Alan Kyerematen and Abu Sakara officially launched the Alliance for Revolutionary Change in pursuit of the long-sought-after desires of the Ghanaian populace.
The official coming together of the two movements was announced on April 17 at the UPSA Hall in Accra, Ghana.
After 32 years of democratic rule in the fourth republic, Ghana’s democracy has been described by many as one of the most stable not just in the West African sub-region but the African continent at large. Yet, the political landscape has been dominated by two political parties, the National Democratic Party and the New Patriotic Party. These two successive governments in Ghana have failed the country, marked by issues such as bad governance, high unemployment rates, and rampant corruption.
The question begs: Would Ghanaians consider giving the mantle to a third force, and if there’s a possibility, would Abu, Alan, and the other parties be the best bet?
A look at Alan’s political career:
Alan Kyerematen, the former Minister for Trade and a stern member of the NPP, broke out of the party to form the Movement for Change when the NPP decided to vote for Dr. Mumudu Bawumia as their preferred candidate at the expense of the well-known Alan Kyerematen, who had served the party under Kufuor’s administration and Akufo-Addo’s administration. According to Ghana News Guide checks, he is the brain behind the free education initiative run by the NPP government.
Dr. Michael Abu Sakara Foster, a former flag bearer of the opposition Convention People’s Party (CPP).
Sakara’s current and past efforts are firmly rooted in the belief that Ghana’s democracy will benefit from a process that depolarizes the political landscape to produce a more mature, constructive opposition that emerges as an alternative third force in government. Dr. Sakara has supported parliamentarians in four constituencies in northern Ghana since 1996 and participated in two election campaigns. Dr. Sakara contested in the 2007 congress and won the position as the First National Vice Chairperson of the CPP.
The ARC: It is made up of the Movement for Change (M4C), the National Interest Movement (NIM), the Ghana Green Party (GGP), the Third Force Movement, the Non-Alliance Voters Association of Ghana (NAVAG), the Ghana First Coalition (GFC), the Union Movement (UM), the Crusaders Against Corruption, and the Ghana National Party (GNP), among others.
As part of the launch, the groups signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to legalize the new pact. Prior to the signing, the leaders of the various groups took turns to share their vision and pledged their unalloyed support for the new political entity.
Transformation agenda:
Mr. Kyerematen, who is the leader of the ARC, promised to revive the nation’s economy with a six-point agenda of which building a united government was one. He said he would usher in a new type of visionary, competent, accountable, transparent, action-oriented, results-driven, and compassionate leadership; implement transformational policies and make the private sector the engine of growth and development.
The Faye’s development: With the recent developments in Senegal, when the populace elected a radical leader who was released from jail a few weeks before their presidential election.
From a Dakar prison to the presidency, Senegal’s anti-establishment Bassirou Diomaye Faye embodies the winning charisma of his mentor and opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko, who endorsed him as his replacement.
The question still begs: would the ARC be a gateway or noway?
By: Ishmael Awudi
