General News of Thursday, 10 November 2011

Source: The Enquirer

Storm Rages Over NPP Fundraising

...As NPP Holland Exec, ‘I Gave Foundation’ Board Clash Over Cash Management

...While Party General Secretary Sits On Damning Report

The Holland branch executives and the Board of I GAVE Foundation of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are at each other’s throat over whether or not a new foundation must be set up to run its fundraising programme.

The impasse, which has ruffled many feathers in the elephant’s family, is set to further drive the wedge of disunity in the party further, if no action is taken quickly.

The Enquirer source in Holland explained that this situation has brought disagreement between the executive of the NPP Holland and the majority of the members of the party, on one hand, and the executive board of the I GAVE Foundation, on the other.

The source said in a telephone chat that on several occasions’ discussions among NPP members during general meetings developed into unpleasant spectacle, adding that “the situation which can be described as very unfortunate for the NPP as a political party.”

The recommendations of a meeting held to solve the rift between the two factions, including adding three executive members of the NPP Holland to the existing executive of the I GAVE Foundation, have been set aside, as the Board of I GAVE Foundation does not want the inclusion of the NPP executives.

The source said, “These issues were vehemently objected to by the representatives of the I GAVE executive board. According to the I GAVE executive there was no compromise to include the representatives of the executive board into the existing I GAVE Foundation.”

According to the source, the intransigence of the group has been taken a notch higher as they claim “they have the support of the NPP Secretariat in Accra,” insisting that a “report has been sent to the Secretary General two months ago, but no action taken.”

The Enquirer’s trusted source hinted that the stalemate was sparked as a result of a meeting in which members resolved that there was no need for the formation of a new foundation to manage the fundraising of the party. This, the source noted, implies that the new organisation ( in the Dutch law) stands independent of the democratically elected executive of the NPP Holland, while another school of thought held that a new foundation be set up to run the fundraising programme.

Explaining further the looming friction of mandate, if the new organisation was formed, the source maintained that “The new foundation may make decisions independent of the NPP Holland which in the opinion of the NPP executive board was not advisable and not acceptable.”

It disclosed that most members of the NPP Holland at a meeting to deliberate on this situation supported the executive board for the decision that there was no need for a new “I GAVE” foundation.

This majority verdict, in the view of the source, infuriated a section of the NPP I GAVE Foundation committee, which did not agree to the decision of the executive board and so decided to go along with their own plan to set up and legally register the “I GAVE” Foundation.

“I GAVE”, is a fundraising strategy of the NPP Holland to enable all members and sympathisers of NPP Holland to feel belonging to the party by financially contributing to the party’s campaign to win back power in the