PNC members urged to unite for December polls

Page 16, Jan 25, 2012
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE People’s National Congress’ (PNC) Member of Parliament for Sissala West, Mr Haruna Bayirga, has called on members of the party to unite and prepare towards the December general elections now that the court case that entangled the party was over.
“Now that the court case has come to an end, I am appealing to the rank file of the party to bury their differences and come together as a united party in order to have a peaceful congress to elect out leaders”, he said.
Mr Bayirga, who was also the Chairman of the Government Assurance Committee in Parliament, said while thinking about the election of candidates for the 2012 general election, efforts should also be made to unite the Nkrumah-Limann family.
“We should not completely abandon the Nkrumahist unity talks”, he said, adding that whenever the opportunity comes our way again, “we should see how we can press on for the unity of the family”.
Touching on the importance of smaller parties, Mr Bayirga opined that efforts should be made in order not to allow the big political parties to swallow them up.
He explained that during both the fourth and the fifth parliaments, it was through the assistance of the PNC and other smaller political parties that helped to ensure that there were no hanged parliaments.
“The acceptance of PNC to always assist the Majority to have the needed numbers to ensure that government business in the House was conducted without difficulties had helped to stabilise the country’s political dispensation”, he said.
Mr Bayirga said attempts by the big political parties to swallow up the smaller parties would not augur well for the country’s democratic path and called on businessmen, donors and all sympathisers to assist such smaller political parties to play their roles as expected of them.
He added that it was only when there were smaller political parties who had the strength to balance the inter-play of power between the NDC and the NPP that the country’s democracy would be secured.
Mr Bayirga commended the founder of the PNC, Dr Hilla Limann, for his vision and sacrifice adding that his statement that he would heal the wounds of Ghanaians had stood the test of time and that the role that MPs from the party were playing now in Parliament had made the statement a prophetic one.