A Branch Youth Organizer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Ampabame, Vincent Asare Bediako, has launched his bid for NDC’s Parliamentary candidate primaries in the Offinso South Constituency.
The Offinso South Constituency Communications Officer of the NDC launched his campaign on Monday, March 20, 2023.
Below is his full speech read out to the media at the launch of his campaign:
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, I welcome you all to Hon Vincent Asare Bediako Campaign Launch.
I am proud to be given this opportunity to discuss with you our common interest.
My name is Vincent Asare Bediako, and I am from Namong. I grew up in Ampabame, which is in the Offinso South constituency.. I served as a Branch Youth Organizer for Ampabame, and a constituency Communication Officer. My service as a Constituency Communication Officer and a branch Youth Organizer offered me an opportunity to learn while serving. It has given me important skills that I believe will help in the effort to improve the NDC as a party in our esteemed Constituency.
Offinso South has been one of the promising Constituecy in Ashanti Region and Ghana as a whole. The population of the Municipality according to the 2021 Population and Housing Census stands at 137,272 which will have about 85,000 qualified voters in 2024. The constituency have been one of the strong hold for the NPP since it’s inceptions.
Records show that the NDC government oversaw or initiated all significant projects located in this constituency. The credit for projects like courts, marketplaces, hospitals, schools town roads and many more belongs to the NDC administration. It is regrettable to point out that whenever the NPP is in power, things only become worse. The recent chaos brought about by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia led NPP government in the nation has made the situation in Offinso South even worse, notwithstanding the appalling performance of our current MP, who is unmatched in terms of poor management. It is terrible, repulsive, and shameful to inform the members that the roads leading to the residence of our own MP were exploited as a sham to win elections before being abandoned for the inhabitants.
It is also astonishing to see that despite all the harm the NPP has done to Offinso South, it continues to be one of the electoral districts that delivers them a sizable amount of votes. Those who desire to see development and expansion in the Offinso municipality have numerous questions about this.
Comrades have expressed worry and have questioned why Offinso consistently experiences growth under the NDC government yet the NPP continues to receive those votes.
Even though the NDC has proven we are the better managers of Offinso South and the country as a whole, many attempts have been made by our party’s rank and file to change the narrative. However, nothing has changed; the situation is still what it has always been. This has led to a wide range of additional inquiries into the nature of the issue.
A wider consultation with Branch executives, party members, floating voters, members of the NPP, and all other stakeholders in the constituency was conducted as part of my efforts to assist the NDC win the seat and bring development to Offinso South. This was done in order to better understand the issue at hand before coming up with a solution. Following consultations, the following issues were noted as obstacles:
(1) Poor leadership
(2) Insufficient resources
(3.) Ineffective strategic initiatives
(4.) Customs/Traditions
Since the aforementioned issues had been discovered, drastic/immediate action was required to help the situation get better. Making sure the NDC is appealing to the constituents was the first quick plan that came to mind. It became simple for me to do the majority of that in the name of our noble party in order to make it appealing to people since it isn’t my nature to help the weak and show concern to everyone, just like when I was nobody but others showed concern and enabled me to become who I am today.
The following projects and interventions have been welcomed by several communities and people, to name just a few of what has been done to enhance the party and make it more appealing in our constituency; we have provided boreholes, paid for school fees, provided free hernia surgery, provided free surgeries for some pregnant women, donated to party activities, renovated the party office, attended weddings, naming ceremonies, and funerals, purchased a casket to bury our late branch executive, and providing assistance to all of our constituents in the name of the NDC.
My contributions to the NDC’s improvement as a political party in Offinso South have been mentioned, but that is not all. In fact, further initiatives are in the works to assist the NDC alter the dynamics in the constituency.
I am committed to bringing a new vision and a new direction, therefore I have assembled a powerful six-person committee to assist us in rescuing the constituency and transform it into a place worth bragging about.
These include the following:
Firstly, The finance committee, Financial difficulties have always been one of the main problems most of the opposition party has to deal with. Most constituencies, particularly the orphan, have relied on national executives for resources in the past, especially before a campaign can begin. Even National’s resources are insufficient at times due to the necessity of distributing funds to all 275 constituencies around the country.
These have been the main challenges that the majority of orphan constituencies confront, particularly if the parliamentary candidate lacks initiatives and thereby drags those areas back in terms of campaigning.
Either waiting for National or traveling outside of the constituency to look for financial help from others had always been the plan. In general, it’s not a bad thing to ask for assistance, but the problem comes when you rely completely on it. So, it is necessary to reconsider how to raise money for the constituency.
The Finance Committee, headed by Parliamentary Candidate Vincent Asare Bediako, will see to it that funds are raised inside the district. One method the committee will use to accomplish this is to locate at least 100 fellow party members in the area and inform them of the necessity of giving the party at least GHc100 per month. This will enable the constituency to raise at least GHC10,000.00 per month for the party. As a result, the constituency’s reliance on National and outsiders will be reduced, and the issue of campaign delays will be a thing of the past.
In addition, The welfare committee, One of the best way to make an association looks attractive and appalling for members to join is to prioritize the welfare of its members. Over the past years this have been the major challenge of our members in the constituency.
Welfare is about ensuring that, economic assistance is provided to persons in need. When the nod is given to Hon. Vincent Asare Bediako as Parliamentary Candidate, the welfare committee will prioritize party members and ensure that job opportunities are created for them, pooling agents food are provided on time, members especially the aged are being visited from time to time, and also weddings, naming ceremonies and funerals are being attended and above all, any other assistance the party can help.
Thirdly, The sports committee. Sporting activities are the sole remaining source of happiness for young people given the mess that the NanaAddo/Bawumia/NPP government has made. Data also indicate that young people are the majority in Offinso South; as a result, young people shouldn’t be disregarded.
The committee will work in cooperation with the young to create a giant sports game that has never been seen in our constituency as part of our effort to provide some relief to the youth. The municipality will be divided into three (3) zones, with Bonsua zone being the first, Kokote to Namong zone being the second, and Sakam to ABOFOUR zone being the third. Zone One will have the top two teams chosen, and Zones Two and Three will have the top three teams chosen for football competition. As a result, eight (8) teams from the entire constituency will join forces and compete in the championship game to determine the constituency champion.
Also, the health committee This committee will make sure that the campaign team includes at least one health professional so they can attend to any of our members who may require medical care while we are campaigning.
In addition, the health committee will see to it that health exams are held around the district, mostly in public markets, and that members are educated on health-related topics on a daily basis.
Once more, The strategic and research committee. The objective assigned to this committee will be to identify the difficulties each community is experiencing and suggest ways to overcome them. This will make it easier for the committee to decide how the campaign should go. The messages that should be distributed in each community, the locations and times that the campaign team should visit each town, and most importantly, the tasks that must be completed and the events that must take place in the constituency to draw voters. The committee will also determine the influential members of the constituency who can assist us reach out to individuals who have trouble understanding our message.
Last but not the least, The security committee. The NDC must approach the forthcoming election with the necessary apparatus in light of what happened in the 2020 election.
Instead of relying on the government, the NDC must provide its own security and referee for the upcoming election. Both the votes and the citizens must be protected. The security committee, led by Hon. Vincent, will see to it that there is security in place to guarantee the safety of voters and their ballots. This will enable the will of the people to be represented.
After outlining the issues, my involvement, my policies, and my desire to see the Offinso South Constituency succeed, I am happy to inform comrades that I will be filing my nomination on Tuesday, 21st March, 2023 at the party office to stand as the candidate for parliament during the upcoming party’s primary elections.
I approach this with a great sense of commitment, diligence, humility and hence called on all delegates, constituents and everyone to work with us to alter the course of history and create a proud record for future generations.
Until we alter the dynamics in Offinso south, we won’t stop working.
Thank you all.
Long live Ghana
Long live NDC
Long live Offinso South
3y3 Zuu
# For God and Constituency.
# New Vision, New Direction.
# Y3 Nim No Firi Tete
Source: ghanaweb.com / Melvin Tarlue, Contributor
