Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Shun Akufo Addo’s threats of death, ethnocentrism — Hlodze

The National Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Ludwig Akpene Hlodze, has urged the youth in both the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) not to be swayed by the threats of death and ethnocentric comments by Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the NPP flag bearer, to destroy the future of the country.
“It is in the light of this that we condemn in no uncertain terms, the recent ‘all die be die’ and ethnocentric statements from Nana Akufo-Addo when he addressed party supporters in the Eastern Region”.
Mr Hlodze gave the advice when he addressed the youth of the party at the opening of the 2011-Action Year Regional Youth Organisers’ seminar in Accra. The occasion was used to launch the website of the NDC youth wing.
He explained that the meeting was aimed at positioning the youth of the party to be in tune with the President declaration of 2011 as an ‘action year’.
He added that as the future leaders of this country, irrespective of their political affiliation, they must ensure that Ghana remained an oasis of peace in the sub-region and also hold their leaders accountable with the aim of making “our political leaders [to be] seen and heard promoting nothing less than the culture of peace and national cohesion”.
He said the commitment demonstrated by the Mills government in the management of the economy, in the face of obvious international challenges, was highly commendable especially in the area of education, which is at the heart of youth training and development.
“We are elated that the campaign promise to establish two new universities in the Volta and Brong Ahafo regions are on course to being fulfilled,” he said, and added that the youth of the NDC were strongly behind the government to ensure that the programmes of government were prosecuted in the wider interest of all Ghanaians.
“In pursuance to this declaration, we are meeting today to brainstorm, plan and co-ordinate our activities for the year so as to maintain the momentum of progress and development injected into the country by the President towards securing yet another electoral victory for Ghana's development in 2012,” Mr Hlodze added.
He noted that some of the measures taken to reach all the NDC youth in the country and others in the world was the establishment of the NDC youth wing website, which is an idea he mooted with his deputies to “tell our story the way we want it told to the world”.
“It was also to collect feedback from our members across the nation and the world on our programmes and suggestions to make things better for the party. Post activities of all other groups, branches and individuals across the nation who have the interest of the NDC at heart. Use the website as a convenient means of information dissemination to our people by the click of a button,” he added.
According to Hlodze, recent developments in the country, especially from the youth in the NPP, left much to be desired.
He said the NDC youth had taken a firm stance against indiscipline and politics of insult and intended to continue this stance in the 2011 Action Year.
“As youth leaders we must work hands in gloves with Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives of State and Government appointees and Ghanaians in general to promote the Better Ghana Agenda”.
He, however, gave an assurance that the youth wing of the NDC would not hesitate to constructively criticise interventions it regarded as alien to the greater interest of Ghana's development in line with accepted practices.
“We will also not hesitate to discipline any of our members who take the law into their own hands as a means of seeking redress to any grievance. The future of the NDC rests in the bosom of sound leadership on the youth front and we must endeavour to make a difference as set standards worthy of emulation as leaders,” Mr Hlodze added.
Others speakers were Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; General Secretary of the NDC, and Dr Omane Boamah, the Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology. Others who graced the occasion were Mr Yaw Boateng Gyan and Ms Anita Desosa, the National Organiser and National Women Organiser of the NDC respectively.

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