The Secretary -General of the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL), Abraham Koomson, has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over its record in government, questioning the party’s decision to seek a return to power.
Mr Koomson accused the NPP of using political power to enrich its members and urged Ghanaians to remain vigilant about the party’s political ambitions.
Speaking ahead of the NPP’s Delegates Conference, he questioned why former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta remains outside the country while the party campaigns to return to government.
“Why did Ofori-Atta run away from the country, yet the NPP still has the audacity to campaign to come back to power?
To do what?” he asked.
Mr Koomson said the NPP must be prepared to account for its stewardship, particularly what he described as the difficult economic situation inherited by the current administration.
He challenged the NPP to facilitate the return of Mr Ofori-Atta to Ghana to answer questions about his tenure as Finance Minister.
According to him, bringing the former Minister back to face accountability would strengthen the NPP’s moral authority to criticise the government of President John Dramani Mahama.
Mr Koomson also urged the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to prepare for the emergence of new leadership within the NPP following its Delegates Conference.
He said the NDC had been given a mandate by Ghanaians and must remain focused on delivering on that mandate rather than being distracted by what he described as the opposition party’s “bad plans.”
The GFL Secretary- General said many Ghanaians were satisfied with the direction of the country under President Mahama and the NDC, although he acknowledged that some campaign promises were yet to be fulfilled.
He argued that the government needed time to address the country’s challenges, which he attributed largely to the economic difficulties left by the previous NPP administration.
Mr Koomson maintained that political propaganda would not stop him from speaking about what he considers the failures of the NPP, adding that he would continue to educate Ghanaians about the party’s record in government.
Turning his attention to the governing NDC, Mr Koomson cautioned the party’s leadership against losing touch with its grassroots supporters.
He urged party leaders to listen to the concerns of members and avoid isolating themselves from the grassroots.
According to him, political leadership goes beyond providing financial assistance, stressing that party officials must make time to engage members directly when they reach out to them.
He therefore appealed to NDC leaders to answer calls from grassroots supporters and maintain regular engagement with them.
Mr Koomson said maintaining a strong relationship between the party’s leadership and its grassroots would be critical to the NDC’s political fortunes.
