Executive Director of the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBRE), Gordon Newman Asamoah has condemned a directive from the leadership of the New Patriotic Party concerning the upcoming national conference in the Ashanti region.
He describes the order to remove erected campaign billboards and signages as dictatorial and non-democratic. A sign which may hurt the long-standing democratic credentials of the party.
In a radio interview on Monday, December 13, Mr Asamoah stated, “I’ve read the directives, but do not want to wade into whether or not people will go by it. Such conferences are avenues for contestants to showcase their interests and themselves to delegates and party leadership. And so to order the removal of such campaign billboards and ban all activities associated with the internal contest to me is non-democratic.”
“This is a clear sign of panic reaction. It depicts certain individuals and leaders have lost grounds and thus want to intimidate the new faces who have recently gained grounds. Over the years before nominations are opened, billboards are erected, this thing isn’t new in politics.”
“The fact that you’re a leader and feel threatened by another shouldn’t make you give such directives. People easily take directives at the face value. But before such directives are issued, a lot goes into it, he added.
The NPP on December 10, issued a directive indicating that prior to the conference, ‘billboards and or signboards, banners or any kind of outdoor signage with the images and or names of individual members, with or without the consent of the individual, shall be acceptable. This, they say, applies to the area within the Greater Kumasi Metropolis. All such displays, if put up already, should be removed.’
Meanwhile, some party supporters have called for a review of the directive, but party leadership says it is a step in the right direction.
