ESTABLISH IDEOLOGICAL CENTRES FOR EFFECTIVE CAMPAINGNING (Page 16)

Story: Samuel Duodu, Sunyani

THE President of the Sunyani Polytechnic Chapter of the Tertiary Education Students Confederacy of the New Patriotic Party (TESCON) Mr Emmanuel Tweneboah Kodua, has suggested the establishment of ideological centres at the grass-root level for the party. This he said is to help equip its members with the necessary information, programmes and policies of the government for effective campaigning for this year’s general election.
He stated that the party’s foot soldiers at the grass roots must be well-informed and motivated to be able to sell the messages of the party to the electorate to ensure a resounding victory for the party in the 2008 elections.  
Mr Kodua made the suggestion at a symposium organised by the Sunyani-Polytechnic branch of TESCON to whip up the enthusiasm of its members to embark on a massive campaign for the party.
The symposium coincided with the inauguration of the Sunyani Nursing Training College branch of TESCON.
Mr Kodua called for the total involvement and motivation of the youth wing of the party to ensure massive victory, adding that since this year’s election was a crucial one, TESCON-Sunyani Polytechnic had prepared and was battle-ready for the task ahead, but needed the motivation and logistical support to ensure that the party retained power.
He added that for the NPP to retain power, there was the need for the party to pay serious attention to strengthening its structures and resolving all internal wrangling.
The Regional Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Nana Atta-Fena, for his part, gave the assurance that the party had put in place the necessary strategies to ensure that the party retained power, and urged TESCON to remain calm, resolute and rally solidly behind the party.
According to him, after the hopes of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to see NPP crumbled after the December 2007 national congress, they had now resorted to bragging that they were the owners of the policies being implemented by the NPP government, which, he said, was absolutely untrue.
The regional co-ordinator stressed that the NPP would continue to rule the country with honesty and unity for a brighter future for the people.
The General Secretary of the National Association of Local Government (NALAG), Ameyaw Cheremeh, who spoke on the topic: “Strengthening the structures of the NPP,” urged members of TESCON to take advantage of the re-opening of the voters register in March this year to mobilise people who would turn 18 and were affiliated to the NPP to register in their numbers to ensure a massive victory, since politics is basically about numbers.
He said it was a fact that the NPP would win the 2008 elections, but called for hard work and, therefore, urged TESCON to intensify its membership drive in order to win more people into their fold.