2020 Elections: I will reward foot soldiers – Mahama

Former President John Dramani Mahama has asked executives of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to take note of all hardworking and loyal party members so that they can be rewarded if the party recaptures power in the 2020 polls.

He encouraged supporters of the party to work hard to bring the NDC back to power, as the party will also reward them when it forms the next government.

Speaking to delegates of the NDC at the Afadjato South Constituency of the Volta Region on Monday, 28 January 2019, Mr Mahama said the leadership of the NDC had learnt lessons from the party’s defeat in the 2016 elections.

He expressed confidence that with unity, the NDC can recapture power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr Mahama told the delegates that: “We must all kill ourselves a little so that the party can come back into government and when the party comes back to government, I assure you the party will also kill itself a little for you.

“Our foot soldiers and our grassroots are also entitled to the fair share of the national cake. In the past, when we were cadres of the revolution, we sacrificed our lives so that our nation will be better. But we’ve moved into another era, the era of democracy, and, so, you have party foot soldiers, grassroots who work for the party hoping that when the party wins and comes into power their lives will also get better.

“And, so, if a party chairman or a party’s branch women’s organiser or branch chairman also has a child who qualifies as a Ghanaian to be able to get a scholarship, why not? We should give him a scholarship. If he has a son who is qualified to enter the army or police, as long as he’s qualified, why not? He should also have the opportunity.

“But the only way we can do that is for our executives to be able to recognise the hardworking grassroots foot soldiers. The president or the leader is not in Afadjato South, I cannot see those who are working here in Afadjato South. It is the MP, the constituency chairman, the women’s organiser and others who will know it is Mama Rejoice who is working hard so when the party wins and if there’s an opportunity, let us suggest Mama Rejoice to also go and benefit.

“But if that doesn’t happen and we all work hard and the party comes back and now they say they want to choose a District Chief Executive, then the MP goes and brings his nephew, the chairman goes and brings his cousin, this one goes and brings his this, that is where the problem comes.

“Then you go and bring a DCE and they say: ‘Here are MASLOC loans for your district then you know that these are the people who work hard.’ The president cannot come and choose those people and say they should benefit. It is the DCE who is supposed to do that. And then you go and take people who are completely different and they had nothing to do with the victory of the party and bring it and distribute it to them, then the party foot soldiers get angry and say: ‘What is the use of the work we did?’ So let us with pen and paper start taking notes of those who are working hard from today for the victory of the party in 2020”.