The embattled former Presidential Candidate aspirant of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, has attacked some elders and leaders of the party for some purportedly hijacking the party. According to him, the Party has been hijacked by a selected group of party leaders and elders, government appointees, “behind the curtain power brokers” and some unscrupulous party apparatchiks.
The former Trade and Industry Minister made the accusations when he announced his resignation with immediate effect from the governing party at a news confab on Monday, September 25, 2023, in Accra.
Mr. Kyerematen noted he joined the New Patriotic Party at the very beginning of its establishment as a Founding Member, believing in its core values and the long-standing traditions of its antecedents, predicated on fairness, equity, probity, accountability, and transparency.
“I have devoted the best part of my professional career to serving the party, and I still believe in the vision of the founding fathers of the party” he stressed.
However, he stated the NPP as it exists now has very little resemblance to the party that he joined in 1992 and helped to nurture.
“It was my fervent wish to use the vehicle of the party to bring my God given talents, experience, and knowledge acquired both locally and internationally over a period of 46 years, to serve our dear nation, Ghana at the highest level of executive authority” a disgruntled Alan Kyerematen bemoaned.
He intimated the services and contributions [he] made to the party are not appreciated and that his continuous stay in the party will create further tension and division, a situation he indicated is an exact replay of circumstances that led to his decision to resign from the party in 2008.
2024 Elections
The former Minister of State used the medium to announce his intention to contest the 2024 general elections as an Independent Presidential candidate.
Mr. Alan Kyerematen further announced the establishment of a new Movement For Change in Ghana that he would personally be leading into next year’s elections.
The brand logo for the MOVEMENT he said is the Monarch Butterfly, explaining it politically symbolizes change and transformation, hope, and positivity.
He emphasized that it also communicates strength, endurance, spirituality, and trust, which are key traits that I cherish as a Political Leader. In Akan, it is known as Afrafranto, adding the brand motto of the MOVEMENT is “Ghana Will Rise Again,” which symbolizes hope for the future of Ghana.
Meanwhile, the new Movement will be led and powered by the youth of Ghana out of the over 17 million registered voters in the 2020 general election, the youth aged 18-35, years constituted over 9.4 million voters representing 55% (Fifty five percent) of the total voters.
Mr. Alan Kyerematen said it is acknowledged without doubt, that the youth represent the future of our country, and yet they constitute the most vulnerable section of our society.
“From available statistics, 85% (eighty-five percent) of all prison inmates in Ghana are aged between 12 and 35 years. This is profoundly alarming.”
NPP/NDC Dominance
The former Ambassador to the US has therefore urged the Ghanaian voter population to change the political status quo in Ghana which 1992 has been the dominance of the two major political parties – the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress.
He argues this will break divisive partisanship in governance in Ghana, and bring an end to the “winner takes all” political syndrome, ensure inclusiveness, and reduce the effect of monetization in politics.
He emphasized that the principles underpinning national elections must be reflected in the electoral process of political parties in Ghana.
He also promised to build consensus on a National Development Agenda which will introduce a new paradigm shift that moves Ghana from growth and stability to economic transformation, stating this paradigm shift will be driven by my Great Transformational Plan (GTP) for Ghana, which puts the private sector and the business community at the center of our national development efforts.
Alan Kyerematen said his administration will promote the establishment of a Government of National Unity, which will include people from all walks of life, irrespective of their political, religious, and ethnic affiliations: rich or poor, abled-bodied or physically challenged, young or old, women and men. This will allow for effective and inclusive participatory governance.
