate.

We are doing a lot to be heard in the public arena. The NDC is doing its best to put the government on its toes but are we doing our homework well? Are we doing enough to inspire confidence amongst our own sympathisers? Are we doing enough to convince the vast floating voter constituency?’’