The New Patriotic Party is missing out in establishing itself as a party which owns businesses and industries to help fund the party.
As a pro-capitalist political party, one could easily assume that the NPP should by now own private businesses to employ party members and pay them well.
The pro-capitalists are business and investment oriented. They always look out for business opportunities and how to make good profit in anything they invest in. Unlike socialists, the pro-capitalists will invest in the worker, by way of providing accommodation and health care among others, freely for the workers.
Once that factor of production is made to feel secure, with greater portion of living expenses well taken care of, high productivity is guaranteed and with this comes good profits.The socialists on the other hand do not seem to take much good care of their workers.
Having stated the above, one would wonder why a pro-capitalist political party like the NPP has not seized the opportunity to establish private businesses to cater for the numerous party members who are in need of jobs. If this is done, party officers, especially those at the grassroot will endeavour to make victory always possible at the polling stations.
Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen had this dream to make this possible and had promised to pay salary to party workers when he is chosen as flag bearer to lead the party. In 2014, Alan made this promise but he did not catch the Party’s eyes. To this day, some people believe it is just one of those promises made, just to win votes.
And I would have agreed with them, except that Alan does not just get up to make promises. As a well-disciplined man of good character, Alan will not make vain promises to benefit from the vulnerable.
For example, Alan will not promise to provide each constituency with a mini-van just to win elections and then turn his back on them.
In the earlier 2000’s, Alan in his private thoughts, figured it out that there should be a way to reward party officers, especially those at the polling stations for their selfless works.
He came out with the Constituency Business Venture (CBV) in 2006 and with help, perhaps, from people he had helped through Empretec to become top entrepreneurs, he set up some businesses in the constituencies.
While some had transportation businesses, others went into block making, rental business, cold storage, and others like my Shai-Osudoku constituency went into cornmill.
The CBV could not blossom because the Party did not nurture it to grow. In 2014, during his flag bearer campaign Alan promised to pay party officers and this was shot down, with a columnist writing in the Daily Graphic, that it was mere political talk and a pipe dream.
So, does that mean that the Party is not thinking about how to change the lives of the most important workers, the polling station officers, who without their help, NPP could lose at every polling station?
It is rather sad, that when these people toil and the rewards of their hard work result in victory for the Party, they are left unattended. Many times, during electioneering campaigns, goodies are shared to known NDC members in the polling station areas, with the excuse that it was a way of drawing them to the NPP.
Unknown to the party top executives, the recipients who are NDC members, are saying, “NPP is ignoring their hardworking members and are rather gifting us goodies, with the intention of drawing us into the party.
But if we go and join the NPP, we will also be ignored when goodies are to be shared. We shall remain in the NDC and keep collecting their goodies. We are not fools”
Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen has resolved that enough is enough. It is a pity to see these hardworking party members wallowing in poverty, while those at the top are enjoying the booty.
So, under his leadership, every party officer and worker will get salary. This is possible because with Alan, it has happened before.
With known experience, Alan can expand the CBV to giant businesses that would generate enough money to take care of Party officers and workers. His 1D1F, which has contributed greatly to Ghana’s trade balance position, can be applied here.
A factory built under CBV may directly employ 1,500 workers, who will be NPP members. Other party workers, in active service in the public and private sector will draw allowances from the project. In the end, in every NPP home, there will be joy.
Opportunities under the CBV are enormous. For example, the party acquires land to undertake food production with party members as farmers. A CBV transport business will convey the produce to the main markets, and the produce will be received by market queens under the CBV project.
Alan Kyerematen has brought out a brilliant idea to make NPP members, well taken care of, whether the party is in government or not.Those against this tried and tested idea include some party chairpersons, who prefer the party grassroot to remain in poverty so that they can be manipulated. This is very wrong, bad and highly irresponsible.
Party officers and workers can be paid and CBV initiated by Alan in 2006, has shown that it is very possible.
Hon Daniel Dugan
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
