The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) National Council of Elders, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, has called for a rededication of efforts to revitalise the party and reclaim its lost glory.
He recounted the party’s history and struggles, including its fight for democracy under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime.
“Fighting for democracy was not the easiest,” he said, adding that “every step of the way, there was a blockage by the PNDC. But we circumvented, one way or another, through ingenuity,” he said.
Event
Mr Owusu-Agyemang was delivering his opening remarks at a panel discussion to commemorate the 78th anniversary of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) in Accra last Monday.
The panel discussion was organised by the Patriotic Institute (PI), in collaboration with the NPP’s National Council of Elders, to foster a dialogue on individual freedoms, ethical leadership and youth-led solutions for Ghana’s development issues.
Self-interest
Mr Owusu-Agyemang urged party members to eschew self-interest and work towards the wider interest of the party.
He underscored the need for a mission and vision to correct past mistakes and restore the party to its former glory.
“We didn’t choose the elephant as our symbol for nothing.
It fights. It moves.
It makes sure that whatever it wants to do, it gets there,” he said, and called on party members to emulate the elephant’s determination and resilience.
Tribute
Mr Owusu-Agyemang paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers of the UGCC, including Joseph Boakye Danquah, George Alfred Paa Grant, Obestebi Lamptey, Awoonor-Williams and Edward Akufo-Addo.
He urged the present generation of the NPP to emulate the sacrifices of those leaders and rededicate themselves to rebuilding the party, democracy and the progress of the nation.
“So, ladies and gentlemen, 78 years ago, the United Gold Coast Convention emerged, not merely as a party, but as a daring declaration that Ghanaians deserve to shape their destiny,” he said.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang stressed the importance of the youth in protecting the legacy of the UGCC, saying: “To the youth of Ghana, the legacy calls you to action.
Let us protect liberty, defend integrity, build economies that uplift the populace, reject divisions and choose nationhood over faction, and never forget that freedom is not a relic, it is a responsibility.”
A Deputy General Secretary of the NPP and the acting Coordinator of the PI, Dr Antoinette Tsiboe-Darko, said the occasion was not just a ceremonial one but a time for introspection and intellectual renewal.
“As a centre-right democratic party, it is a period to remind ourselves of our ideals and the path, the roadmap that we have carved and what we want to follow.
And this hinges on our enduring principles of freedom, liberty, free enterprise, ethical governance in a property-owning democracy,” she said.
