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Politics

NDC is the only party that truly cares for Ghanaians – Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has preened himself in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), saying it is “the only party that truly cares for the people of Ghana and continues to demonstrate that through its policies and actions….”

He, therefore, called on members to make the party “stronger” and “more formidable” ahead of the 2016 elections.

President Mahama made these remarks in relation to the upcoming national delegates’ congress of the party.

The congress, which is expected to elect national executives for the party, is scheduled for the Ashanti Region capital of Kumasi on Saturday, December 20.

President Mahama urged delegates to ignore claims by any of the candidates that “he/she is my choice or my preferred person, because there is none.”

The leader of the ruling party expressed commitment to work with any executives to be elected.

“Vote for whoever you believe has the capacity and ability to help grow our great party and work with the millions of supporters across the country.

“As President and Leader, it is who you, the delegates, decide on that I will work with.”

By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana

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Politics

Deepen consultations with the party apparatchiks, Dr Sulley Gariba urged

The Young Democrats, a pro NDC group, has said working in tandem with the party’s apparatchiks and caucuses should be the major concern with the Presidential Committee making the appointments for ministerial positions.

They said there seems to be a deliberate effort to alienate the party’s policy makers and planners, but this is unfortunate for the NDC is a big party with several interconnected groups and careful deliberations and consultations are needed before major decisions are made.

In a phone interview with the GNA, the Convener of the group, Mr Sam Atukwei Quaye, said ministerial appointments are done with broad consultations and agreements, and when the need arises, the entire team then explains to the public the reasons for certain actions and resolutions.

He said the way Dr Sulley Gariba alone is moving from station to station defending the current ministerial appointments does not sound right and it suggests that the entire appointments could have come from his initiative.

Mr Quaye said it is quite evident that capable and qualified people like PV Obeng, Dr Tony Aidoo, Totobi Quakye, Larry Adjetey and the Ahwoi brothers amongst several others, with decades of experiences in handling the affairs of both the party and the country, have been ignored in selecting qualified people to help govern the country.

He said “this is a cause for concern and it would explode if we do not work to rectify it for the actions of those at the helm of affairs should reflect with the vision and manifesto of the party they have joined”.

Mr Quaye said this “is not about targeting people but it is about protecting the image of the party and presenting a united front, for we the Young Democrats feel that after emerging from a hard fought electoral battle, consultations rather than alienation and divisions should be the order of the day.”

He said the group was not happy with the appointment of the three wise men saying “it is meaningless and if Dr Gariba had consulted the appropriate sectors, we would have presented better options for the public to assess”.

Moreso, he said, had the necessary consultations taken place, Mr Rashid Pelpuo would not have been nominated for a stated role, only to be reshuffled to another role in the public domain, – “this is quite unprecedented in the annals of the party”.

Mr Quaye said just as we welcome the President’s all inclusive policy which has led to non-members of the party being appointed to certain strategic positions in our government, it is equally incumbent on such people to work within the visions and expectations of the party and its teeming supporters.

“It is true,” he said, “the party shall have more challenges as it governs the country, but such challenges should not begin by deliberately ignoring and alienating the party’s apparatchiks”.

Source: GNA

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Politics

Berlusconi party quits Senate as tensions rise with Italy government

Silvio Berlusconi’s PDL party walked out of the Senate ahead of a confidence vote on economic measures on Thursday, ratcheting up tension with the Italian government of Prime Minister Mario Monti ahead of elections next year.

The symbolic move did not threaten the government’s survival but showed strong disapproval of Monti’s technocrat administration by the largest party backing him in parliament, following implicit criticism of People of Freedom (PDL) leader Berlusconi by Industry Minister Corrado Passera.

In an increasingly fevered pre-election atmosphere, Berlusconi dropped a strong hint late on Wednesday that he could go back on previous statements and run for a fifth term as prime minister in the election, expected in March.

In a television interview on Thursday, Passera expressed strong reservations about a return by Berlusconi.

“Anything which can make the rest of the world or our partners imagine that we are turning back is not a good thing for Italy,” he told state broadcaster RAI.

PDL Senate leader Maurizio Gasparri said the party would not take part in the vote on Monti’s latest package of reforms but would not vote against the decree or formally abstain, either of which would cause the government to fall.

While the PDL’s action had no direct impact on either the government or the decree, it represented a significant increase in tension ahead of the election as Berlusconi fights to reverse a collapse in the party’s popularity.

The centre-left Democratic Party (PD), which also backs the government, said that if Monti did not have the full support of one of the two main members of the cross-party alliance that supports him in parliament, then he should ask President Giorgio Napolitano to bring forward the elections.

PD Senate leader Anna Finnochiaro said that the PDL’s refusal to take part in the vote suggested the government no longer had a majority.

“The political problem is hugely important. I think that Monti should go to see the President in line with the established practice,” she told reporters.

The comment appeared a tactical move aimed at putting pressure on the PDL rather than a real push for Monti to dissolve parliament.

The confidence vote proceeded normally, without the PDL senators. The result was expected shortly.

Source: Reuters