New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has declared himself the bridge between Ghana’s past and future.
The presidential spokesperson during the Kufuor era pointed to his unique political journey that spans the country’s military era, democratic transition, and the technological age.
“I am lucky enough to have transitioned the changes in politics in this country from the military era through the civilian transition to now, and also the technological advances.
“I see myself as a bridge, because I’m old enough to have seen what happened in 1980 through 1992 to the handover in 2001 and to now, where a lot of things are happening that our fathers never could have dreamed of. If they woke up today, they would be shocked by the world that we are living in,” he said on Joy News’ PM Express Business Edition.
Mr Agyepong argued that the roots of the New Patriotic Party were anchored in values forged during some of the country’s toughest periods.
“It’s important that those values that really anchored the formation of our political party. It is a political party that was formed at a time of extreme difficulty in this country.
“It needed men of courage, dedication, you know, values, principles, sacrifice and selflessness, to be able to even identify yourself with this political tradition.”
He stressed that democracy must be protected despite its challenges.
“We have to acknowledge that the dividend, the economic dividend that we’re expecting from democracy, hasn’t really yielded what we were expecting. That’s a fact, and therefore it’s created a new population that is disillusioned, angry, and that is justified.
“We understand that, but it is also important for them to understand that democracy is so much better than autocracy or military dictatorship, and it took the sweat, the toil, the blood and tears of many well-meaning Ghanaians to get us this far.”
He cautioned against political deception.
“It’s important, because we have to do things for the interest of the larger community, not for ourselves. I believe politics is not about ourselves. It’s about the larger good. The centrality of it is the welfare of the ordinary person, especially the underprivileged.”
The NPP flagbearer hopeful also reflected on his upbringing and values.
“I was brought up as a staunch Methodist, and I believe in that. And I mean those days we were brought up to respect our elders. It doesn’t mean that you cannot disagree with your elder, but in a respectful manner.”
He warned that Ghana’s challenges go beyond politics and the economy.
“So it’s not only economic problems we face or political problems, a lot of social problems that we are not dealing with as a country, and that goes to the core of our nation and is eating at us gradually.
“And there’s been a population explosion. Right now, we are heading towards 35 million, and so that has increased drastically over the last 10–15 years.
“The infrastructure that we have and the nation hasn’t expanded too much to be able to assimilate and contain all these teeming youth, and it’s come with it, an army of disappointed and disillusioned youngsters that we’ve got to find a way. And I feel if we are not careful, we’ll be sitting on a time bomb.”
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