Consequently, representatives of the regional and constituency youth organisers and other youth groups have presented a petition to President Mills and former President and founder of NDC, Flt Lt Rawlings, appealing to them to iron out their differences to ensure a peaceful congress and victory for the party in the 2012 election.
The more than 200 youth, who wore T-Shirts bearing the NDC umbrella symbol with the inscription: ‘NDC – Unity Now’, presented the petition first to President Mills at the Castle, Osu.
Thereafter, the group went to the Ridge residence of former President Rawlings, but could not meet him personally because he was said to be in a meeting. The Director of the office of former President Rawlings, Naval Captain Afeku-Amenyo, received the petition on behalf of former President Rawlings.
The petition read by the spokesperson for the group, Mr Abubakar Mutiu-Rahaman, said the youth groups, including the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN), were committed to ensuring the success of the party during the congress and general election in 2012.
‘We are also here to register our continuous support and hard work towards ensuring that the party succeeds and our opposition party continues to remain in opposition for a very long time.’, it said.
The petition said the concern of the NDC youth who were the future leaders of the party was ‘unity and peaceful coexistence of all members within the family because in unity lies strength’.
‘We, therefore, plead with you to do everything possible to ensure unity among us as we are matching towards the congress and to the main elections in 2012’, it said.
The petition said the NDC youth acknowledged that as children, they lacked the capacity to mediate or negotiate with parents.
‘Again we as youth do not have the capacity to understand the details of issues at hand and would not be interested in knowing what the details are. All we are asking for is that you look at us as your children who are crying for help for our future and the future of the party’, it said.
The youth, therefore, pleaded with the two leaders to do everything possible to ensure the unity of the party from now to 2012.
The petition said the youth were optimistic that ultimately, the two leaders would find a way of resolving all the differences in the party to ensure that the party was stronger than ever.
Receiving the petition, President Mills thanked the youth for their concern for unity in the NDC.
He stressed the need for unity in the NDC, saying that with togetherness and unity of purpose, they would be able to move the country forward.
President Mills reaffirmed the government’s commitment to work with those who shared the vision of his administration to improve the lives of the people.
He recalled that the government inherited an ailing economy and saidt in the last two-and-half years, the government had put in place measures to restore the economy.
He mentioned development projects in education, health and road sectors as some of the manifestations of the measures put in place by the government.
President Mills said his vision and passion were to remove majority of the people out of hunger and squalor, and stated that the government would not be distracted from that vision.
Naval Captain Afeku-Amenyo thanked the youth for showing special interest in the unity of the party.
He, however, denied suggestions that there was acrimony in the NDC, and said what was happening in the party was a demonstration of internal democracy.  Continued…  Â
Read the original here: