Posted: The Chronicle |Tuesday, December 22, 2009
By Charles Takyi - Boadu
The memory of the former Prime Minister (PM) of the Second Republic, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, yesterday invoked a lot of passion among some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who support the candidature of his nephew, Obeng Gyan Busia, to become the party’s General Secretary in the upcoming national delegates’ congress.
This, was when some key and influential members of the Busia family, including a former member of Council of State, Ama Busia, a sister of the former Prime Minister, his eldest daughter, Dr. Abena Busia, Hollywood movie star and youngest daughter, Akosua Busia, endorsed his candidature at his formal declaration in Accra yesterday.
Others including the late PM’s niece, Efua Boateng Busia, and one of his grand daughters, Hadar Busia-Singleton, were also there to grace the occasion.
The likes of the 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, the MP for Wenchi and former deputy Minister of Finance, Gyan Baffour, and Adjei Awuah former Ambassador to Japan, who draw a lot of inspiration from the former PM, were there to attest to the works of his nephew, Obeng Busia, in the party.
They could not, but give historical antecedents of how the name Busia virtually became synonymous in Ghanaian politics, and attributed it to the good works of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia.
In his address, Obeng Busia, who happens to be Ghana’s former Consul-General in New York, promised to serve and not be served, with the belief that things cannot continue the way they are at Asylum Down and Kokomlemle any longer, stressing: “there ought to be a change we can believe in.”
When elected into office as the NPP General Secretary, he gave his word to first establish what he called a ‘concerns desk’ at the various constituencies, regions and national levels, to cater for the concerns of the party’s numerous members.
This, according to him, would go a long way to address the many avoidable disputes within the party, whilst instituting programs at the grassroots level, to continuously educate party membership/activists on the ideals, philosophies and the constitution of the NPP. This, he said, had become necessary, with the expansion of the party’s electoral-college.
Furthermore, Obeng Busia, popularly known as ‘OB’ for short, gave intentions of his preparedness to strengthen the NPP’s internal communication structure for effective dissemination of the party’s position on issues, stressing: “the Communication Department of the party will be well-resourced, in which case it will not be constrained by any challenge.”
He also has plans to evolve strategies and mechanisms for raising funds to support the party’s activities, since according to him, only quite a few of members of the NPP had shouldered the financial burdens of the party, a situation he said the NPP cannot be proud of.
For this reason, the candidate said when voted to position, he would embark on an aggressive membership drive that will allow party footsoldiers to take ownership of the NPP.
“Such ownership, however, will be expressed in each and everyone among us contributing our widow’s mite towards the party’s activities,” he stated.
As a national party, Obeng Busia said the NPP must go to all lengths to dismantle the propaganda machinery of its political opponents, “who on numerous occasions have pushed us to the point of aligning us to one ethnic grouping.”
In spite of all these, he said, “what they fail to realise is the courage, determination and the enormous contribution of many non-Akans who have played founding and leading roles in our great tradition.”
He paid glowing tribute to the likes of Chief Dombo, S. G. Anto, Tolon Naa Yakubu Tali, Catherine Tedam, Obetsebi-Lamptey (Snr.), Jato Kaleo, the famous Amadu Baaba of Kumasi Saabo-Zongo, and many more of non-Akan roots who had contributed in no small way to the sustenance of what has come to be accepted as the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo tradition, being the modern day NPP.
He therefore charged members of the NPP to be prepared to suffer the discomfort of seeing their preferred candidates not getting elected by the Electoral College and to accept anyone among them who gets elected.
“So the elections should not be seen as life and death, but a meaningful exercise in democratic governance.
This done, in our collectivity, we can in future vote for a party and a government which will represent the authority of us all, and not just a few interest groups, for we have the duty to ensure the welfare of all Ghanaians, irrespective of socio-economic, gender and ethnic differences,” he emphasised.
He urged members of the party to begin to think outside the box of the party, and come to the realisation that “we sink our differences and acrimony towards one another, and find solutions to our national problems.”
If there could be any incentive to put aside their differences, to create consensus and co-operation, lock arms and horns and move ahead together, as one party with a common destiny, and a march towards victory in 2012, Obeng Busia said: “then we should reflect on what the National Democratic Congress (NDC) strategy of divide and rule has done in the past, is doing today, will do tomorrow, because the piper, whose only exception is decency, still wants to continue calling the tune.”
He therefore noted that the recent piss-ins and piss-outs in the NDC should provide enough lessons to Ghanaians. “Let us think outside the party box, and once again, find solutions to our national problems. This is a call for healing and unity; essentials for victory 2012,” he noted.