<<Print>>

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress, has decried the continuous disregard for laid down party procedures by some party big shots. Joseph Yammin in an interview on Xfm�s Big Bite show said the blatant disregard for the party�s own rules and regulations will not inure to the benefit of the NDC. His comments follows President John Mills� visit to the Ashanti Region to meet Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives from the northern sector of the country in Kumasi, which according to Mr Yammin, took him by surprise. All the regional executives of the party were present at the event, except Mr Yammin. Mr Yammin who is yet to find out why there was no official notice of the President�s visit said the President needed to have given a pre-notification of his visit to the region irrespective of the reason for the visit. According to him, the government was borne out of the party, hence the need to follow party procedures to the latter. �What I have gathered is that the main function was not to meet delegates but the MMDCE�s. But in any case�whether the president is coming into the region on official duties or party duties, the party should be in the know. At least, the regional chairman and secretary should be around to take the president round,� Mr Yammin opined, adding that this is extremely important as President John Mills will be seeking the party people�s mandate for a second term in office. �Today as I speak with you, the president wants to be a president for the second time but he�ll need the mandate of the party before he can be a president again; that is if he wins the primaries then he would have the opportunity of presenting himself to the general public to elect him as a president again. So if there is a government, definitely the mother of the government is the party, and so whether the president was coming in to meet DCE�s, an official communication through writing should be given to the secretariat� but as I speak with you now, the person to be taking records of this things can confidently tell you that there has not been anything of the sort�. According to him, this has been a constant occurrence, describing it as embarrassing. Mr Yammin contended that the practice is only �leading the regional executives to some kind of corner of which seriously is not promoting party unity and party strength�. �I�m yet to find out why I was not invited� it does happen with the president. Anytime he gets here, the party gets the information somewhere else. Sometimes it�s so embarrassing that you may not be in the know when the president is in town�. �And this has been the frustrations some of us have been speaking against�.