CPP holds fund-raising at Koforidua

Koforidua, March 27, GNA- The Convention People's Party (CPP) on Sunday, gave residents of Koforidua a glimpse of the stuff they are made of, when they staged a brief but spectacular show at a fund-raising event in the New Juaben Municipality.

Often nicknamed the party of old men, the CPP proved otherwise this time, as leading members of the party and a large number of young men and women joined in dancing to brass band music.

The outgoing Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu-Akosa, led a troupe of cheering youth as they danced at the Kama Conference Centre where the event was held. Earlier, hundreds of youth in truck loads went through the main streets of the Koforidua Township before converging at the refurbished regional secretariat of the party, which would also serve as offices for the New Juaben South and North constituency offices of the party. Addressing them, Nana Owusu Sekyere, Regional Chairman of the party proclaimed that the CPP was in the "midst of rebirth", prophesying that the party "will rise from the ashes of persecution and harassment come 2008."

Nana Sekyere referred to the difficult situations prevailing in Ghana including unemployment, surge in violent crimes and attributed the occurrences to failed policies of governments, and said the CPP was working to bring hope and opportunity to the suffering masses.

As if to justify Regional Chairman's assertions, the lights went off due to the national power rationing exercise, compelling party members billed to deliver their addresses making brief speeches with the Regional chairman himself not being able to finish his entire prepared speech.

Nana Owusu Sekyere wondered why educational policy makers have turned their backs on the poor, making access to higher education a preserve for the rich.

Nana Sekyere stressed the need for the CPP to put to shame its "enemies by coming together and working to complete the unfinished business of 1966" .

The National Chairman of the party, Dr Edmund Delle, emphasized the need for unity not only for the party but also for the nation. He demanded respect from members on party decisions so as to create "a united, one and indivisible CPP" which having prevailed at the polls, will help restore "confidence and pride in the citizenry." The leader of the Patriots group of the party, Mr Eric Benyarko discounted claims that the party was for the aged, saying the CPP wants the youth to have a stake in leadership.

He therefore charged the youth to be active participants in the process of electing leaders at the various levels of the party. This charge, he explains, was premised on the fact that, any time the party has weak structures at the grassroots, it affects the performance and activities of the party at the national level. 27 March 07