The Deputy Minister of Labour and Employment, Mr Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, has called on cadres of the 31st December Revolution to unite and work for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to win the 2016 elections.
That, he said, would make it possible for President John Dramani Mahama to continue with the NDC’s policies of social justice to further improve the living standard of all Ghanaians, especially the downtrodden.
Mr Boasiako Sekyere, who is himself a cadre of the 31st December Revolution, made the remarks when he addressed this year’s annual review conference of the United Cadres’ Front (UCF) at the Bunso College in the Eastern Region on Saturday.
The two-day meeting, on the theme, “Positioning the Cadre Corps as an Effective and Relevant Integral Structure of the National Democratic Congress for Victory 2016 and Beyond,” was attended by about 100 delegates from across the country.
It was to review the activities of the UCF and plan for the year, with the view of supporting the NDC to retain power at the 2016 elections.
CDR
The cadres, who were at the forefront of the revolution which gave birth to the NDC, were in the early days known for their membership of the Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR).
He said the cadres had played a significant role in championing the cause of the ordinary man during the revolutionary and constitutional periods and that they should continue to support the government to implement its policies that would ensure social justice.
Mr Boasiako Sekyere added that it was only in such a direction that majority of Ghanaians would continue to support the NDC to retain power in 2016.
Social democracy
According to Mr Boasiako Sekyere, unlike the New Patriotic Party (NPP) which, according to him, believed in the property-owning democracy which did not address the concerns of the ordinary citizen, the NDC’s social democratic principles were gradually improving the living standards of the people, especially the common people.
Cadres, he, therefore, stated, should continue to support the NDC which, to him, had the interest of the people at heart.
He urged the cadres, most of who are in their late 50s, to recruit young men and women who would be imbibed with the ideals of social democracy to take over from them to sustain the solid base of the NDC.
“We form an integral part of the NDC, and because of your significant role in the party, you have to recruit young ones who should be imbibed with the principles of social justice to take over from you because age is now catching on all of us,” Mr Boasiako Sekyere told the gathering.
Mr C.K. Annan, a secretary in the revolutionary era, gave a vivid account of the contributions of the cadres to the revolution, and said they must demonstrate such commitment for the success of the NDC at the 2016 elections.
Ill-treatment
In his contribution, the Central Regional Vice Chairman of the UCF, Mr John Oremus Arko, was not happy with the manner cadres were being treated, and cited instances where two cadres who were appointed to the position of district chief executive had to be removed without any reason.
Apart from that, he said cadres engaged to provide meals for pupils under the school feeding programme had not been paid, thus putting a lot of economic hardships on them and their families.
No rivalries
Earlier, the General Secretary of the UCF, Mr Felix Nyarko, debunked allegations of rivalries among the cadres and said they were united with a common goal.
A young cadres’ league, he indicated, would soon be inaugurated to help sustain the group.
Representatives of the UCF in the regions later took turns to address the gathering on their activities which, according to them, was helping to strengthen the NDC to win the 2016 elections.