General Secretary Aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has revealed that the party is fundamentally run on a volunteering basis and no one is paid for services rendered.
According to him, people should not expect to receive a monthly salary as part of their job in working for any political party.
“The party is made up of volunteers, okay. We’re all volunteers, nobody pays us. I was a full-time lecturer at UPSA when I was Deputy General Secretary. Nobody gets paid, it’s voluntary. And this is how the party has been run, on voluntary basis.”
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah
Reacting to some comments made by an NDC flag bearer aspirant, Dr Duffuor, who indicated that the base of the party was weakened due to lack of funds, hence his resolve to introduce the Ahotor programme to help fund the party’s base, Mr Ankrah noted that while the gesture is commendable, it is not a requirement for party executives to be paid since work done is voluntary.
With this, emphasized that when one is campaigning for a position, he does not advocate that he should be paid because it’s a voluntary job and it’s just like any other voluntary organization.
Mr Afriyie Ankrah stated that the issue of funding in parties has been an ongoing conversation and he is a strong advocate of looking for ways to fund political parties. With this, he expressed the need for creative ways to be introducedto support the funding of political parties.
Funding political parties
The NDC General Secretary aspirant noted that although it is “simplistic posturing” to expect that party branch executives get paid, there are various ways in which party branch managers can fund their activities. He explained that despite the fact that members engage in a lot of activities that require funding, that’s why at “any given time when it comes to elections, people make donations, sell paraphernalia and those things”.
“There’s a world of a difference between saying you want to help finance the party through various activities and saying party branch executives are not paid. So, what about those who go and vote, should they be paid?… And indeed when he brought this project, we welcomed it that it was good. The only issue is the modalities; there have been misunderstanding about how it should be implemented…”
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah
Commenting on the party’s bid to win the elections, Mr Ankrah indicated that he possesses the requisite leadership skills and qualities needed to unite and motivate party members towards victory in the 2024 General Elections.
He explained that his campaign’s core message is that the NDC is winning the 2024 elections and he is prepared to deliver that victory with the support of party members.
“I do motivation, you know that. That’s what I do. And there are principles in leadership, and it’s called synergy. I’ve been at the forefront of every single election. For you to win an election you need to get majority of the people 90, 95% of the people ready and willing and hungry to die a little for the party.”
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah
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