Loyalty Crucial To NPP, Not To Individuals– Mireku Duker Preaches Unity

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem in the Western Region has tasked the rank and file of the governing New Patriotic Party to remain loyal to the cause of the party (NPP), instead of an individual, ahead of the party’s presidential primaries, slated for November 4, to elect a flagbearer for the 2024 election.

According to George Mireku Duker, no individual can thwart the political fortunes of the NPP, as he believes breakaways also do not solve the challenges of a party.

To him, the supremacy of the party is key, because all the aspirants, who are contesting on NPP’s ticket today, had their fame out of the structures and workings of the party.

“There is the need to stay united, to be loyal to the party and not an individual,” he stated, adding, “supremacy of our party is key. All the aspirants who are contesting today had their fame out of the workings of the party.”

Mr. Duker, who doubles as the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in an article, sighted by The Anchor, yesterday, said that challenges may arise, but it is important to use the internal mechanisms and structures of the party to resolve them, instead of going public with it.

“Members must always use internal structures to address concerns and not to put the image of the party into disrepute in a manner that may lead to disenchantments amongst the rank and file to undermine the gains made by the party,” he cautioned.

Breakaway Precedents

While preaching for unity to prevail, Mr. Duker said political breakaways are always not the best option and perhaps do not yield good results, and he cited several precedents to buttress his point.

He recalled how on January 10, 1997, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, a founding member of the NPP, formed a new political party, called the United Ghana Movement (UGM), as a splitter group from the mother party.

He said the UGM flagbearer went on to score a paltry 0.3% of the popular votes in the 2000 general elections, which could not stop the eventual victory of the NPP at the ensuing elections.

Similarly, Mr. Duker said, in South Africa, the far-left pan-Africanist and Marxist-Leninist political party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), formed in 2013, out of the African National Congress (ANC), and led by Julius Malema, which purportedly was to break down Nelson Mandela’s ANC, could not achieve its aim because of the ANC’s solid foundation and structure.

“We have a recent instance in Nigeria, where a seemingly third force, called Peter Obi, defected to another party, citing unfair treatment in his original party primaries, a party he was the running mate in the 2019 elections. He lost miserably,” he said.

Mr. Duker also cited the Australian precedent in 1955, when the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) broke away from the Australian Labour Party (ALP) because certain leaders had various grievances.

According to him, “though they made some little impact in the 1960s and 1970s, they have been de-registered by Australia’s Electoral Commission, as of March 2022, because they couldn’t prove they have at least 1,500 legal members.”

Explanation

The Tarkwa MP explained that, “I am citing these examples to indicate that an individual won’t find it easy to dwindle the political fortunes of the NPP. I am convinced that, when we stay united, we shall surely prevail. As Matshona Dhliwayo puts it, ‘A mighty storm is inconsequential when facing a mighty ship.’ I am optimistic that, when the wheels are strong, a ship has no reason to fear turbulence.”

Referring to his party as a transparent and credible one, he urged that members must always use internal structures to address concerns and not to put the image of the party into disrepute in a manner that may lead to disenchantments among the rank and file to undermine the gains of the party.

NDC Factor

“Ultimately, the supreme battle is not amongst us, but our opponents, the NDC, who are sitting on the fence, hoping to see us divided for them to take advantage of. As Abraham Lincoln once indicated, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand,’” Mr. Duker said, stressing “so do I believe that, breakaways don’t really solve the challenges of a party.”

‘Breaking The 8’

He said the party, at the moment, is at a crossroads that requires unity for it to stay together to succeed its mantra of “Breaking the 8,” and stressed, “the more we stay in power, the more we can expand the net base to capture all and sundry.”

He added, “I humbly urge the rank and file of the party to remain focused and not entertain any force that seeks to split our party.”

Mr. Duker is certain that the NPP will surely surmount at the end of the day, and urged the partisans, “Let us remain united, loyal to our party and work together to break the 8.”

Source: Anchorghana.com