Joshua Akamba, former national organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has issued a stern call to government appointees, urging them not to neglect the party’s grassroots supporters.
Mr Akamba emphasised the urgent need for appointees to focus on holding the party’s local base together to ensure the NDC remains stable and unified.
He noted that many party faithful currently feel disappointed and hopeless, alleging that certain officials have blocked their phone numbers, denied them access, and generally ignored their concerns.
According to Mr Akamba, this type of neglect was a primary factor in the party’s previous electoral defeat to the NPP.
He argued that when the grassroots feel abandoned, they lose the motivation to work and campaign for the party.
Speaking on the programme As It Is in Ghana on Rainbow Radio (87.5FM Ghana and 92.4FM UK), Akamba stated he has made a principled decision to focus on strengthening the party’s base.
He warned that the party would soon begin to “name and shame” appointees who refuse to engage with the grassroots after ascending to power.
He emphasised that the strength of the party is being undermined by those who have become inaccessible: “That is why I am warning about this before going into another election. I saw it in 2016. After we lost in 2016, it took me a hard time mobilising the grassroots. It was part of the little mistakes that made us lose the elections. Most of our grassroots worked on empty stomachs in bringing back power. I can tell you confidently that I did my best as a party leader in mobilising the party grassroots without any source of funding from the party. A lot of us who are today appointees should remember the struggle we went through and the struggles we faced. They should treat the grassroots with respect.”
Mr Akamba reminded those in power that they, too, are members of the grassroots and should never lose sight of their origins. He advised appointees to be honest with supporters about the challenges the government is facing rather than ignoring them.
“My advice to our appointees is that they should engage our grassroots and explain to them the challenges they are facing. It is not good to ignore them. It is rather best to engage them and let them know what we are confronted with. We have all agreed that the NPP, while in power, destroyed almost every sector of our economy, and as a responsible government that the NDC is, we are restoring hope and dealing with the crisis the previous government left behind. So there is hope. The longer the NDC stays in power, the more opportunities we can develop for people. The NDC cannot employ everyone at the moment; however, we can continue to work together on ensuring that the grassroots are given the needed attention.”
In a direct appeal to the rank and file, he encouraged them to stay resilient and trust in the government’s efforts to stabilise the nation.
> “Don’t lose hope. Remain strong and trust in the government to stabilize this country. We can only console and comfort them. There is no government that can be like the NDC. But if we begin to listen to the lies of the NPP, it will send us back. The more the NDC stays in power, the more opportunities we create for everyone. The grassroots go beyond party members; it extends to professors, lawyers, and other senior officials. I am appealing to the appointees to engage with the grassroots and not ignore [them].”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
