"Have you seen any of the Rawlingses around? We are the leadership of the NDP. Whoever wants to join now is free to come on board."
Mr. Aryeh said this at the Electoral Commission (EC) yesterday after picking the provisional certificate which certifies the existence of the party.
Moves by the NDP to register with the EC began sometime before the passing of President Mills and observers debated whether that event might have any effect on the party’s formation.
The party was largely seen to have the blessings of the Rawlingses as aides to the couple had earlier hinted that they might form a party based on the principles underlying the June 4 and December 31 revolutions.
At the same time, when questioned directly on whether ex-President Jerry John Rawlings would join the NDP, his aide said: “When you form a community you do not leave the community and abandon your cause simply because a few people are misbehaving. We shall stay and fight it until the right thing is done.”
At another point, Mr. Aryeh had indicated that former President Rawlings enjoys keeping people in suspense about his real intentions.
So the verdict it still out on which relationship the founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will have with his people and the NDP, which is largely constituted by his faithful.
The NDP though cannot embark on a full campaign until they are given the final certificate in 30 days.
Presenting the certificate, the deputy chairman in charge of finance, Mr. Ahmed Sulley, asked the party to ensure that their activities are consistent with the legal framework of the Political Party Act, adding that they should make sure there are functional offices in at least two-thirds of constituencies in each region.
In an interview, Dr. Aryeh disclosed that the members of the party would meet and decide on their launch, press statements and party congresses, both at the national and constituency level.
In response to a question on how to survive with the dominance of the ruling NDC and a stiff opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), he said: “We might as well pose that question to the President. If the President can do it, we can do it as well.”
The NDP flag has a white “iconic” dove against a red background on top on the NDP initials, which is in green, with a black Gye Nyame symbol on the beak of the dove. The full name of the party in white is written at the bottom of flag.
According to the chairmen, the party will focus on green-agenda-agriculture-based governance and also make democracy meaningful to everyone.
source: The Finder
