Edmund Kombat, Managing Director of Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), has called on members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to uphold the party’s founding principles of equity, social justice and equal opportunities for all Ghanaians.
Speaking at the National Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) Conference, Mr. Kombat said the NDC’s political tradition was rooted in the belief that governance should serve everyone, irrespective of their background or circumstances.
He said the party’s founding ideals were shaped by the conviction that Ghana could achieve a better future through a society that guarantees fairness and equal opportunities for its citizens.
“The political tradition that is birthed of social justice on believing that governance should not be to achieve by stopping the latest speed, but governance is meant for all of us irrespective of your ethnicity, irrespective of your faith, irrespective of your height, irrespective of whether you are male or female, irrespective of whether you are coming from the north or no,” he said.
Mr. Kombat added that every Ghanaian deserved an equal chance to contribute to national development, regardless of their social or economic circumstances.
“But that as long as you are a human being, the blood in your veins and the ability to breathe, you should be given an equal chance,” he said.
According to him, the NDC’s founding vision was built around creating a society where justice, equity and equal opportunity are central to governance.
He said the party’s historical development was influenced by earlier movements and organisations that challenged existing social and political arrangements and advocated a better future for Ghana.
Mr. Kombat cited the Aboriginal Society, the Pan-African Congress and the West African Students Association as examples of historical movements that contributed to the political consciousness that preceded Ghana’s independence.
He said the desire to give Ghanaians the opportunity to determine their own future helped shape the country’s political traditions.
The TOR Managing Director also reminded party members that the NDC was built on sacrifice and service rather than the pursuit of personal benefits.
“But what I also want to advise is that this party was built on sacrifice. It was built on the ideals of from each according to your ability to each according to his need,” he said.
He added that the party’s founding ideals were intended to create opportunities for a better society.
“People did not join the party necessarily because of what they get. They curated this idea to give opportunities for a better society, a society built on justice, built on equity, built on equal opportunity for everyone. And a society rooted in service,” he said.
Mr. Kombat urged members, particularly young people affiliated with the party through TEIN, to appreciate these principles and reflect them in their participation in politics and public service.
The National TEIN Conference brings together NDC student members from tertiary institutions across Ghana to discuss party affairs, political organisation and the role of young people in the party’s activities.
The conference also provides a platform for party officials and other stakeholders to engage students on the NDC’s political traditions, organisational development and role in national governance.
