Nduom completes US Tour

DR. PAPA KWESI NDUOM, MP CONCLUDES TOUR OF THE USA – MATTERS ARISING

Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, MP has said at the conclusion of his recent tour of some major cities in the USA that “…a vote for the CPP in the 2008 elections will be a winning vote.” This is after Ghanaians in San Francisco, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Virginia and New Jersey had acknowledged the contributions made to Ghana’s development by the NDC and the NPP but noted that the country can do better under the leadership of a renewed CPP. To many Ghanaians abroad, there is the need for an alternative political party to the NDC and the NPP. The country’s democratic environment to them will become strengthened by the emergence of a stronger, competitive CPP. But they were also of the view that the Party needed to show unity of purpose and active presence in the constituencies to get closer to the people to be considered a viable alternative to the NPP and the NDC.

The issues of concern to many Ghanaians abroad that came up consistently during the tour are:

- Bribery and delays in clearing goods at the ports of entry – particularly Tema harbour;

- Security concerns and low level of confidence in the police;

- Perception of corruption in state institutions and on the part of politicians;

- Lack of emergency medical care;

- Poor educational facilities;

- Lack of business and employment opportunities. Many cited the factories opened in the 1960s by the Nkrumah government that had been abandoned when the youth need jobs.

They cited cases of politicians visiting the USA more for tourist and shopping than to learn lessons to be applied back home. Some talked about promises made by government officials to follow up on opportunities created to partner with USA government agencies but not doing so once they got back to Ghana. Many questioned if Parliament really had any clout and was meaningful in its present form.

Interestingly enough, many had left Ghana in the 1960s and 1970s are looking for a renewed spirit of patriotism that existed prior to the 1966 coup. They called on the CPP to find selfless leaders in tune with the 21st Century and the modern economy who can gain the confidence of the youth at home and Ghanaians abroad.

Some who had visited Ghana lately were impressed by the infrastructure development and home construction activities. However, they stressed that the soft matters that affect the environment and human development such as garbage collection, schools, revenue collection, service delivery at public institutions such as customs, police and hospitals leave much to be desired and called for a more human centered administration. There were others who were alarmed at what they considered the taking over of commercial and business activities by Koreans, Chinese and other foreigners in ways that are displacing local entrepreneurs.

Dr. Nduom took time during his interactions to give information about developments going on within the CPP that will improve its prospects of winning the next elections. To him, better quality parliamentary candidates are coming up to contest for the CPP. The presidential contest will head for a second round, he feels, due to the competitive situation with a stronger CPP in the race. “The CPP will win or share power in 2009 as it will get more than 20% of the presidential votes with its people returning to the Party. If it works the floating voters and those disenchanted with the parties that have been in power since 1993, the CPP will get more votes to get into the second round.” Dr. Nduom is convinced that once the CPP gets into the second round, it will form the next government. Therefore, he called on supporters to form chapters in the major cities and mobilize resources to support the rebuilding efforts going on.

The CPP to him is in a much better position than it has been in since 1996. “We are getting our people back. Unity and common purpose are the concerns of most and for the first time in recent history, constituency elections are being hotly contested. These are good signs for the Party. The new members who are joining are bringing the kind of competitiveness that will make the Party become strong and viable.”

As a direct result of Dr. Nduom’s visit, volunteers have come up to connect with other people interested in the CPP to organize themselves to form an intellectual and financial support base for the Party in North America. This includes Atlanta, Washington, DC, Toronto, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Minneapolis.