CPP Council of Elders call for end to internal wrangling

The Council of Elders of the Convention People's Party (CPP) has Thursday asked members of party to focus on their ultimate unity rather than hurling accusations at one another.

The council said criticism within the party is a healthy undertaking but the " type of acrimonious and destructive outburst of conflicting claims to political correctness which borders on gross Indiscipline" is destroying the image of the party.

These were contained in a release signed by Mr. K. Amoah-Awuah, acting National Chairman. The Council said, the "war of words" in the print and the electronic media by leading members exposes the party's leadership to ridicule.

It observed that leading party functionaries who claim to speak on behalf of the party do so without the mandate of the Central Committee. "The talk of alliances with other parties does not represent the collective wish of the rank and file of the party and tends to create confusion and a serious embarrassment to the leadership of the party."

It recounted the party's past glories and the achievements it chalked under the leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

According the Council, the party has survived all efforts to kill it after the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah and Dr Hilla Liman.

It blamed the party's misfortunes on activities of the Busia regime and military takeovers. "The cleavages that are rearing their heads now are as the result of these past divisions which must be brought to an end by the collective action of the leadership of the Party."

The release said: “The party is confronted with a situation in which those who kept faith with the party, the old guards, have to contend with those who have little faith and want to burn the remains and scatter the ashes."

The Council rejected that idea that the party should contest in a limited number of constituencies in the 2004 general elections. It said such a deed would spell doom for the party especially, its rank and file, in areas that are not contested.

The council asked that members make the party hospitable enough for those who strayed to come back.

In a related development, the Central Committee of the Party has re-affirmed that it was focused on re-building the party's structures to enable it to emerge as a viable, independent and credible alternative to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and all other political parties.

The party’s General Secretary, Nii Noi Dowuona, noted in a statement that the people expected CPP to offer leadership to the progressive forces struggling against neo-liberal policies of the World Bank, the International Monitory fund and the World Trade Organisation.

The Central Committee says it takes cognisance of the national situation, the unique ideological and political underpinnings of the party's policy and the expectation of Ghanaians, in arriving at the decision.

It says it is committed to the unification of all Nkrumaist political parties. "The CPP would not align itself with and become surrogated to any other political party." It indicated that the party would remain independent and would also be guided by the principles of Nkrumaism.

The Central Committee endorsed the unity pact of the Nkrumaist political parties, adding that the National Executive Councils (of these parties) would be invited for a session later this month to complete the process of uniting with other Nkrumaist political forces.