The Time is Now -Dan Botwe

Testament to a Party and a Nation

Party Members and Countrymen, I have now formally filed my nomination for the flagbearership of the NPP, marking the end of the beginning. The end of my first phase of campaigning and the beginning of the final phase where I will seek to take my strong and positive message to the party and to the nation.

Over the last 25 years I have been actively engaged in the politics of our country. My political journey has given me a front seat in terms of direct experience of the major political developments of our nation, the tough decisions, as well as the delivery that accompanied these developments as this country's history was being shaped. It has also taken me to the farthest reaches of this country and given me a rare insight into the conditions of our people.

On this historic occasion, I would like to talk to you about 3 core aspects of leadership that will I believe, define this election and my campaign going forward. Our search is for a flagbearer who is:

A leader who is truly of the party A leader who is marketable Above all, a proven political leader

A leader who is truly of the party

Our party and our nation want a leader who is TRULY OF THE PARTY ? one steeped in the traditions of the party, its values, its principles and its convictions.

I joined the NPP as a young man and I have long been committed to its cause even in the dark days of what seemed then to be permanent opposition. I have been nurtured by this party and served and contributed to its recent successes. My track record of sacrificial service and experience is rooted in the aspirations of the ordinary NPP member; aspirations and needs that fully reflect those of the ordinary Ghanaian. It is this experience - with the Party and in Government - which forms the bedrock of the priority based leadership that I seek to offer. Translating these priorities into effective policies and demonstrating how these will be delivered in government is the defining feature of my campaign.

This is a time for a leader of the party who can reinvigorate the NPP to mobilise the people like never before. It is my conviction that only an engaged and invigorated NPP can define, deliver and fulfil our people's aspirations.

I ask you to join me in making this the defining cause of our time. This calls for a new leader incubated by this party, dedicated to this party and driven by the needs of the ordinary party member. In short a visionary leader who is of the party, by the party and for the party, and who can stay the cause for arguably the next 8 years of sweat, toil, and ultimate success.

A leader who is MARKETABLE

Our party and our nation want a marketable leader is one who is able to strike a chord with the ordinary Ghanaian, someone who is seen as one of their own.

We need a person who is able to carry the party and its message to the people. We need a candidate who easily identifies with the needs of the ordinary party member and voter and who will focus on the issues of the day that are of concern to the broad mass of the Ghanaian electorate. We need a person of strong integrity, character and a leadership style our political foes cannot profit by mudslinging.

My candidacy is based on a fundamental realisation that this country, under strong committed and visionary leadership, can live up to the expectations of its people and deliver the security, prosperity, health and educational opportunities and economic well-being that our people demand and deserve.

Quite simply we need to accelerate the pace of development and delivery in our country and I am offering myself as the candidate to provide the right impetus as well as the right mix of political and administrative competence combined with dynamism, integrity, and know how to deliver it.

Above all, a proven political leader

Above, our party and our nation want a PROVEN POLITICAL LEADER ? someone who will deliver, someone who charts a course and carries the party and the nation towards successful execution.

Our people need a visionary leader who will prepare them for a new era. This calls for a fundamental change in approach to addressing the challenges we face. It calls for a leadership that engages its people fully and more dynamically; a leadership with energy, drive and passion; a leadership and government that is open, and transparent, and a government that is built on trust and integrity, rooted in the priorities of its people. This is the dynamic leadership I will offer.

Fifty years is a long time in the history of any nation. The time for delivery, the time for realising our collective visions and aspirations, the time to fulfil our hopes, is now.

For the farmers and fishermen of this nation, the time is now. For families wanting the chance of a good education for their children, for the jobless, homeless and those who cannot afford healthcare, the time is now. For the industrialist, doctor, nurse, teacher, engineer, policeman and soldier, the time is now. And for the businessman, market trader and all hardworking Ghanaians, the time is now.

My record over the last 25 years - my record as a student leader, my record as a foot soldier, my record as a two term General Secretary of our party, and my record in government is without question. I understand the pulse of our party and the aspirations of Ghanaians and ca1n credibly deliver in line with these aspirations. I can link our Party and our people to Government, and build on the good work of the Kufuor administration. I am that Proven Political leader.

This then is the basis of my campaign for the leadership of our party. It is a generational challenge. It is a struggle I have been engaged in for many years. It is about freedom, development, integrity opportunity and action to deliver for our people. It is inspired by the hard pressed lives of ordinary Ghanaians and NPP members. It is a struggle for the right platform, so that our people can have better living conditions, can participate fully in a globalised world economy rather than be at the fringes; it is a struggle for the leadership values and priorities, being people-inspired and results focused; it is about leadership that demands political and administrative competence in the eternal service of our nation and its people; its is indeed a struggle for the SOUL OF THE PARTY, and by extension, the SOUL OF THE NATION.

I have long dedicated myself to this struggle at different levels of the party and now I seek your mandate to bring that considerable wealth of experience to the highest level. In the next few weeks, this campaign will seek to change the terms of the debate on this leadership election comprehensively.

It will no longer be adequate to talk about who has waited longest, but it will be about who will serve hardest and best; It will no longer be about who is the oldest or youngest, but it will be about who has experienced the issues of the ordinary party member, the ordinary Ghanaian, and able to deliver in line with their priorities and aspirations; a leader prepared to serve. It will not be about who is wealthy, but about who is worthy of the party and the people's trust; It will certainly not be about remote party leadership, but about the one experience that is indispensable in politics ? winning with and for the people.

Conclusion

We can be proud of our achievements over the last 6 to 7 years. Under President Kufour's leadership, Ghana has made significant gains:

Strong macro economic performance Leadership and respect among our regional and international partners Greatly improved governance resulting in unprecedented freedoms.

Looking forward, the upcoming challenges will be different in an increasingly complex and competitive global environment. Our nation needs a sense of urgency and we seek to inject that. We need a sense of the here and now.

Over the next 7 weeks, I will take this campaign to the Party and our people.

I bring a unique blend of experience, dynamism, vision and purpose to this endeavour. My track record and experience is steeped in the traditions and values of this party; my experience of government and public service; my experience and active engagement with all branches of government; my testimony of sacrificing for my political convictions; all of these, have, together, prepared me for the task of leading our great party, and God willing, winning the next general election to succeed President Kufuor as leader of our great party and nation.

I will run a strong campaign and fight to win the mandate of the NPP and that of the people of Ghana. My programme will be their programme. My government will be their government. I will discuss these issues widely. I will gain buy-in and build renewed excitement around the agenda for transformational change.

I am ready. I am able. I am willing to serve. On December 22 2007, I am confident that by the Grace of God, NPP will make THE RIGHT CHOICE by voting decisively for Dan Botwe.

My campaign for election as Presidential candidate of the NPP is now in full swing. We are in the home straight, victory is assured. THE TIME IS NOW!

KUKRUDU!

God bless the NPP

God bless Ghana