Politics of Monday, 24 December 2018
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2018-12-24
Sylvester Mensah, interacting with some chiefs in the Upper West Region
Former CEO of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Sylvester Mensah, has arrived in the Upper West Region with his Renewed Hope Campaign to solicit for votes, ahead of the presidential primaries of the National Democratic Congress.
The flagbearer hopeful and his team arrived in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital on Friday night, December 21, 2018.
Mr. Mensah’s first port of call was the NDC Regional Secretariat in Wa, on Saturday morning, December 22, where he had progressive interactions with a very organised, mature and brilliant Regional Executives and detailed out his vision for the NDC and Ghana. He assured the executives of mutuality of interest and effective participation in the processes of governance. Issues concerning strengthening the structures of the party, uniting the party at all levels, rewarding loyalty and creating prosperity for all were discussed.
Mr. Mensah seized the opportunity and appealed to the executives to support and vote for him on January 26, 2019. He indicated to them that even though Ghanaians are tired of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government and want change, they are equally expecting the NDC to provide a new leader, new vision, new sets of minds and new hope, for their full support.
“Ghanaians want to give power back to the NDC, but they are looking for something new; they are looking for a new face, a new leader, new hope and that is what I represent,” he said
The executives granted Sly and his team “permission” to tour all constituencies in the Region, with an assurance to step in whenever any difficult situation arises concerning the tour. They also assured Mr. Mensah that, as expected of them by the constitution of the party, they shall be neutral, transparent and work to provide a level playing field for all aspirants in the Region.
Sly Mensah Upper West
Mr. Mensah was later accompanied by some Regional executives and Wa Central Constituency executives to pay a courtesy call on the Wa Naa. Even though the Wa Naa himself was not around, he delegated some paramount chiefs to receive Mr. Mensah and his team. The chiefs gave their blessings to Mr. Mensah and encouraged him to continue pursuing his agenda with decorum.
Pragmatic ideas
Prior to embarking on the trip to the Upper West, Mr Mensah interacted with delegates from the Suhum and Ayensuano Constituencies on the final lap of his tour of the Eastern Region and revealed his plans and strategies on job creation.
Sylvester Adinam Mensah challenged the delegates not to look further but vote massively for him in the forthcoming flagbearer elections if they truly want real transformation in their lives and standards of living.
“It is ideas that shape and change the world and I have a team that has it in more than in enough measure to take both party and country forward,”.
The flagbearer hopeful reminded the delegates that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was not a rich man but an idealistic philosopher who inspired hope and confidence in Ghanaians but when he was given the opportunity to lead this country, he brought his expertise and innovative ideas of leadership to bare which culminated into monumental achievements with significant relevance.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s achievements were not a function of his personal pocket size but a function of his innovative ideas, he noted.
He decried the era of politicians paying lip service to changing the structure of Ghana’s economy and charged that it is time for personalities who have exceptional transformative ideas, skills and talents to take over the leadership of this country and utilisee their talents and ideas to create sustainable jobs for the masses who are unemployed. Mr. Mensah cited how China has created millions of jobs for its citizens in the textiles industry.
According to him, Ghana has a competitive advantage in the textiles industry under the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) to make profit and create millions of jobs for its people. He was of the view that the annual Farmers’ Day Celebration can be made more relevant and tailored towards enhanced productivity if the organisers can consider for instance giving a tomato processing machine to the best Tomato farmer so as to add value to his or her produce for enhanced profit instead of a giving such a farmer a motorcycle.
The flagbearer hopeful assured the delegates of the readiness of his idealistic and enthusiastic team to implement strategies that would inure into the creation of millions of sustainable jobs for party members and Ghanaians at large when voted for as flagbearer and subsequently president.
“We need time to create jobs for our unemployed masses and if you vote for me as your leader, I would grab the opportunity with alacrity and gusto and deliver jobs and real developments that would put you at the centre”.
The flagbearer hopeful also assured the delegates of unity amongst all the aspirants and was very clear that this contest for flagbearer was not a do or die affair but a family contest that can only produce one winner and in whichever direction the results may go, all the contestants are ready to rally behind the one who would emerge the winner so that with a united front the NDC can face and unseat the non-performing Akufo Addo-Bawumia-led government come 2020.
The delegates received his message with great joy with lots of them openly declaring their support for his bid to lead the party and country.