NDC General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, has defended the party’s decision to require government appointees to resign at least six months before contesting in internal party elections.
He said the move is intended to ensure that leadership opportunities are distributed fairly within the party.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Monday, Mr Kwetey said the NDC is a large political organisation with millions of supporters and a deep pool of capable individuals, making it important to avoid a situation where a few people dominate both government appointments and elective party positions.
“That party is as big as the NDC, with millions of supporters; it’s a party that has so many people capable of holding positions,” he said.
He explained that, since some members have already been given positions of responsibility in government, it makes sense for the party to create space for others to rise and take leadership roles within the party structure.
“So if you have someone who, at the moment, has been given a position of responsibility, it simply makes a lot of sense to want to ensure that others are given the opportunity to hold other positions as well,” he stated.
Mr Kwetey was responding to a question from host Evans Mensah on the rationale behind the party’s recent announcement that any person appointed by the President or serving in a government position must resign six months before contesting in party structural elections, from the branch level through to the international chapters.
He said the party has clearly defined categories of appointments that fall under the rule, noting that some government roles are particularly demanding and leave little room for the additional burden of holding elective party office.
“Now, if you want to compete for a position where you already have one, especially a key appointment… some of the categories tend to be pretty engaging,” he said.
Mr Kwetey listed roles held at the ministerial, chief executive, and district, municipal, or metropolitan leadership levels, describing them as full-time responsibilities at the highest level.
“I mean, like full-time responsibility at the highest level, where you are in charge of entities, whether at the ministerial level, or at the CEO level, or the district or municipal metropolitan level, those are very engaging positions,” he said.
He argued that holding both a major government appointment and an elective party position creates inefficiencies and undermines performance.
“And if you still want to have that and also hold what you call an elective position at the party level, we simply want to say that you can’t really, really even run the two very efficiently,” he explained.
Mr Kwetey stressed that senior government roles are not part-time jobs and often require constant attention.
“Because, as you appreciate, when you move into such positions, it’s virtually like 24/7, you are very engaged,” he added.
He said the party’s position is based on practicality and fairness, insisting that the NDC must make room for more members to lead while ensuring those already in government focus fully on their responsibilities.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com