Beware Of Greedy Bastards - Richard Anane

The member of Parliament (MP) for Nhyiaeso and former Minister for Roads and Transport, Dr. Richard Winfred Anane, says the party is gradually losing its identity as a conservative political organization. According to him, he is worried that the New Patriotic Party (NPP), which was formed on the basis of a conservative identity, appears to be treading on a disorganized path, motivated by the greed and selfishness of some individuals to prematurely assume influential positions. Dr. Richard Anane noted that the recent scramble for positions by some individuals, who are clearly not ripe for it, must give the party serious cause for concern. The former Roads and Transport Minister observed that the NPP, during its formation, had a solid laid down successive plan, which required a member to pass through the mill and attain the required experience before taking up a position. He said, unliked the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the NPP believes in tried and tested people, and not just amateurs. The Nhyiaeso MP, who is said to be nursing the ambition to contest the flagbearer position of the party, made the observation when addressing an inaugural ceremony of the Tertiary Education Student Confederacy Alumni of the NPP in Kumasi last Friday. He contended that NPP was being carried away by its political opponents to accept certain political ideologies which were alien to the conservative family. Dr. Anane, therefore, called on the youth, particularly members of the intercultural wing, to bid their time and acquire the needed leadership qualities before vying for positions. �I have heard about people trying to compare the NPP to the NDC, in terms of giving youth the opportunity to serve, the truth is that we NPP are conservative, and as conservative as we are, we need to follow a clearly laid down successive plan,� he observed. The former Minister, however, pointed out: �This does not mean the NPP does not believe in youth development; we believe in quality leadership, which means that anyone with an ambition to contest for position must have gone through an apprenticeship and gained the required experience.� Using himself and others as an example, Dr. Anane said they had passed through various stages of political development,and were endowed with the expertise that could stand the test of time. Touching on the inauguration of the TESCON Alumni, Dr. Anane said the idea was a laudable one, but warned its members about the danger of being exploited by individuals for selfish gains. �I am happy you have mooted this idea. Some years ago, some of us did same and gave birth to TESCON, today you have established an alumni, and its my hope that you use it to advance the cause and interest of the party, and not any individual member,� he cautioned.